Today is a fun day for participants of Armchair BEA because it’s Giveaway Day! I know I’m planning on entering bunches of giveaways and winning ALL THE THINGS. Granted, sometimes my plans don’t pan out, but let’s stay optimistic, shall we?
But a plain ol’ giveaway post isn’t a ton of fun to read (it’s fun to WIN, but not to read). So for your reading pleasure, the suggested topic for today is “Best of 2012,” where we will highlight great books we have read in 2012, or books we are looking forward to for this year.
This is a tad tricky because most of the books I’ve read this year have not been new releases or advance copies, but I have read some great 2012 books, and I’d love to share them with you!
I’m going to list them by release date, since I sure can’t list them in order of awesomeness. THEY ARE ALL AWESOME.
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (Book 2 of the Delirium Trilogy – February 28, 2012). I loved the loveless dystopian world Lauren Oliver created in Delirium, and found this second installment exciting, touching, and equally engrossing.
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Book 1 of the Ascendance Trilogy – April 1, 2012). I’m not sure I can stress enough how much everyone needs to read this book. It’s just so ridiculously good, and can appeal to readers of all ages.
The Selection by Kiera Cass (Book 1 of the Selection Trilogy – April 24, 2012). This is not a deep, intellectual, life-changing kind of book. But it’s fluffy and pretty and fun and sweet and light, and I spent an extremely enjoyable afternoon completely wallowing in sparkly princessy joy.
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (Book 1 of the Blood of Eden series – April 24, 2012). The tone of this book is about as far away from The Selection as you can possibly get. It’s dark and bleak and violent and terrifying. It’s vampire book where the vampires are actually scary. Yet there is a tendril of hope running through it, and I think that’s why I loved it.
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Book 2 of the Divergent Trilogy – May 1, 2012). I liked Divergent, but it didn’t knock my socks off, mostly because of all the little world and plot discrepancies that irked me. However, Insurgent didn’t suffer from the same problems. It was thrilling and jarring and shocking and engrossing, and I loved it.
Timepiece by Myra McEntire (Book 2 of the Hourglass series – June 12, 2012). Oh, how I loved this book. Hourglass was fun and exciting and amazing, but Timepiece completely blew me away. I adore everything about it. Every last time-slippy morsel.
Defiance by C.J. Redwine (Book 1 of the Defiance Trilogy – August 28, 2012). I simply devoured this book. Love, love, loved it. I can’t really do a 1-sentence synopsis on it, since the plot and the world are so complex. So I’ll just stop at saying I adored it, and hope that’s enough.
And then here are some books (just some of them, since listing them all would be ridiculous) that will be at BEA that I’m excited about reading, someday. I’m sure this list will get exponentially longer the further we get into the year.
So Close to You by Rachel Carter (July 10, 2012)
The Kill Order by James Dashner (August 14, 2012). I’ll admit, I haven’t even read The Maze Runner‘s sequels yet (although I just purchased them today – woohoo!), but I already know I need to see what happened before The Maze.
The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore (August 21, 2012). (I admit the series is a tad on the hokey side, but I’m invested now and I need to see how it ends!)
What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang (September 18, 2012)
Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin (September 25, 2012)
Crewel by Gennifer Albin (October 16, 2012)
Beta by Rachel Cohn (October 16, 2012)
There’s actually a bunch more I could have listed, but then the list would have gotten ridiculous.
And now for the giveaway!
Myra McEntire’s publicist was awesome enough to send me a TON of Timepiece posters in anticipation of its release next week. And while I’d love to give them ALL away, I can’t afford to ship two dozen posters all over the U.S. But I am going to give away TWO TIMEPIECE posters to a couple lucky readers! Just fill out the Rafflecopter below!
Note: These posters aren’t signed, but if you win and you want to be patient, I can GET them signed, because I know where Myra is appearing this summer! I am 95% sure I can do this. Maybe 94%.
Update: Unless something happens to change this event, I can get them signed by June 16, and mail them out shortly after. So the odds of this being a SIGNED poster giveaway are good!
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!
Congratulations to the 2 winners! I’ll be getting your Timepiece posters signed by Myra this weekend, and hopefully in the mail soon after.
Winners have already been contacted and confirmed via email.
Thanks everyone for entering! Don’t be strangers!
I think Pandemonium is my favorite sequel so far!
You have a great list =)
I’m so excited to read Defiance – it looks amazing!
Hannah Lorraine recently posted..Armchair BEA: Best of 2012 SO FAR and Giveaway!
A possibility of [signed] posters? Eek! Awesome giveaway. There is no way I could pick a favorite sequel. I’ll have to say though, while it may not be as popular, I absolutely loved Catching Fire!
Kaitlyn in Bookland recently posted..ArmchairBEA Day 2: Giveaway Day!
I loved it too!
TheHouseworkCanWait recently posted..Top Ten Tuesday (June 5) – Jaw-Dropping Endings
Wow, that’s a tough question! Sequels are hard to do sometimes, and they don’t always compare to the original. My favorite might have to be from the Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead. I just love that series!
Mickey @ imabookshark
PS – Come enter my giveaway! Thanks!
Mickey@imabookshark recently posted..1000 Follower Giveaway!!
Ahhh this would look amazing in my classroom library (and one in my home office!)- what a cool poster!!!
one of my favorite sequels was Catching Fire.
I’ve been intrigued by The Selection each time I see the cover but your description kind of sold me. I could use some light, fluffy, fun stuff every so often! I’m also REALLY intrigued by Defiance–gonna go look more into that one, too! Thanks for the suggestions! 🙂
Liz Long recently posted..Book Review: Inhale by Kendall Grey
You will LOVE Defiance. It is amazing and outstanding and I’m kind of expecting the book world to totally BLOW UP when it is released and for C.J. to become super-famous.
The Selection really is just fluffy and light and fun. It is absolutely nothing like the Hunger Games and I have no idea why people keep comparing them. If The Hunger Games is a giant hamburger, The Selection is a cupcake. But sometimes you don’t need dinner. You just want a cupcake.
Enjoy!
My favorite sequel would either have to be Timepiece, Pandemonium, or Insurgent! 🙂
Suz @ A Soul Unsung
Armchair Bea Introudction @ A Soul Unsung
susanhaugland@att.net
Suz @ A Soul Unsung recently posted..#ARMCHAIR BEA INTRODUCTION
Excellent choices!
Thanks so much for the giveaway! Awesome. Now onto the question…fav sequel, how am I supposed to pick just one lol well if I must I will have to say Mocked by Faith: Healing the Faith by Michele Richard!!!
I know, it’s a hard question! I probably couldn’t even answer it myself, to be honest!
A heap of these are on my to be read list, good giveaway,
Thanks for stoppng by
The Book Mystress, x
Hi! I’m checking out all the giveaways going on.
Girl Who Reads
Donna recently posted..Armchair BEA: Giveaway Day!
So many of those books you mentioned I’ve either read and loved or they’re on my to-read list.
It’s always comforting when people love books that you’re eagerly awaiting to read.
Kate recently posted..Armchair BEA Day 2: Best of 2012
I agree! I found many of these by reading great reviews from other bloggers 🙂
Okay my favorite sequel has to be pure.
I love your review of The Selection by the way.
My Armchair
http://marnise.blogspot.com/2012/06/armchair-bea-best-of-2012-so-far.html
Haven’t read that one yet! Glad you liked my Selection review 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
These all look very tempting! Thanks for sharing, and perhaps I’ll be reading some of them this year.
Here’s MY ARMCHAIR BEA POST
Laurel-Rain Snow recently posted..AUTHOR’S HOME PAGE
I hope you enjoy them! Thanks for stopping by!
Pandemonium is definitely toward the top of my list.
Laura Ashlee recently posted..My Top Ten Inspirational Characters
Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent, the sequel to Blood Bound, is my favorite sequel, and is also my favorite book of 2012:)
The rafflecopter isn’t working for me to leave a comment, so my answer: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
You did it right! The Rafflecopter is just so you can record your entry for leaving a comment. The comment is supposed to be left on the post itself, which is exactly what you did. Thanks for entering!
Someone mentioned Beta yesterday too. It must be going to be big. Lots of books to look forward to this year.
Favorite book sequel – Insurgent.
Tanya Patrice recently posted..10 Gorgeous Book Covers of 2012 {On My Reading List – The July to December Edition}
Oh LOVED Defiance! It’s on my list of Best of 2012 as well! You have some awesome recs here too! I havent been able to read Insurgent yet but I’ve heard awesome things!!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Oh as for favorite sequel…I think I really love Ally Carters series, so any one of them!
Valia recently posted..Armchair BEA: Best of 2012
I think this is such a nice event. So many giveaways! I have to admit, I was cosnfued at first because I didn’t know about the two link ups but I’m glad it’s all sorted now. I’m discovering so many new blogs. 😀
I’ve read Divergent and I have Insurgent waiting on my shelf!! Can’t wait for my exam to pass so I can read it!! 🙂 🙂 Awesome giveaway! Enjoy aBEA!! 😀
nea barabea recently posted..Armchair BEA Introduction Post! Let the party get started!!
Such a tough question! I often don’t like the sequels as much as the first books. However, I still love the Twilight and Iron Fey sequels 🙂
Cyndi M. recently posted..Day Two: Armchair BEA 2012 | Best of 2012
I really REALLY want to read The False Prince and The Selection. Don’t you just hate it when books come out faster than you can possibly read them?! lol Lots of great choices here, all the ones I haven’t read are definitely being put on my TBR list 🙂
Anne recently posted..Armchair BEA: The Best of the Best 2012
I know, I can’t possibly keep up, but I can try!
Great list! Most of the ones you chose are either on my bookshelf (have read and loved), on my nightstand (waiting to be devoured), or on my TBR shelf (Why aren’t there more hours in the day?).
I hope you have a great BEA-filled week!
~Christina (and the other Book Hookup Litbrarians)
The Book Hookup’s Best of 2012
Christina from The Book Hookup recently posted..The Crem Della Crem: Our “Best of 2012″
Oh shoot, posted too soon. So far, my favorite sequel has been Hallowed (Unearthly #2, but Insurgent is waiting on my nightstand to be devoured, so I don’t know…
Thanks for hosting the giveaway! 😀
Christina from The Book Hookup recently posted..The Crem Della Crem: Our “Best of 2012″
I know! More hours would definitely come in handy!
Seeing Pandemonium on so many lists is making me crazy that I haven’t read it yet!
Suey recently posted..Armchair BEA (and a Top Ten Rewind): Best of 2012… so far
My favorite sequel would have to be Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells. It is soooooo good! I am also giving away a copy of one of her books for my Armchair BEA giveaway if you’d like to stop by and enter. 🙂
Kayla B. recently posted..Book Blast ($50 Giveaway): Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham
Oooh! I’m so excited for so many of these! 😀
The Rise of Nine, Defiance, Crewel and Beta especially! 😀 Awesome list, and I’m glad you loved Defiance! I am so excited for that one! 😀 I also loved Insurgent, too! So amazing! 😀
Thanks for sharing your lists! 😀
Ambur
My Armchair BEA Giveaway
.Ambur. recently posted..Armchair BEA: Day 2 – Giveaway!
I have not heard of a lot of these books. Excited to add some of these to my TBR! Thank you so much for mentioning them. 🙂
The False Prince was good, I just recently listened to it. I’m interested to see where she goes with it in the next book. I still have to read Delirium and Divergent, so I’ve been trying to avoid all posts on Insurgent and Pandemonium until I’ve read them, in case I want to continue.
sawcat recently posted..ArmchairBEA- Best of 2012
I hope you will want to continue! And I agree, I want to know where she takes the next book too – she just released the title, “The Runaway King.” I’m excited!
I think my favorite sequels are Fire and Bitterblue. Or perhaps The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner.
Liviania recently posted..Armchair BEA: Best of 2012
Loved Immortal Rules & Insurgent. I have the selection and timepiece waiting to be read on my kindle.
Katrina Solis recently posted..Top Ten Tuesday (9)
Sold on False Prince! Just added that to my TBR pile! The Timepiece books keep popping up so I think I need to read those too. I guess indeed my housework will have to wait!
New follower on Linky, thanks for commenting on my blog, but if you have a chance, I just added Linky to it, and would really appreciate it if you could add me there too! 🙂 Bookish Whimsy
Done! Enjoy False Prince, and Hourglass + Timepiece are definitely worth your while! Thanks for following!
Hmm….I think my favorite sequel is so far Between by Mary Ting. Thanks for the amazing giveaway! 🙂
Cierra @ Books Ahoy recently posted..Day 2 {Giveaway Post}: I Think I’m Becoming Delirious From All This Pandemonium Around Me ;D
My favorite book of all time is The Immortals, #10 of The Edge Chronicles series.
Ariel Wilson recently posted..Armchair BEA 2012: Best of 2012
I definitely need to read ‘The False Prince’ soon after hearing such good things about it!
Ashley @ Book Labyrinth recently posted..Armchair BEA: Best of 2012
You lucky duck! I have been DYING to read Defiance but HC keeps denying me on Edelweiss. 🙁 There are some on this list that I still need to read in a bad way, namely Pandemonium (and, for that matter, Delirium) and The False Prince. Thanks for reminding me! 🙂
Marla @ Starting the Next Chapter recently posted..Armchair BEA Day 2 – The Best of 2012
I never get approved for anything on Edelweiss! Publishers on there don’t appear to like me. Probably because I’m a baby 🙂
But we are even, because you got to read Crewel and I didn’t!
And yes, you must read Delirium and The False Prince ASAP! You’ll love them! (At least, I hope you will)!
TheHouseworkCanWait recently posted..Top Ten Tuesday (June 5) – Jaw-Dropping Endings
Okay, so apparently I forgot to close my italics somewhere up there…
My favorite sequel of THIS year is definitely Pandemonium. Of past years? One that comes to mind is the sequel to Gone by Michael Grant. I don’t recall off the top of my head which one is actually book two, but ALL of them have been great continuances to the series 😀
Hmmm, my favorite sequel? I’d have to say Hunger from the Gone series by Michael Grant.
Thanks for the AWESOME giveaway! I just finished Timepiece a couple weeks ago and loved it.
Danie recently posted..Waiting on Wednesday
So far my favorite sequel is Insurgent by Veronica Roth, though Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver does come in at a close second!
Brittani recently posted..Armchair BEA: Networking In Real Life
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Definitely The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa. Thanks for the giveaway. 🙂
I still have to read most of these books but the good thing is that I got approved for What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang and man, am I excited to read that book!
My Armchair BEA: Best of 2012 post.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone 😀
You have some great looking books here!
Sheila (Book Journey) recently posted..BEA (Book Expo America) Recap #2