Best of 2012 - Armchair BEA day 2

For the second day of Armchair BEA, my task is to share my favorite book of 2012.  Now, I could probably decide on my favorite book that I've read this year, but I'm not sure about my favorite book published this year.  That requires some research.
The easier question first - my favorite book I've read this year:  any of the Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts.  The four main characters are just fun and lovely and the story is engaging and inspiring.  I loved the four books.  
I relate most to Parker due to my slightly (ok, completely) Type-A personality, but I'd love to be friends with Mac, Laurel, and Emma.  Great series.  I actually got up the nerve to start my cake business while I was reading this series.  I related to the characters and often thought to myself that if they could do it, I could do it.  And, I did!  It's a great book that entertains and inspires you.  I enjoy that about Nora Roberts.  She has a gift.  People may turn up their noses at the Romance genre, but that is because they've never really read it.  They are missing out by being judgmental and closed-minded.  OK, off my soap box.  Sorry.

Now, on to the harder question - my favorite book published this year.  Hmmmm...I'm going to cheat and share books I've enjoyed this year.
1.  The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (Book 2 in The Inn at BoonsBoro trilogy)
2.  Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
3.  Abandon by Meg Cabot (I love her covers lately, so I have to share)
 The hardback of Abandon originally came out in 2011, but the paperback was published in 2012.
The 2nd book is also out now -- Underworld.  

I will confess that part of the reason I wanted to read Underworld is because of my affinity for the movie "Underworld" starring Kate Beckinsale (and if you know me, you know that I pretend that I look like Kate Beckinsale - she's beautiful!), which, I know, is completely unrelated.  I'm a bit random.  I understand that.  It's a Meg Cabot book, though; I knew I would enjoy it.

I'm drawing a blank on other books published in 2012 that I really enjoyed.  I read all the time, but I can only think of these three.  What am I missing?  Surely I've read more from 2012 that I enjoyed.  Someone chime in and remind me of the greatness that I am missing on my list!

Meg-A-Reader Blog Hop Day!

Welcome Meg-A-Readers!!! For my blog-hop day, I want to encourage all of you to read Overbite.



Is it good clean fun?  No.  But, it is fun. :)  I put most of my books into two categories - books I recommend to my mom and grandmother OR book I recommend to my friends.  What is the difference, you ask?  To put it bluntly, sex.  Yes, I know my grandmother and mother knew about sex long before I was born.  But, I don't necessarily need to recommend books to them that include sexual situations.  It just feels weird to me.  I sure as heck don't want to talk about sex with them, so why would I encourage them to read a book with sex in it?  I wouldn't.  I'll let their girl friends recommend those books to them and stay in the safe zone.


Now, on to books that I recommend to my girl friends.  Overbite is one of those books.  I'm kidding with the italics.  Overbite is the second in the series and it's where I decided to jump in.  I will be going back to read the first (Insatiable) and then any others in the series.   Meena Harper is our main character and she has the gift/curse to be able to predict how everyone around her will die.  This is an odd gift, and I applaud Cabot for giving us something just a little different.  The vampire thing has been done so many ways and often the same way for so long, I like a different spin on the story.  Meena works for/with/beside The Palatine Guard - the demon hunting arm of the Vatican.  I enjoy that the Vatican is tied into the story, as well.  Much of the conflict is caused by Meena's feelings for pseudo-bad guy and vampire Lucien AND her feelings for her coworker, the Super-Duper demon hunter Alaric.  Life is further complicated by the arrival of creepy Father Henrique with his own agenda for Lucien, Alaric, and Meena.  The external conflict with the Padre is fine, but it's the story of the love triangle between Lucien, Meena, and Alaric that is the real fun.  I picture Lucien as a Rhett Butler type


 (my first literary crush)


and


Alaric as somewhere between
Joe Manganiello     


and


Troy Polamulo        


Now don't insert any reality here and tell me he's blond or something.  This is my imagination; let me live in my little world. :)


Meena, of course, looks like me: .


Again, don't interrupt my fantasy world with reality.  I look like Kate Beckinsale's twin sister.  We'll just all believe that, alrighty?


I feel like I'm supposed to be making a point, but I'm so overwhelmed with my beautiful hair that I can't focus now.


So, who do you think the characters in your favorite Meg Cabot book look like?  How much do you love my Kate Beckinsale hair?  :)


Thanks for dropping by and have a great hop!

Meg-A Reader!

I'm so excited to be part of the Meg-A Readers Blog Hop!  I have been a Meg Cabot fan since The Princess Diaries.  I thought I was Mia - except I have straight hair and live in Texas.  I'm still waiting for my grandmother to visit me and divulge the secret that I am actually royalty.   After reading all of The Princess Diaries books, I read other stand alone novels by Cabot but didn't fall in love with another Cabot book until I read Insatiable.  
I was a bit afraid to read it because I thought the romance aspect would overwhelm the fantastic voice that Cabot creates with her characters.  I should not have worried. Insatiable was a blast to read and I have recommended it to all of my students and friends.  I will be reading Overbite and Abandon in the next few days and I can't wait!