Have you noticed all the lists this year of best books? Top ten, top one hundred, top ten in--you name the genre. I'm not sure if this is done every year and for some reason I never paid attention until this year, or if this is a new thing. Whatever the reason, it seems everyone from magazines to newspapers to blogs are naming top books.
Well, I want to be a little different but not! I want to talk about your favorite book of the year. Yes, just one this time! I know that's difficult. Reading hundreds in a year can cause you to forget many that you really enjoyed. However, there's always that ONE. You know the one that moves you so much, it stays with you for days, weeks or even forever. It's one you talk to your friends about or find yourself pondering on while you're sitting at a red light. The one you'd recommend to anyone and everyone because it had that much of an impact on you. Last year I read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers for the very first time. That book made a significant impression on me. I thought about it for months after I read it and at Christmas time, I bought a copy for several family members. It was one of the sweetest and most profound love stories and romances I've ever read.
This year, in a different way, I read, enjoyed and savored a book by Pamela Clare called Unlawful Contact. Quite a different book from Redeeming Love but still a wonderful love story, a sigh worthy hero and a feisty heroine. I loved it and recommend it often.
So here's your challenge. What was THAT book for you this year? Neither publication date nor genre matters. But it must be one you read this year. And just so you won't feel pressured or obligated, all of my books are exempt.
I'm giving away a signed copy from my first trilogy to five random commenters. Once I select the winners, I'll announce them and then they can tell me which book they'd like to have.
So, tell me, what was THAT book for you this year?
49 comments:
Unfortunately, I work two jobs, run a charity dress bank out of my home, and we just had a new grandson this year - so it was NOT a year that I had a lot of leisure time to read. The last book I read, though, was so wonderful, I'll just put it here as my favourite for the year. It was Everything But A Christmas Eve, by Holly Jacobs. There were several places in that book where I literally laughed out loud! It's a great, sweet, funny, HEA read and I really loved it. So, that's my favourite! Can't wait to see what everyone else's are!
HI Christy. Thanks for the link and contest info. I'd love to win a copy of your book.
I think the best book I read this year was Ford County by John Grisham. It was a collection of short stories, with each one a triumph over adversity. It was an uplifting read. This book was different from all his others. A great read.
Thanks
Sharon Schafer
Wow, Terry, you are one busy lady! Thanks so much for dropping in and for telling us about Holly Jacobs Everything But a Christmas Eve. Sounds like a great book and one we'll have to add to our ever increasing TBR list!
Christy Christy, Christy
Your bloody killing me here!
Well since we got the CHANCE to exempt all your books.*POUT* Which may i add dose not help much.
*POUT* .........*mumble*
Ok my favorite book I recommend to everyone because it had a big impact on me was....... Na, I can do better than that. *POUT*
OH MY...............
thier were soooooooooo many i feel like a heel just picking one...But I will Have to go with...
Sherrilyn Kenyon's ACHERON
It follows Ash from birth to Present and it just amazes me that one person can go through so much and not be filled with hate. It is an amazing story and probably closer to some peoples lives than you think (yes, I know he is not a real person)The Man/God is amazing and in the end He gets to be happy also.
WONDERFUL WONDERFUL BOOK!
I would like to apologize to all the wonderful Authors of whos books I could not mention. Don't hate me. PLEASE
Hi Storylady! I love John Grisham but I haven't taken the opportunity to read him in several years. Ford County sounds like a wonderful read and I so enjoy books that involve triumph over adversity.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Will add this to the list also!
Ida, you are too funny. I knew it would be a challenge for someone who reads as much as you do but I think your choice of Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon is excellent. That book was so anticipated by all who've loved Dark Hunter books over the years and ached to see him get his story told.
Fantastic choice!
For me, it was Burning Alive: The Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher. I love this series!
ok, i am still pouting. but thier is something i would like to share with everyone. (Sorry Christy, I know this is our fav. book of the year)
A few posts ago Jackie sugested I Hunger For You by Susan Sizemore. I just wanted to let anyone who had it on thier list that Amazon Has Crave Night for $11.52 which is the first 3 books. I Burn for You, I Thrist for you, and I Hunger for you.
Connie, thanks for the recommend. I've read and enjoyed Butcher's romantic suspense but not her paranormal. Must add to the list!
No problem, Ida. Always looking for a good deal on great books. Thanks!
That book for my this year is Handle With Care be Jodi Picoult. I read it when it first came out in Feb or March and I still think about it today. What I would do if I was in the parent's situation...How I would handle things when it all came to and end and also about the irony of the end. On a side note I also read My Sister's Keeper before I watched the movie and I was ready to go balistic on how they changed a wonderful story with heart and meaning into what they did to it on the big screen. Every time I walk past the movie in the store I just want to throw things. That is how you know a book touched you. Happy New Year everyone and be safe!
That book for my this year is Handle With Care be Jodi Picoult. I read it when it first came out in Feb or March and I still think about it today. What I would do if I was in the parent's situation...How I would handle things when it all came to and end and also about the irony of the end. On a side note I also read My Sister's Keeper before I watched the movie and I was ready to go balistic on how they changed a wonderful story with heart and meaning into what they did to it on the big screen. Every time I walk past the movie in the store I just want to throw things. That is how you know a book touched you. Happy New Year everyone and be safe!
I really like Allison Brennan's FBI Trilogy and my favorite of that series and of the year was "Fatal Secrets." I love that her books are full of suspense and drama, but she manages to the romance part well, too.
So many books to choose from... OK, playing by the rules today, I guess I will choose Lisa Kleypas's Blue Eyed Devil. Reading it once made me instantly go get the other two books in the series, and then later in the year I read the book again. Great story, great characters. I'll end now before I break the rules and start spouting other great reads!
(Christy, LOVE your choice of Unlawful Contact! I've pulled that series off my keeper shelf and plan to read them again asap.)
Thanks so much, Sarah.
Jodi Picoult does write thought provoking, deeply moving and emotional books. I think I mentioned that I only read to the middle of My Sister's Keeper. Not because it wasn't a great read but because I could see that it wasn't going to be the happy ending I needed. Yes, I'm a wimp. Perhaps I'll go back and try it again. I haven't seen the movie, but I heard about it and probably won't see it either. Just really like to walk out of a movie with a smile on my face.
Thanks for the Handle With Care recommend!
And a safe and Happy New Year to you too!
Thanks, Jane! I love Allison Brennan's books! She's a wonderful author and such a lovely, intelligent person. I've learned so much from her in classes I've taken and just by reading her blogs. I highly recommend her for those of you who haven't tried her!
Thanks, Kara! I forgot to mention that I purchased Blue Eyed Devil the other day. I've loved Lisa Kleypas's historicals for years and have heard wonderful things about her contemporaries. I'm looking forward to reading them!
GREAT JOB sticking to the rules Kara!
We have all grown so much and learned to follow rules :D (thats more for me than you) LOL
Ida,
Thanks for the positive reinforcement. Don't tempt me though! =)
I've read a couple hundred books this year so to narrow down to one is impoosible so i'll just have to pick one huh? lol
first let me say this. I've discovered many new to me writers. One being Christy Reece lol I also discovered Susan Mallery and Linda lael Miller this year and have been steadily reading all their books.
I'm going to go with Susan Mallery's Lone star sisters Trilogy and of those 4 books go with "Straight from the Hip"
There are lots of great authors and books out there to discover for me yet and i look forward to finding all of them.
Lisa
Lisa,
I read all the LoneStar sisters series as well. What fun reads! I was so glad she added a fourth book to include the friend's story.
I'm pretty much a contemporary and romantic suspense reader, with a bit of paranormal thrown in as well. I usually read a book every 2 days, so I go through a ton of them. This is a hard choice! But one of my favorite authors is Toni Blake, and her first book in her new Destiny series was my favorite contemporary that I read this year, One Reckless Summer.
I totally agree with you on Pamela Clare's I-Team series, Christy! I absolutely love those books! In fact I am just re-reading Hard Evidence right now. Julian Darcangelo is my fantasy man, shh don't tell my hubby :)
Where is Mary, Jackie, and everyone else?
Lisa, Susan Mallery is a wonderful writer. That's a great recommendation and you did so good keeping it to just one!
And I'm so glad I'm one of the authors you discovered this year! (:
Erin, another wonderful book by another excellent author. You guys definitely know the good stuff!
And shh, but I suspect Julian is the fantasy man for many, many, many of us. Though I loved Unlawful Contact, Julian is my absolute favorite hero in the I-Team Series.
There have been so many great books this year. But the one I find myself going back to is Leslie Parrish- Black at Heart. It just touches something in my heart. The trails that the young FBI agent is put through. The things she has to overcome make her a much stronger person that she was at the start of this series. All three of the black cats novels were great but there was just something about this last one.
Robin, I have heard so many good things about the Black Cat trilogy and yes, I have all three waiting for me. I need to get to reading them!
Thanks so much for dropping by and sharing!
I have read so many books this past year I can't remember them all. Christy you can ask Carla I've probably read 100 books or more this year. I read all the Dark Hunter books and most of the Anita Blake books and tons of others.
But I have to say that my new love is Beverly Barton. I got an advanced copy of Dead by Midnight cause one of the characters has my name. It's great. I love her people and her mysteries.
Hi All
This is so hard as I have some faves that moved me so much, that I couldn't stop thinking about even after I was done. Maybe we can do that another day. I am choosing the book that I have bookmarks in various places because the passages were so beautiful I kept rereading them. I read fast but this book took forever because I kept stopping & sighing & rereading parts. here is my fave quote:
"they both lay on their sides belly to belly, their limbs wrapped fast around the other so that they formed a secure , fleshy knot".
The book is Sweet Restraint by Beth Kery
Terri, Beverly Barton is a sweetheart and a wonderful writer. Great recommendation and how cool that you have your name in her book!
Hi Mary, wow, what a wonderful compliment to Beth that you kept rereading parts and sighing. That is awesome! Sounds like a fabulous read. And you know that's on my TBR list already!
Like so many others, I'm finding this a difficult decision to make. I've read so many good books this year by new authors and authors-new-to-me. Our "exempted" author's books are at the top of my list.
Marie Force's books were another pleasant discovery this year. "Line of Scrimmage" surprised the heck out of me. It was truly one of those books I hate to see end when I reach that last page.
Since I had finished The House on Tradd street by Karen White, I really recommend it to reader who loves mystery, ghost, romance. Karen's writing is excellent. the plots, characters and stories were written wonderfully.
Hi Oklanannie, I've heard wonderful things about Marie Force's books. And what a lovely compliment to hate to see a book end. I love those kinds of reads.
Thanks so much for coming by and sharing!
I hope you don't mind but the most memorial book I have read this year was my own. I haven't read much, but love to read. But I entered the nano contest and got to see a book unfold, mine.
I liked reading about how your started and worked to write a full length book. I would love to read one of yours and plan to this year.
Mariska, The House on Tradd Street sounds so good! Lots of fabulous story elements. Thanks for the recommend.
Anna, nothing wrong with loving your own work. You've got to love it before anyone else does. And congratulations on completing a book. That a huge accomplishment! Best of luck to you as you pursue your writing.
Oklanannie,
Have you read Marie Force's Love at First Flight? That's another good story by her. :)
LOOK AT ME!!!!! Still being good. only one book ;D
(i'm going out of my mind here)
*BIG SMILE*
And everyone else is doing great also!
Ida, it's hard not to smile when I read your comments. And you're right, everyone has done so well, but I can tell I need to have another post where everyone has a CHANCE to list as many books as they want. We'll try that one next week!
Kara C.
I have indeed read "Love at First Flight" and enjoyed it BUT "Line of Scrimmage" remains my favorite of hers.
It will be interesting to see what she does next.
It is so hard to pick just one book. I have read so many books this year that I've absolutely loved.
My book for this year is Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann. I know there was some controversy surrounding this book. And, even though it did not go in the direction I hoped, I still loved it. I thought the dialogue between the couples was witty and sharp and lot of loose ends were tied.
Also, I totally agree about Unlawful Contact. I loved the whole I-Team series. I loved Julian.
Christy, I'm sorry I am Being silly today. I have been causing silliness all over Facebook today. I blame it on the early morning and all the Coffee I have drank.... And I have to get up early again tomorow. But I will need to go to work for 2 or 3 hrs. So everyone will get a bit of a break...LOL
Alexandra, can't go wrong with Suzanne Brockmann. She's phenomenal. Thanks for coming by and giving us your pick for the year!
Ida, you come by and be silly as much as you like. I'm actually quite fond of silliness. (:
Oh, and Christy.
If you give us the CHANCE to post every book we want.
I do believe That you will have NO CHANCE of getting through the lists.
And we might drive you so wacky that you do not give us a SECOND CHANCE to post.
Not to mention your bolg having the same problem as you had last monday, And this time when you call to have them fix it. They will tell you it is your LAST CHANCE to get us under control..... OR ELSE! just thought i would mention that.
Oops Blog not Bolg Silly me.
LOL. Ida, very creative. Can't wait to come up with new titles to play with too.
Thanks everyone for playing today. Will announce winners tomorrow, so be sure to come back and see if you won!
He He, Christy
I can not wait for you to come up with new Titles. So we get the CHANCE to play with also. We will have to see if we can use all 9 at once. That will be fun.
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