My Five Faves

Another Friday Fives.

The wonderful people over at Paper Hangover have brought us all a Friday Five to usher in the New Year:

What were your FIVE favorite books in 2011?

This is going to be difficult, because 2011 was an amazing year for YA.  I had so many favorites, especially paranormal:

1. Die For Me by Amy Plum What don't I love about this book?  Paris, Zombies (well, Revenants), Vincent and Jules, self-sacrifice, and the fact that  the characters have actual pasts (I love the Helene story but perhaps that's because I'm addicted to the 1940's... *grin*)

2. The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare I blame the YASisterhood for this addiction. I think Jace and Will have utterly RUINED me for real boys...

3.  The Shade Series by Jeri Smith-Ready ... and Zach put the nail in my real-boy coffin with that Scottish accent.  Aura is also an incredibly believable YA heroine, even with all of the terrible (and wonderful) twists thrown her way.

4. Hourglass by Myra McEntire  While I love Kate, think Clary is kick-ass, and relate to Aura... I want Em to be my best friend.  Coffee-drinking, boy-throwing and all, she's perfect.  And I'll hang out with Kaleb when she's busy, because I love those sweet Southern boys.

5.  Divergent by Veronica Roth If I lived in Roth's dystopian Chicago, I would totally be Erudite.  And Tris would totally be able to kick my butt. (Truce, Tris?  I'll get a cool book tattoo or something, okay?)

5. Wings Series by Aprilynne Pike  And if I lived in Pike's Wings series, I'd be a Summer faerie.  Look, my hair already sparkles and I have an unhealthy addiction to glitter that spills into my tea drinking and cookie making. (But none of this has much to do with the series, except for the fact that I became so obsessed with it that I looked for more ways to make myself even SPARKLIER.  Laurel isn't anything like me, except that I'd steal Tamani away from her faster than she could say "diamond hair dangle."  And we'd happily live in Avalon, eating veggies and making out while I forced him to only speak with his Scottish accent.  Yes, I'm in my thirties.  No, I don't want a tour of Bellevue, thankyouverymuch.)

5.  Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini  Anyone who takes Romeo and Juliet and mashes it with the Illiad deserves worship.  While I hate R&J, I love Greek literature, and Angelini does an awesome job of creating a modern Greek tragedy... in Nantucket.

5. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver I hated Sam so much when I started reading this book.  I (sad to say) actually didn't feel very sorry for her the first few times that she died.  But, by the end of the book, I loved her.  And I cried.  In the gym.  In front of my coworkers.  This is the mark of a great author.

See? Five.  Not so hard, after all.  So, what are YOUR fave five from 2011?