Joelene’s Top Five of 2012

1. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - The beautiful cover is what drew me to this exquisitely haunting story of ghosts, friendships and love. The writing kept me hooked.

2. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan - While Sarah Rees Brennan is an author that I will visit again and again and again, she has surpassed all expectations with this magnificent beginning of the Lynburn trilogy. The ending leaves me desperate for more and, yes, a little angry that I have to wait for a year.

3. Unidentified by Rae Mariz - An unexpected pleasure. This Young Adult read has more emotional and moral integrity than almost everything I’ve read in 2012, while still keeping with the issues affecting teens.

4. Museum of Thieves trilogy by Lian Tanner - The entire trilogy is worth reading a dozen times over. The charm of this series adds to its appeal as an adventure novel that is as exciting as it is thought-provoking.

5. White Cat by Holly Black - Holly Black; need I say more? I doubt that anything she writes will ever let me down and thus far, these beliefs have been well-founded. I’m loving the Curse-Workers series.

Joelene’s Five Most Anticipated of 2013

1. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake - With how amazing the first in the series was; I’m anticipating great things from the sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood.

2. Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan –  Unspoken left me craving more. Come August I will devour Untold. Until then I will endure the cruelty of an author who teases her readers with excerpts as though it’s some sort of a game.

3. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - Beauty pageants crash land on a desert island. It’s Lord of the Flies meets America’s Next Top Model. How can this not be made of win? I shall procure chocolate and watch them cry.

4. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina - This novel looks amazing. I held off buying it for a while as I was worried that it would have an unhappy ending. Since then my sister has read and loved it; so it’s on the list for summer reads.

5. Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach - I’m not morbid; I’ve heard amazing things about this book. And really, curiosity is a human condition.