Thursday, January 1, 2009

Best Books of 2008 and My Year-End Awards


Happy New Year, everyone! It's been a busy-but-great year of reading and reviewing. Most of the books that I read were excellent. I had a bunch of really fun author interviews. And I encountered some fabulous books this year that I've ranked, the first one being my personal favorite of the year.
Here are my Top Twenty-One (I couldn't stop at just 20) picks for 2008!:

1) Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
2) Death by Latte by Linda Gerber
3) Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale
4) Out of the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
5) Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber
6) I SO Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy
7) Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid: Daughter of the Diva by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
8) The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
9) Frenemies by Alexa Young
10) The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
11) The Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
12) Amazing Grace by Megan Shull
13) Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
14) Oh. My. Gods by Tera Lynn Childs
15) Lucky T by Kate Brian
16) Candyfloss by Jacqueline Wilson
17) LBD: Live and Fabulous by Grace Dent
18) The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
20) Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe
21) Tennyson by Lesley MM Blume

...What were your favorites of the year?
Now.....
Year-End Book Awards:
No prizes are actually awarded, just bragging rights. And this is just my opinion. And feel free to make up your own categories and winners and submit them--I want your opinion on who deserves to win!
Drumroll, please.....
Best Debut Author: Barrie Summy, I SO Don't Do Mysteries
Best Illustrator: Sujean Rim of A Girl Like Moi, Project Paris, and The Teashop Girls
Best Debut YA Novel: Vidalia in Paris by Sasha Watson
Best Debut MG Novel: The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
Best Debut Series: Death By...by Linda Gerber/Frenemies by Alexa Young
Best International Novel: LBD: Live and Fabulous by Grace Dent
Best Female Character: Rapunzel from Shannon and Dean Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge
Best Male Character: Seth Mulo from Linda Gerber's Death By... series
Best Series: Linda Gerber's Death By...books or The Clique by Lisi Harrison
Best Book in a Series: The Clique #5: The Pretty Committee Strikes Back by Lisi Harrison/Death by Latte by Linda Gerber
Best Mystery: Death by Latte by Linda Gerber
Best Fantasy: Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Best Graphic Novel: Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale/Chiggers by Hope Larson
Best MG Contemporary Fiction: As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President! by Donna Gephart/The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer
Best Book for Younger Readers: Candyfloss by Jacqueline Wilson
Best Discovery in 2008: the Confessions of a Teen Nanny series by Victoria Ashton
Best Unexpectedly-Good Read: The Princess and the Pauper by Kate Brian
Most Creative: I SO Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy
Best Retold Fairytale: Out of the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst/Rapunzels' Revenge by Shannon & Dean Hale
Best Cover: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen and Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber
Funniest Character: Sherry of I SO Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy
Cattiest Character: Jo Lynn Bidwell of Susan McBride's The Debs
Bravest Character: Princess Addie of Gail Carson Levine's The Two Princesses of Bamarre
Most Fashionable Character: Imogene from A Girl Like Moi and Project Paris by Lisa Barham
Character With the Best Personality: Lucida Sans of Dear Julia by Amy Bronwen Zemser
Character With the Best Hair: Jas from Michele Jaffe's Bad Kitty and Kitty Kitty and Rapunzel from Shannon & Dean Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge
Character With the Best Clothes: Avalon of Alexa Young's Frenemies

5 comments:

Wild About Words said...

I'm honored. Thanks so much!

Have a wonderful, book-filled new year,
Donna Gephart

sweetmelissa818 said...

I love lists like these, they always give insight into a persons thinking!

Alea said...

Great list! I can tell you put a lot of work into it it's great!

Paradox said...

Love your list! I loved Oh. My. Gods. too!

I posted a list on my blog too: http://paradoxrevealed.blogspot.com/2008/12/favorite-books-of-2008.html

Lenore Appelhans said...

Love your categories!