2012 5-Star Books

I added 97 books to goodreads in 2012, and I think that's just about all of them. I may have missed a few but that's ok. I don't keep track because I am worried I am not reading enough, or want to read more, just because I have a bad memory and like to have a way to remember if I've read something or not... XD

Anyway, of those 97 books, these are the ones -- in no particular order -- that garnered 5 stars from me...

• Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen (February)
  Comments: This was SUCH a good book! I rented the movie not too long ago and loved it. Since the book was also on my to-read list, I picked it up from the library next time I was there. The book draws out the story, gives more details, and is much more compelling and vivid than the movie.
  


• Dark Whispers (Unicorn Chronicles #3), Bruce Coville (May)
  Comments: OMG! Every chapter seemed to end with a dun-dun-dun dramatic moment! And the end of the book, biggest of all! I cannot wait to get the final in the series...
  


• The Last Hunt (Unicorn Chronicles #4), Bruce Coville (July)
  Comments: Kept me on the edge of my seat, turning pages til the wee hours of the morning! I think I may have even woken up Jacqueline a few times with my yelling at the author for leaving another cliff-hanging chapter... LOL! Wonderful ending to the series...
  


• Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, Scott McCloud (January)
  Comments:This was an amazing book that delves into the elements of comics, its history, how art & words combine, and so much more... I would love to explore this book more in depth!
  


• Cats and Carols, Lesley Anne Ivory (added in January)
  Comments: I got this book many years ago and bring it out every holiday season. Filled with delightful cat illustrations and the lyrics to some of my favorite holiday carols, it is one of my favorite holiday traditions.
  


• Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card (February)
  Comments: Sci-fi isn't one of my favorite genres, and I don't like books about wars or battles and generally skip over those bits in most books. However this book was all that, but it was so much more. Don't let it's subject matter put you off of reading it.
  


• Cook-a-Doodle-Doo!, Janet Stevens (May)
  Comments: I *LOVE* this book! Cook-a-Doodle-Doo updates the classic tale of the Little Red Hen, by telling us the story of her great-grandson, Big Brown Rooster, and how he and a few friends do some cooking of their own. Janet Stevens' art beautifully illustrates the story, rich with color and movement. The book also includes sidebars that define and explain different cooking terms, and at the end, you will find the recipe Big Brown Rooster and his friends used in the story. Best part of all? The story is FULL of puns, my favorite! I would recommend this book to children and adults alike, especially if you enjoy word play, retellings of old folk tales, and wonderful art.
  


• Seven Tears Into the Sea, Terri Farley (June)
  Comments: I didn't write anything at the time I read it, but remember that it was a magical tale of a young girl's coming of age on the California coast. I won't say more...
  


• Tide Knot (Ingo #2), Helen Dunmore (August)
  Comments: Another tale about the sea, part two in a great series. I am hoping I can get the next one soon!
  


• The Summoning (Darkest Powers #1), Kelley Armstrong (August)
  The Awakening (Darkest Powers #2), Kelley Armstrong (August)
  The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3), Kelley Armstrong (August)
  Comments: Great trilogy that takes place in a world much like our own, but some people have paranormal abilities, werewolves, vampires, necromancers...
  


• The Gathering (Darkness Rising #1), Kelley Armstrong (August)
  The Calling (Darkness Rising #2), Kelley Armstrong (September)
  Comments: Takes place in the same universe as the Darkest Powers but follows a different storyline. I didn't write a review at the time I read it, and I am still waiting for the final book in the trilogy.
  


• Prism, Faye Kellerman (September)
  Comments:Mysterious, dystopian, suspenseful... An amazing book that I would have read in one night if I wasn't so tired. As it stands I read it in two nights, and am left wishing there was more. The end does leave off in a way where there *could* be a sequel, but at this time there isn't. *sadface*