Rachel's Favorite Books of 2011 Part 1

Yes... Part 1. I know, I know. This list was originally going to be a top 10. But uh, then I realized that I have about 17 favorite books that were released this year. So, yeah. I had to split it into 2 parts...
Today I give you PART 1. Aka: My favorite books of 2011 by authors I already know and love. (Part 2 is favorite debut authors)

In no particular order, here are ELEVEN of my favorite books of two thousand ELEVEN. (I didn't even do that on purpose, you guys!) And I am limiting the rambling to a short paragraph about each book. So, we'll see how this goes.

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
 I love Lauren Oliver. So much. I had read and loved Before I Fall, so I was excited to see that she had another book coming out. And you guys, Delirium is AMAZING. The idea of love being a disease- a curable disease- is kind of genius. The world in Delirium is creepy and different and I can't even imagine living like that. Definitely one of my favorite dystopia novels ever. I love Lena as a protagonist, and I LOVE Alex. If you haven't read this book, go read it now please.

2. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Anna and the French Kiss was amazing, and Lola and the Boy Next Door totally lived up to my super high expectations. Lola is a quirky, fun, unique character who I really enjoy reading about. And Cricket? *swoons* I want my own Cricket! Seriously. Between Cricket and St. Clair (who, by the way, I still can't decide which one I like better), Stephanie Perkins writes THE BEST BOYS EVER. Lola and the Boy Next Door is cute and fun and amazing and perfect and I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH YOU GUYS.

3. Red Glove by Holly Black
I had the pleasure of MEETING Holly Black and getting this book signed! *squeals* *happy dances* And here's all you need to know: Holly is awesome, and her books are awesome too. Red Glove (the sequel to White Cat, by the way) is, well, for lack of a better word, AWESOME. It's told from a boy's point of view, which I was kind of wary about in the beginning because eww boys' minds are scary places, but it turned out that I LOVE the main character, Cassel. And the magic in this book is so cool and I love all the characters and I am dangerously close to just writing a whole ramble about how much I love this book so I'm just gonna shut up and tell you to READ IT NOW if you haven't already.

4. Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Supernaturally takes place in a world where basically, every kind of paranormal creature you could think of shows up at one point or another. And it's so bleeping cool. Evie, the main character, is bubbly and fun and hysterical. And Lend is SO HOT OMG I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! pretty cool. *shrugs indifferently* Supernatually has comedy AND romance AND supernatural creatures AND a badass protagonist with a pink sparkly taser. I don't know about you guys, but those are all the qualities I look for in a good book.

5. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Before I say anything about this book, I need you to do me a favor. Go to Twitter, and if you don't already, start following Maureen Johnson. Following? Good. YOU'RE WELCOME. Anywho, I love all of Maureen's books and The Name of the Star was no exception. Rory is another main character that I absolutely love, and she's funny and interesting and I think a lot of people can easily relate to her. This book has boarding school in England and fun characters and ghosts and kissing and murder. So obviously, you should read it.

6. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen is one of the best writers in the world and if you haven't read any of her books you should go to the doctor and find out what is wrong with you and then go find one of her books and read it immediately. (Also, I totally met her this past spring and holycrap it was so amazing). Sarah Dessen's books are ALWAYS good, and What Happened to Goodbye is definitely no exception. I love Mclean and her relationship with her father and I love Dave and I love all Mclean's friends who are hysterical and awesome. This book is easy to relate to, and it just feels very REAL. Sarah Dessen writes the best, most realistic books about teenagers ever. She is one of my writing heroes, and not to get sidetracked or anything, but Sarah Dessen is the reason I started writing my own books. So it's no surprise really, that What Happened to Goodbye is on this list.

7. Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
Love. This. Book. I love the main character and the friends and CASH and the plot and the fun and the comedy and the drama and the sexylibraryscenes and just pretty much everything about this book is a big delicious combination of wonderful. And you know what? It has a pretty strong message. The girls in this book talk about sex. (Oh my, how inappropriate! Darkness too visible!) For teenage girls, the idea of discussing sex with each other is scary and embarrassing. But it's important to know that you're not alone. There are other people going through the same things you are. Kody Keplinger handled this topic absolutely perfectly, and I think that Shut Out is an important book for girls to read. Also, it's just fun and entertaining. So, yeah, it deals with some heavier topics. But it's also pretty light and just a very good read.

8. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Well, duh. Of course this is on the list. I am a HUGE fan of The Mortal Instruments. One of my favorite series ever. I bought this book and stayed up all night reading it. And then I may or may not have thrown it at the wall. Cassandra Clare and her damn cliffhangers. *sighs* *waits anxiously for City of Lost Souls to come out*

9. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Oh look. Cassandra Clare got on this list TWO TIMES. Because I love her. To be honest, Clockwork Prince kind of tore me apart. But in a good way... I think. I mean, if a book can make me curl up in a ball and sob feel such strong emotions, then it must be good. Right? Yeah. So... When can I read Clockwork Princess? *taps foot* *stares at clock*

10.Where She Went by Gayle Forman
I LOVED If I Stay, and I think I loved Where She Went even better. I even went so far as to force my sister and my mom to read this. (They both loved it!) I loved that this was told from Adam's point of view. *pauses* *swoons over Adam* Everything about this story was beautiful and compelling and I read this book in like, five hours because I just couldn't put it down.

11. Fateful by Claudia Gray
So earlier in the year, I had a bit of an obsession with the Titanic. We were learning about it at school, and for once I was actually, like, INTERESTED in what the teacher was saying. I know, I know. It's shocking. But it's true. So anywho, I was definitely excited about reading this. I am a reallybig fan of the Evernight Series by Claudia Gray, so when I heard that one of my favorite authors was writing a book about the freaking Titanic, I built up some pretty high expectations. And this book totally lived up to them! Seriously. Hot guy AND werewolves AND the Titanic? Ahhhhh I freaking love this book.

So if you read all of that rambling, THANK YOU. If you haven't read the above books, you should definitely fix that soon. All of these books are really great and I would recommend them to anybody.

What are YOUR favorite books of 2011?

(Btw, I will be posting Part 2 tomorrow!)