Connie's 2008 Book Awards

These are books I read in 2008 not that necessarily came out in 2008.

The book that made me want a sequel the most:

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

I may have actually started hitting the book repeatedly on my bed as I realized it was the end of book one. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The book(s) with the best male characters who love music:

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, by Gabrielle Zevin

Will made the best mix CD's!!!

And

Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen

"Music is a total constant. That's why we have such a strong visceral connection to it, you know? Because a song can take you back instantly to a moment, or a place, or even a person. No matter what else has changed in your or the world, that one song stays the same, just like that moment." Owen - Just Listen





Can I just say that I have read three of Sarah's books...she writes the best guys, I love Wes, Owen & Dexter.

The book that created a new fear for me:

Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman

**Spoiler Alert** In the book one of the character starts getting attacked by birds hundreds of birds no matter where he goes. Well while I was reading about the birds attacking I am sitting in my aunts house in Utah in front of their window. When I notice a couple birds on the telephone wire I look up again in a minuet and there are like 10 more birds and they just kept coming and coming. It freaked me out a little bit. Then on the way home from Utah we stopped in Flagstaff to pick up some of Debbie & Russ' stuff. It had been raining all day it was wet outside and still drizzling a bit while I was moving stuff to the truck this crow or some loud bird kept cawing loudly. Birds are not out when it is raining. Yep freaked me out a little bit more. Then while Debbie and I are driving the truck home (the truck which window does not roll up the whole way) a bird flies like it trying to fly through the little crack in the window. Seriously no joke it flew right at me. And all this happened with in two days. So yes I now have a sort of fear of birds.

The book with the ending I waited the longest for:

Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer

I just have to say that I LOVE Jacob's book, even the titles for the chapters had me laughing. There was a lot more humor in Breaking Dawn, I mean Bella even quoted The Simpson's, it was great. The banter between Rosalie & Jacob had me laughing out loud. And when Jacob kicked her in the stomach in his human form...it was awesome. I love Jacob. I can't not mention Emmett's "Go Gators! About time someone scored around here." I laughed so long over that, maybe it was the lack of sleep or maybe the drugs.

The book with the cutest endings:

How To Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend, by Janette Rallison

Janette Rallison wrote a book I loved when I was 15. This past year I discovered she had a lot more books out and I have almost read all of them. But this book has been my favorite so far. Her books are clean, fun reads, seriously you will laugh out loud. I brought one of her other books "It's A Mall World After All" on a trip to Utah, it had everyone in the car laughing out loud.

And

The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen

Cutest might not be the best word but it is really really good.

The books that caused me the most emotional distress:

The Mortal Instruments (City of Bones, City of Ashes, & City of Glass) by, Cassandra Clare

This is going to sound bad, but when I first read City of Bones I actually had to put the book down and could not pick it up for almost a month. You find out some distressing news in the book and every time I thought about picking the book back up it made me feel sick. But thankfully I finished and read City of Ashes. City of Ashes is so good, completely sold me on the series and gave me yet another fictional crush (oh Jace). I am also just going to add City of Glass in the mix even if I read it in 2009 and technically does not come out till March. I love all the books and they all caused me emotional distress. If you are wondering how I already read City of Glass I mentioned it already in a blog. But we made a video and took second in a contest and won an Advanced Readers Copy.