Guest Post: Melissa of I Swim for Oceans

First of all, a really big thank you to Emilie for allowing me to take over her blog for a day. I sound completely narcissistic by saying this, I'm sure, but I love doing guest posts...it's an entirely new way to meet other bloggers, and it's great to be able to help my fellow bloggers out, as well. Enough of that though...onto the real reason I'm posting. Emilie asked us to post about anything book related, and I sat there on my butt for about 45 minutes thinking “Sheesh! It takes me too long to think of my own posts! How in the world am I going to think of a post for another site, too?” And then I had a stroke of genius!

Why not highlight my three favourite and three least favourite books read in 2010? Not all of these books were published in 2010, but all of them were great (or horrible) for various reasons. At the very least, I hope this post will give my fellow bloggers out there some insight into what makes a good read in my

blunt

brutally honest opinion.

Melissa's Favourite Books of 2010

1. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh – Holy brilliance! Finally! This book was such a breath of fresh air in a sea of YA books swarming with love triangles, one-dimensional characters, and wishy-washy girls with a serious lack of spine. Perfectly blending the dark works of Edgar Allan Poe with a story of a mildly star-crossed teenage love that defies the odds, Nevermore breathes new life into YA fiction with a story that will send you on plot twists and turns that will keep your heart racing the entire time.

2. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White – I don't like pink. I'm not a super girly-girl, and in most circumstances, a girl calling her sparkly pink taser “Tasey” would make me want to punch a tiny infant punching bag. This gem, otherwise known as Paranormalcy defied my preconceived notions though and lived up to the hype surrounding it. With a loveable heroine, a fast-paced plot, and a sweet and believable romance (omg not a triangle!!!), this one will worm its way into your heart and stay there long after you've finished it.

3. Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith – Thank God for a book about vampires where they don't sparkle! The Greyfriar presents an alternate history where vampires have taken over the world, humans are in hiding, and there are no sparkly, wishy-washy vampires around! It's the perfect blend of steampunk, history and the paranormal that you could ever find. Trust me...it's awesome.

Melissa's Least Favourite Books of 2010

1. Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet – Awesome premise? Check. Great background? Check. Stunning Cover? Check. Follow-through? Epic fail. I rarely give really bad reviews, but this was just awful, in my opinion. The plot was jumbled, I never knew what drove the characters, and frankly, if I wanted to see 32 exclamation points on a single page, I'd just type them. Witch & Wizard had all the makings of an awesome book, but it fell so so SO flat for me.

2. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer – I'm a fan of dystopian books. I really am. I adored how this series started and we watched as a selfish teen was transformed by tragedy into a really great young adult. Then the series continued and things began to waver, but I held out hope for this finale. Too bad Miranda turned into a selfish, egotistical, whining, crabby little girl again. Any inkling of character development we saw in book one was crushed in This World We Live In, leaving me more than a little disheartened. Hope just doesn't exist in this book.

3. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters – I have cover lust. It's not a secret. I was sold on this book by the cover alone, and unfortunately it didn't live up. For some strange reason, I just can't find zombies attractive, especially when they're tripping over their own feet, slurring their words and generally resemble corpses. Generation Dead was just a snooze-fest for me, but I will admit that it's well-written, and I'm sure there's an audience for it.

Well, there you have it. I have WAY more favourite reads from 2010, but I picked the ones that jumped to mind first. I think the moral of story for me is threefold:
1)Go for books that step outside of the box.
2)Find characters that defy stereotypes or put a new twist on the stereotype.
3)Don't fall for the hype! It's not always right...