Armchair BEA: Best of 2012

Day Two of Armchair BEA is reserved for giveaways but I have no prizes for you. Sorry darlings! Instead, allow me to share the BEA books I’m excited about.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
(May 2012, Doubleday Canada)
My Twitter timeline has been buzzing about this book since Fall. It’s a WWII-era historical fiction featuring two brave young women and has been getting amazing reviews. The only reason I haven’t bought it yet is because I haven’t seen it in bookstores. Maybe I’ll bite the bullet and order it online. And probably grab a box of tissues while I’m at it. Apparently it’s a tearjerker.

Son by Lois Lowry
(October 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
I read The Giver in middle school and had no idea it was part of a series! I’ll definitely catch up on books two and three so I can be ready when this fourth book is released.

Street Dreams by Tama Wise
(March 2012, Bella Distribution)
I’ve been looking for books with Native protagonists and I don’t think I’ve read an LGBTQ book yet this year. When I read the Kirkus starred review for this book and was very pleased. It is a coming-of-age novel about a queer Maori boy.  It’s a refreshing departure from “pretty girl” YA books.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
(August 2012, Bloomsbury)
I can’t not buy this book. I read an early draft on fictionpress.net a long time ago and loved it then. I’m sure it’s even better. Watching Maas “make it” has been an inspiration to keep following my dreams and keep persisting. Hard work pays off. I’d love to see this book be a bestseller.

It’s funny that all these books are YA—not representative of my normal tastes at all! But I guess YA tend to be a little flashier and a bit more captivating than adult books, thereby capturing my imagination before I even turn the pages.