Armchair BEA- The Best of 2011

Todays topic for the Armchair BEA is celebrating my top five books that I have read/reviewed this year. Since I haven't been plugging along as quickly as most reviewers, I don't have many to grab from my review pile. I'll note if a review is to come on a book.

1. Shine by . It was my first physical ARC and what a book to start with! It hits such controversial topics such as homosexuality, racism and bullying. Beautifully written and full of detailed imagery, this book is one that should be on everyone's shelf! My Review
2. Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson. This wasn't a new release, but a new find for me. I loved her book Speak that I listened to by audio while taking long drives to visit my best friend (and now hubby). Just a well-written as the first, Anderson take the life of a not-even-close-to-average-teenager and displays it on the pages for you to experience. My Review
3. Bullied & Revenge by Christopher Smith. This is the next review to come out by me and will include an author interview and contest for TEN copies of Bullied! This is a trilogy about a young man who is given the gift to stop his days of being bullied. Intense, heart-pounding and sometime humorous. *Review to come.
4. This Girl is Different by J.J. Johnson. Loved this artistic and free-spirited book about a girl who trades her home schooled life to one of chaotic public school. It's a quirky look at a girl's experience, milestones and terrors. My Review
5. Willow by Julia Hoban. A loss of her parents in a tragic accident leads a girl to release her turmoiled emotions through cutting. A view most never thought possible on paper. My Review