'12 Honour Roll

2012's honour roll is a little late this time round but hey, better late than never right? Right.

Note that selections were not necessarily released/published/burped out in 2012; they're just what I consider my best discoveries of the year, or the ones which I really connected with.

Moving on... *drum roll*

Song of the year: Ready To Go//Panic! At The Disco

I've fallen head over heels with P!ATD's 2011 album, Vices & Virtues. It's got this dramatic yet spirited appeal which reeled me in hook, line and sinker - catchy beats, smart lyrics, a little touch of eccentricity... they're all present by the bucket loads.

Movie of the year: Skyfall

Sorry Pi. Nothing I saw in 2012 was as spectacular, visceral, moving, well-written and oh what the heck - almost everything about the movie was great.

Needlessly staggering body counts usually turn me off, but that and the gripping suspense (swear there were a few scenes I was hiding behind my palms) weren't enough to distract me from the bigger picture. And what a resplendent picture it was - in a gritty, hard-hitting sort of way. There's also the fabtastic opening sequence which has got to be one of bestest in Bond land. Ever.

Book of the year: (It's a tie >.< )

The Evolution of Mara Dyer//Michelle Hodkin

Anna Dressed In Blood//Kendare Blake

Marni Bates' Awkward and Melina Marchetta's Saving Francesca (I gave this 5-stars on Goodreads, so you know it's super awesome!) are noteworthy mentions. I passed those over for these two as I felt these fared better over the test of time and memory.

Anna and Mara's stories still live on vividly in my mind, and Anna's in particular was a heart-wrenching gust of fresh air. I guess when push comes to shove, I make the best emotional connections with contemporary YAs, but the ones that capture my imagination the most are still fantasies/horrors/dystopians/thrillers... those with a little more bite to them.

Book cover of the year: A Million Suns//Beth Revis

Purdy awesome cover. What can I say, I've got a thing for galactic motifs. Find out what I thought of the book here.