This year I read 76 books  – that’s two more than last year! To end the year, I’ve chosen my ten favourite books that were published in 2011 and have provided links to my reviews where possible. I found it really hard to narrow my choice down to just ten books this year and even more impossible to pick an absolute favourite as I enjoyed different novels at different times for very different reasons. This year I’ve expanded on the top ten with some ‘favourites’ categories and a ‘readers’ choice’ section for the most popular (most visited) reviews this year. So without further ado, my books of the year, in release date order are:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (published in January by Headline)

Vampires, witches and daemons; a magical manuscript, rich historical detail and fascinating characters. This was a brilliant paranormal romance to start the year with and  I can’t wait for the follow up Shadow of the Night to be released in July 2012.

The Taker by Alma Katsu (published by Century in April)

A dark and gripping paranormal romance with no vampires! The Taker is a very original take on the immortal love story with the driving force behind most of the action being unrequited love. I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel The Reckoning in June.

The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord-Brown (published by Corvus in April)

I love the title for this book which was the nickname given by fighter pilots to the women who volunteered to fly planes like Spitfires from factories to British airfields during World War Two. In The Beauty Chorus Kate Lord Brown skillfully combines the true historical facts (166 women joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) risking their lives to ferry planes across the country) with the fictional story of three very different women to create a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking novel.

From London With Love by Jemma Forte (published by Penguin in July)

A fun summer chick lit read that had me gripped and one of my favourite covers of the year too. The Bond theme adds a touch of A-list glamour to the story and as Jessica ties herself in knots trying to keep her identity a secret, From London with Love has a great message about not judging a book by its over and being who you really are.

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield (published by Harper in July)

Jenny Wingfield’s debut is one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve read it and 11 year old Swan Lake is one of my favourite characters of the year. Set in 1950′s Arkansas, the story is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures and beautifully written following the trials and tribulations of the wonderful Moses clan. My full review will be coming in January.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline ( published in August by Century)

A suprise hit for me! Ernest Cline has created a brilliantly thought out and detailed future dystopian world; combined it with a fantastic virtual reality treasure hunt based on music, film and gaming nostalgia from the 1980′s and underlined it all with (the biggest surprise for me as I read) a really sweet coming of age love story.

Netherwood by Jane Sanderson (published in September by Sphere)

Netherwood is a thoroughly enjoyable historical saga and a fantastic debut from Jane Sanderson. I was completely drawn in to the world that Jane has created, loving both the historical detail and the variety and depth of characters that populate this book.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (published by Harvill Secker in September)

A gorgeous book and an amazing debut from Erin Morgenstern. I loved the story of the mysterious black and white Circus which only opens at night. The book is packed with magic and intrigue. I’ve only just finished reading this one but it shot straight into my top ten!

Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris (published in October by Simon and Schuster)

Another of my favourite covers of the year. A classy story filled with vintage glamour. Miracle on Regent Street is Ali Harris’s debut novel and what a debut. Heartfelt, warm, romantic and a lovely Christmassy story too.

It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson (published by Avon in November)

Last but by no means least, Miranda Dickinson’s third novel is Chick lit perfection from the sparkly pink cover to the brilliantly romantic ending and I thoroughly enjoyed every page in between as Romily Parker goes on a year long search for the handsome hero who kissed her and vanished!

2011 Favourites …

The whole package: The Night Circus

Although I love my Kindle, it will never replace physical books for me and books like this are the reason why. I splashed out on the gorgeous hard back when it was published and I love the book design as much as the story!

Cover love: Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

The cover for this book is really striking and picks up the tone of the book perfectly.

Heroine: Gracie Flowers from (Un)like a Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes

Gracie had me smiling from the first page with her wry observations on her job, her boyfriend, friends and family and she’s one of my favourite leading chick it ladies of all time!

Hero: Prince Richard from To Marry a Prince by Sophie Page

I thought this book was a real gem of a romantic comedy and I loved Prince Richard who comes across as a fab leading man – by no means perfect, he has some brilliantly funny and romantic scenes but never seems over the top.

Support: Uncle Dudley and Auntie Mags from It Started With a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson

Dispensers of love, wisdom and support from their narrow-boat home to Romily as she undertakes her quest. They are instrumental in keeping Romily going but are also responsible for much of the book’s warm humour and I loved Aunty Mags’ ‘Cake Therapy’!

The perfect ending: Breakfast At Darcy’s by Ali McNamara

Ali McNamara retains her crown for queen of the romantic ending with a beautiful finale to her latest novel that left me with a big smile on my face.

Readers’ choice: Top five most read reviews of 2011

1. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

2. To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

4. The Taker by Alma Katsu

5. Beautiful Creatures by Lulu Taylor

So that’s my year in books; are your favourites on the list? I’m looking forward to sharing many more reviews with you during 2012 and wish you all a very happy and bookish New Year! x

I read my first Jill Mansell book earlier this year and became an instant fan so I was excited to see that the cover and details of her next release while I was browsing Amazon the other day. A Walk in the Park is out in February 2012 and sounds like another fab read from Jill. I love the pretty green cover:

It’s been a while, but Lara Carson’s back in Bath and lives are set to change as a result. Because Lara left her family and boyfriend Flynn eighteen years ago without a word to anyone. Why has no one heard from her since? Her childhood best friend Evie is thrilled Lara’s back and able to share her happiness. Evie’s about to walk down the aisle with her dream man, Joel. Or so she thinks… Then there’s Flynn Erskine, even more attractive now and stunned to see Lara again. The spark between them is as strong as ever, but how’s Flynn going to react when he discovers the secret she’s been keeping from him? Oh yes, there’s a lot of catching up to be done…

Friday 13th May was a very exciting day for me; my first book blogger event. There was much happy dancing when the invite to the Headline Bloggers Party popped into my mailbox and it exceeded all of my expectations so I’d like to start by thanking Maura, Sam, Helena and the rest of the Headline team for putting on a super event and letting us loose with some of their top authors!

It was great to meet some of my fellow bloggers too and almost as soon as I arrived I got chatting to Hadassah (Adventures of a PR Princess) and Mel (High Heels and Book Deals) two fab ladies whose blogs you must check out if you haven’t already.  It was also lovey to meet Matt (http://teenlibrarian.co.uk/), Sarah (http://www.feelingfictional.com/), Jackie (Farm Lane Books) and Carolyn (Book Chick City).

I’m afraid I didn’t manage to get any photos but I did get some exciting book news and previews of upcoming Headline titles! The event started with a video presentation about the latest books from Headline. So many exciting and lovely new books to look forward to but the highlights for me were (click the thumbnails for the full cover images):

About Last Night by Adele Parks (hardback released on 23rd June)

For thirty years, best friends Stephanie and Philippa have been practically inseparable. There’s nothing they would not do for one another. Until a few simple words change everything.  I need you to say that I was with you.’ Steph, eternally solid, considerate and dependable, is begging her best friend to lie to the police as she’s desperately trying to conceal two shocking secrets to protect her family. Pip, self-consigned to the role of scatty, frivolous hot-head is overwhelmed; she’s normally the one asking for help in a crisis although never anything as catastrophic as this. Both women have always believed that friendship is built on mutual selflessness, compromise and trust. Are those beliefs now to be tested beyond endurance?

Heaven Scent by Sasha Wagstaff (paperback released on 12th July)

When Cat Hayes impulsively marries a handsome, penniless French waiter in St Tropez, she didn’t realise she’d be widowed in just a few weeks. Neither did she know that her late husband was actually Oliver Ducasse, heir to the Ducasse perfume empire. Invited by the Ducasse family to their glamorous French mansion, Cat finds a family in chaos. What’s more she’s regarded her with suspicion and hostility, especially by Olivier’s playboy cousin Xavier. Will she run for the hills as fast as her high heels can carry her? Or will she realise that she is exactly what this mixed-up family truly needs?

All for You by Sheila O’Flanagan (hardback released on 7th July)

As TV’s favourite weather forecaster, Lainey is good at making predictions. But what she doesn’t foresee is that her own life is about to hit a stormy patch. With a string of failed relationships behind her, surely history isn’t about to repeat itself with her beloved Ken? To add fuel to the fire, her estranged mother announces that she’s returning to Dublin. Deanna has always been dismissive of Lainey’s choices – particularly in men. And Deanna’s lectures are the last thing Lainey needs now.

Yet is there more to her mother than she knows? Uncovering some long-concealed family secrets, Lainey begins to reassess her life. Is the happy-ever-after she’s always dreamed of really what she wants after all?

The Thread by Victoria Hislop (hardback released on 27th October)

Thessaloniki, 1917. As Dimitri Komninos is born, a fire sweeps through the thriving multicultural city, where Christians, Jews and Moslems live side by side. It is the first of many catastrophic events that will change for ever this city, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people. Five years later, young Katerina escapes to Greece when her home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she finds herself on a boat to an unknown destination. From that day the lives of Dimitri and Katerina become entwined, with each other and with the story of the city itself.

Thessaloniki, 2007.  A young Anglo-Greek hears the life story of his grandparents for the first time and realises he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of people who have been forcibly driven from their beloved city. Should he become their new custodian? Should he stay or should he go?

We were also treated to two fab sneak peeks of books that will be out next year both of which have gone straight onto my wish list:

Pure by Julianna Baggott (released February 2012)

A futuristic dystopian novel about a society of haves–the Pure, who escaped the apocalypse and live in an uncontaminated dome-covered city–and have-nots–the wretched survivors who live in the nearly-destroyed outside world.

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters. We will, one day, emerge from the Dome to join you in peace. For now, we watch from afar, benevolently. Pressia Belze has lived outside of the Dome ever since the detonations. Struggling for survival she dreams of life inside the safety of the Dome with the ‘Pure’. Partridge, himself a Pure, knows that life inside the Dome, under the strict control of the leaders’ regime, isn’t as perfect as others think. Bound by a history that neither can clearly remember, Pressia and Partridge are destined to forge a new world.

The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

(Synopsis taken from Lyndsay’s website: http://www.lyndsayfaye.com)In the summer of 1845, following years of passionate political dispute, New York City at long last formed a Police Department.

The potato, a crop that can be trusted to yield reliable nutrition from barren, limited space, had long been the base staple of the Irish tenant farmer.  By the summer of 1845, newspapers worldwide had begun to report anxiously that an infestation called “blight” was laying waste to potato crops throughout Ireland. These twin events would change the city of New York forever.

Timothy Wilde is a reluctant, newly minted NYPD.  One night while making his rounds, he runs into, literally, a little slip of a girl —covered head to toe in blood. When she claims she knows where dozens of bodies are buried, Timothy finds himself tracking down a brutal serial killer seemingly hell bent on fanning the flames of anti-Irish immigrant sentiment…and engaged in a battle for the truth that nearly costs him his brother, his romantic obsession, and his own life.

Having heard all about the books, it was time to meet some of the authors! The following lovely literary ladies and gents were present and very kindly signed their books

I watched events unfolding in Japan last week with utter horror and like many, wished there was something I could do for those affected. Author Keris Stainton felt the same way and inspired by Authors for Queensland, has rallied donations from over a hundred authors and others in the publishing industry to launch Authors for Japan – an online auction to raise money for the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal.

The auctions went live on the Authors for Japan website this morning and the bids are already flying in. There are some amazing items on offer so if you fancy starring in your own personal short story written by Miranda Dickinson; having Jill Mansell’s next book dedicated to you, or getting your hands on an early signed proof of Ali McNamara’s next novel, then head over to the website and start bidding. There are 160 items on offer ranging from signed books and proofs, critiques, naming characters in future novels, artwork, writer training and mentoring and more!

Bidding will close at 8pm on Sunday 20th March and all of the details on how to bid and donate can be found at Authors for Japan.

Please spread the word and let’s raise as much as we can!

RNA Pure Passion Award Winners!

The Romantic Novelists Association Pure Passion Awards were announced earlier this week.  Jojo Moyes won Romantic Novel of the Year for The Last Letter from Your Lover. Jill Mansell won the Romantic Comedy award with Take a Chance on Me and Elizabeth Chadwick’s novel To Defy a King won the Historical Novel Prize. The winner of the Love Story of the Year was Louise Allen with The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst. Congratulations to all of the winners!

I haven’t read any of the winning books although I do have Take a Chance on Me on my bookshelf. Let me know if you’ve read any of the others and what you thought.

Ali McNamara does her bit for Comic Relief!

Ali’s debut novel, From Notting Hill With Love … Actually pays homage to many of the fab films from Richard Curtis and to raise money for Comic Relief Ali has a copy of the book signed by Richard and herself together with DVD’s of Notting Hill and Love Actually and more to give away! Check out Ali’s video below and visit her Just Giving page if you’d like to enter the prize draw: http://www.justgiving.com/Ali-McNamara

Cover crush – Manhattan by Ronnie Cooper

The cover for Ronni Cooper’s second novel Manhattan, appeared on Amazon this week and totally appeals to my love of both shoes and New York! Manhattan will be out in June and sounds like a great summer read:

Raine: Owner of Manhattan, the sexiest nightclub in New York, Raine never doubted she’d make it she just had no idea how many people she’d have to climb over to get to the top. Now she’s queen of the city and no one’s going to take her crown. Mai-Lin: The beautiful, enigmatic madam is as famous as the clients she supplies with the hottest chicks in the city. But it wasn’t always that way. Mai-Lin served her apprenticeship in the brothels of Shanghai and those days have left her with an insatiable thirst for an act of revenge that could cost her everything. Stevie: Lead singer of the biggest female rock band in the country. Their explosive split shocked the world. Now Stevie is going solo but the bad girl of rock has a secret and she’ll do anything it takes to stop the demons from the past destroying her future. Now one of the women is missing …And only the other two can save her.

Where did February go?! It seems to have flown by and once again I didn’t manage to read half as much as I wanted to or blog as much as I’d have liked. But despite that, February was a really exiting month and I read some brilliant books.

One of the highlights of the month was interviewing Jill Mansell on Twitter (#Jillmeets) to celebrate the launch of her new book To the Moon and Back. It was the first time I’d done a ‘Twinterview’ and I was so nervous and all fingers and thumbs when I was typing my questions but Jill was a star and it was such a fun thing to do!

In total, I read five books last month, three of which were new releases for February. I read four paperbacks and one book on my Kindle. Three of these counted towards the British Books Challenge that The Bookette is running.

Book of the month February 2011

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

Marrying Out of Money by Nicky Schmidt

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

I’ve been deliberating over which one to pick for my ‘book of the month’ for the last few days. I have to say, it’s a really hard decision this month but I’ve finally decided on A Discovery of Witches which I loved for many reasons including the fact that part of it is set in Oxford and in particular in the library where I worked for a year as a trainee. And then there is Matthew Clairmont who seriously gives Edward Cullen some competition in my opinion!

A Discovery of Witches was also the most popular review on the site last month, closely followed by Ali McNamara’s From Notting Hill with Love Actually. Both books were the top searches that brought people to visit One More Page.

I’m determined to get back into the swing of things this month and as this is my third post in March I’m already doing better. This month I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing Rosebush by Michelle Jaffe, Summer of Love by Katie Fford and the third book in the Secret Shopper Series The Secret Shopper Affair by Kate Harrison.

I’m also currently running two giveaways so please check them out!

Happy reading everyone

When Ellie Kendall loses her husband Jamie in an accident she feels her world has come to an end. But life has to go on and eventually she’s ready for a new start – at work, that is. She definitely doesn’t need a new man, not while she has a certain secret visitor to keep her company…

Entrepreneur Zack McLaren seems to have it all, but the girl he can’t stop thinking about won’t give him a second glance. Why can’t she pay him the kind of attention she lavishes on Elmo, his time-share dog?

Having moved to an exclusive flat in North London, Ellie becomes friendly with neighbour Roo who’s harbouring a secret of her own. Between them, can both girls sort out their lives? Guilt is a powerful emotion.

But a lot can happen in a year in Primrose Hill…

Firstly, a confession; To the Moon and Back is the first Jill Mansell book I’ve read. I’m really not sure how Jill’s books (this is book number twenty-two) have escaped me for so long but if this one is anything to go by; I need to add the rest to my collection quick smart! I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book and stayed up way past my bedtime so that I could finish it.

 I haven’t mentioned covers in my reviews for a while but this one really caught my attention. The colour is great and I thought the street scene depicted was really inviting. It’s refreshing to have a night scene on a book cover and I love this one with its shiny gold moon and stars – it sets the scene for the story perfectly.

There is something to appeal to readers of all ages in To the Moon and Back with a really good variety of characters. There wasn’t a single character that I didn’t like which in itself is quite unusual, although I have to say some of Roo’s antics at the start of the book had me shaking my head and wishing she’d listen to her friends more!

I thought Ellie was very well written and as the lead character I warmed to her immediately, not just because I was sympathetic to her sad situation but because I liked her outlook on life and she seemed very realistic – I loved the fact that when she was ill she asked for a can of Tizer

As the story went on, I liked the way her character developed as she moved to her new home in Primrose Hilll. Ellie’s confidence grows as she makes a friend in neighbour Roo and begins a new job. Gradually, Ellie begins to contemplate new romantic relationships and I was really rooting for her to get the outcome she wanted.

My other favourite characters were Ellie’s actor father-in-law, Tony and artist Marsha. I thought their story was wonderful and it brought a tear to my eye more than once. I also have to admit to developing a bit of a character crush on Zach – he’s such a sweetie!

 As you may have gathered, I’m a complete romantic at heart and To the Moon and Back has romance in buckets. Mansell cleverly balances threads dealing with bereavement, infidelity and guilt with themes of true love, love at first sight and love at any age. Her style is very warm and treads just the right line between sensitivity, realism and humour making this book a lovely feel-good read. For me the pace of the story was excellent and the characterisation and conversations spot on with easy and realistic dialogue – you can really tell that Jill is an experienced writer.

I love discovering a new author and there’s nothing better than when that author has lots of other books to check out. Jill has an amazing twenty one other books to her credit and I’ll definitely be loading a few onto my Kindle this weekend – let me have your recommendations in the comments box below! If like me, you haven’t read anything by Jill before I highly recommend To the Moon and Back as a very good place to start.

I’d like to thank Helena at Headline for sending me a copy of this book to review.

 5/5

You can find out more about Jill and her books at: http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/