A Retrospective

I cannot believe it is 2009 already. Seems like just yesterday I was celebrating for the start of 2008. I guess it's true that the older you get, the faster time flies. How sad is that?

Anyhoodles, today's post is going to be all about my best of 2008, not just in books, but in other things. So, without further ado, here is my best of! :)

Best Book: Hands down, my favorite book of 2008 is Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas. I read a lot of fantastic books this year, but BED touched me in a way that is far outside the usual. I have nothing but good things to say about Ms. Kleypas. Her writing always touches me in some way.

Honorable Mentions:

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn (Historical)
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (YA Paranormal)
Untamed by PC & Kristin Cast (YA Paranormal)
When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason (Paranormal Historical)
Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh (Paranormal)
Gale Force by Rachel Caine (Paranormal)
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs (Paranormal)
The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn (Historical)
Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole (Paranormal)
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre (Fantasy)

Wow! I knew I liked paranormals, but didn't realize just how many. :) BED is the only book this year that got an A+ rating from me. The rest were all A's. Each book on this list was released in 2008. I know I had more A ratings, but they were outside of 2008.


Favorite Movie: The Dark Knight

I watched a lot of movies in 2008, but none in the theater...except the Dark Knight. But, this movie was absolutely amazing! One of the best movies I've watched in a long, long time.

Best TV Show: How I Met Your Mother. I came to this sitcom late in the game. It wasn't until the 3rd season that I started watching. But, this show is really, really good. It's consistently funny, yet can also be very heartwarming and sweet. Watching these five friends deal with life, love and everything else is just plain fun. And Barney? One of the best love-to-hate-him (but can't really hate him) characters on TV.

Favorite Video Game: Assassin's Creed for the PS3

Honestly, I wasn't really all that impressed with the games that were put out this year, at least for the PS3. I know, I know, it's a new system, but the games, for the most part have been less than stellar. Tomb Raider Revelations was lame and really easy. Metal Gear Solid 4 was mostly minimovies with probably 45 minutes of actual game-play. Assassin's Creed, on the other hand, just plain rocked. A different concept, stunning visuals, and a mind-trip of a thought process, the game was simply amazing. Though I could've done without the lame ending.


Favorite Hero: Hardy Cates from Blue-Eyed Devil. I didn't like him in Sugar Daddy at all, but he 100% redeemed himself in BED.

Honorable Mentions:

Cadeon Woede from Dark Desires After Dusk. The ultimate bad-boy
Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
Thomas Cavendish from Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
Jack Audley-Cavendish from The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
Charles from Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Max Pesaro from the Gardella Vampire series by Colleen Gleason
Dorian from Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh



Favorite Heroine: Oh, now this one is MUCH harder for me to do. Hmm...let me think about this for a second. ***Jeopardy theme song playing*** I don't know if I have a favorite heroine, per se. Each of the heroines from the books listed above are great in their own way. Actually, I'm going to have to change that. My favorite heroine of 2008 is Haven Travis from BED and here's why. At the beginning of the book, she's young, immature, and driven by her past to be someone she's honestly not, but by the end of the book she's become a strong, sexy, beautiful woman who's able to stand up for herself. And the way she handles the abuse is just plain awesome. She's a stellar heroine...truly


So, I hope you like my list of favorites from 2008. I wanted to wish all of you who stopped by a Very Happy New Year. May 2009 bring us much good cheer and good wishes. :)