Smugglivus Smugglivus Guest Blogger

Smugglivus 2010 Guest Blogger: Angie of Angieville

Welcome to Smugglivus 2010: Day 37

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors, bloggers and publishers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2010, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2011.

Who: The Wonderful Angie of Angieville: blogging friend, book pusher, the one responsible for many of our book-discoveries and all together nice person.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we give you the fabulous Angie!

So great to be back for Smugglivus this year! It seems to get bigger and better every time and I’m tickled to be part of the incredible lineup. It’s been a hectic end of the year, but it would be the same without a little celebration of the most awesome books, characters, and covers of the year. As has become my wont, I’ve put together my little list of awards and am giving them out to my favorites of 2010:

*drum roll*

Best Performance by a Heroine in a Recurring Role: Kate Daniels for Magic Bleeds and Mercy Thompson for Silver Borne

Had to go with a tie here, guys, because I honestly can’t choose between them. They both kicked some serious tail this year in their respective books. Saving themselves, taking guns to fistfights, holding off shape shifter packs singlehandedly, and charming the pants off their respective territorial mates. Quite simply, they rock and I can’t get enough of them.

Best Character Transformation: Peeta for Mockingjay

Because apparently it took Evil Peeta for me to get on board. I’m dead serious. The boy with the bread won me over the minute he went for her throat.

Best Debut Performance by a Heroine in a Leading Role: Lennie for The Sky is Everywhere

Because she gets dealt a truly lousy hand in life and fumbles everything so badly you’re not sure she’ll ever resurface. And then. Somehow. She survives. She chooses hope, and life, and Joe Fontaine. Good choice, girl.

Best Kiss: Alan and Mae for The Demon’s Covenant

I don’t even want them to end up together and this kiss still tops my list no question! It’s to do with the glasses, methinks. And the gun. And all that pent-up bookish longing. Mm-hm.

Best Debut Performance by a Hero in a Ridiculously Charming Role: Étienne St. Clair for Anna and the French Kiss

Is it just me or did it seem like this was the year of the Nice Guys? Well, this nice guy tops my list. With the accent, the ugly knit hat, and the way he falls in love with our Anna.

Best Retelling: Jane by April Lindner

Note-perfect modern retelling of Jane Eyre, featuring Mr. Rochester as a rock star. It lived up to every expectation I had. And then some.

Best Performance by an Antihero in a Tall, Dark, and Brooding Role: Irial for “Stopping Time”

I may have a wee bit of a problem when it comes to the former Dark Lord. My love for Irial (and Niall) is deep and wide and full of shadows. If you haven’t checked out this gem of a short story in the Wicked Lovely verse, now is the time.

Best Villain: Erra for Magic Bleeds

The woman trails plagues and pestilence in her wake. She’s older than Babylon and twice as powerful and her sole purpose in life is to destroy her own niece. Not your average Auntie. Watching her spar with Kate was fraught with tension and awesome.

Best Performance by a Hero in a Recurring Role: Nicholas Brisbane for Dark Road to Darjeeling

I can’t help myself with this one. This 19th century private inquiry agent does things to me. He’s the real deal and I love watching him grind his teeth at Julia and love her all in a single breath.

Best Series Finale: Suzanne Collins for Mockingjay

Because it had people clapping and howling, weeping and gnashing their teeth. In short, they were engaging with the story in visceral ways. As for me, I loved it. It came through for me in every way that mattered. And I was Team Gale, so that is saying something. Bravo!

Best Packaging: Poppy for Jane

I simply had to own my own finished copy the day it came out. With the bold pink lettering and the misty moors and the deckled edge pages. So pretty. So pretty on my shelf.

Best Author Pimping: My friend Michelle from See Michelle Read for slapping a copy of Garden Spells in my hand and kick starting my love affair with all things Sarah Addison Allen. Three books down and I am absolutely charmed with her sweet brand of magical realism. Every one of her books is a perfect comfort read.

And last but not least . . .

My 2010 Must Be Mine List is long and enticing.

Here are my top ten most anticipated titles (in order of publication):

An ancient unicorn tapestry, a young girl’s dreams of the past, a 16th century nobleman, this frightening debut fantasy has me all kinds of excited.
The sixth book in my beloved Mercy Thompson UF series. We’re gonna find out more about Mercy’s dad and her walker heritage. Awesome.
Attacked as a child, Donna now has protective iron tattoos branded into her hands and arms. When the fey abduct a loved one, she must enter the battle herself in order to save her friend.
Her marriage at an end, Willa returns to her small town home in search of answers and uncovers a family feud and a mess of secrets. Can’t wait for this one.
Entwined by Heather Dixon
A retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale. I love me a good retelling.
The third and final book in the excellent Demon’s Lexicon trilogy and the one that has me on pins and needles worrying and wondering what will happen to the Ryves brothers. And Mae and Sin and Jamie and Seb and . . . is it May yet???
A companion novel to this year’s Mistwood, this one is set in the same world but follows a girl who enters a land of ghosts to save her younger sister.
If the cover and title aren’t awesome enough for you, this historical myster/noir features a girl who helps her father set up a detective agency after he returns from the war.
The fifth book in top in the stellar Kate Daniels UF series. Only good can come of this, you guys.
This is Ms. Marr’s first adult novel and it promises to be a real winner. Gothic dark fantasy with a mystery and a lot of dead people walking. Sign me up.

That’s it for me this time, gentle readers. Thanks for having me Smugglers, and I hope you all have a warm, happy, and book-filled holiday season!

16 Comments

  • Andrea
    January 6, 2011 at 12:42 am

    I think this is my favourite post of Smugglivus – really liked the approach to a “best of” list. 🙂

  • Amy @ My Friend Amy
    January 6, 2011 at 3:02 am

    Oh I love you Angie! So glad we both liked Mockingjay and thanks for putting some awesome 2011 reads on my wishlist!

  • Bella F.
    January 6, 2011 at 5:20 am

    Ahhh Angie! I find myself nodding yes at my desk like a nerd as I read ur post,lol
    Though we may have a prob when it comes to my dark boys, Irial and Niall; my love for them is fey crazy :mrgreen:

  • Tiah
    January 6, 2011 at 8:35 am

    Yay Angie! I too would not be able to pick between Mercy and Kate. That would be like having me pick which of my kids is my favorite.

  • Kati
    January 6, 2011 at 9:55 am

    *GASP* I missed an Irial book? Thanks for the heads up, Angie!

    I’m also intrigued by Jane. Wonderful post, my friend!

  • YA Yeah Yeah
    January 6, 2011 at 10:19 am

    Haven’t read many of them but love the Lennie pick as best debut heroine. Great post!

  • Tweets that mention The Book Smugglers » Blog Archive » Smugglivus 2010 Guest Blogger: Angie of Angieville -- Topsy.com
    January 6, 2011 at 10:19 am

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Book Smugglers and Sarah Rees Brennan. Sarah Rees Brennan said: Finally @angiebookgirl sees the glory of Team Peeta. Plus love for Kate Daniels & my Alan wins Best Kiss! http://tinyurl.com/39xu885 […]

  • Michelle M
    January 6, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Fabulous post Angie! I love your list. I still need to read THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE it seems however…

    And yes.. your 2011 want list is perfect. I’ll be right in line behind you at the bookstore. BTW, did you get the PEACH KEEPER excerpt SAA sent round? very good stuff.

  • Kristen
    January 6, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    Love your post, Angie! Great list and categories. Ah, Mercy and Kate – I so love both of them and can’t wait for this year’s books in both series!

  • Michelle
    January 6, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    Gah, there is much to love in this list! I completely left Jane of my best of list. What an egregious error on my part because I truly loved it! I’m looking forward to several of the books you listed for 2011. Entwined looks fantastic.

  • Chachic
    January 6, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    I love Angie’s Smugglivus format. Also, it makes me very happy that I’ve read most of the books mentioned in this post and I’m planning to read the ones that I haven’t.

  • Adrienne
    January 6, 2011 at 6:16 pm

    Angie… I read your blog all the time and so glad you posted for smugglivus. I agree with all your book choices and those were some of the best in 2010

  • Holly
    January 6, 2011 at 11:23 pm

    Love the award format, too. Great lists! It’s always a pleasure to hear from Angie.

  • Renee
    January 7, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    Great awards, Angie!

    While Mockingjay wasn’t my favorite in the trilogy, I totally dug “dark Peeta”.

    And, while I’m usually a sucker for a beta hero –and I like Alan quite a lot–it’s all about Nick, for me.

    Both Melissa Marr books top my list, and Karen Mahoney’s Iron Witch is another one I’m really looking forward to.

    I’ll now be looking out for Warped, The Girl is Murder, and Nightspell. They sound like fun! 🙂

  • Liviania
    January 13, 2011 at 11:49 am

    Excellent list! I am so happy I finally read Ilona Andrews.

  • Marg
    January 14, 2011 at 4:05 am

    I am very late but had to give a shout out for Nicholas Brisbane in Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn. I think this is the best book in the series, and it isn’t often that you say that about a fourth book! Can’t wait for the next one.

    And I am totally with you on Sarah Addison Allen as well!

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