Faves of 2011 Book Awards: The Scenes

The Faves of 2011 Book Awards are hosted by Nomes at Ink Crush.

Day Three: The Scenes

1. Best first chapter

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Beagle's beautiful, whimsical prose is evident from the very first line, instantly pulling me in and effectively setting the tone for the rest of the novel: "The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless colour of sea foam, but rather the colour of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea..."

2. Best climax

Don't ask me how I got to my age without knowing what happened in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but the climax completely blew me away. 

3. Best ending

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson is designed in a scrapbook style, with photos and receipts scattered throughout. The final receipt on the last page made me smile and do a happy sigh - it says so much while saying so little.

4. Best plot twist/revelation (no spoilers!)

The revelations in the final third of I Came to Say Goodbye by Caroline Overington are heart-breakingly amazing.

5. Scariest/most disturbing scene

While it didn't turn out to be a very scary book, the first third of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is pretty frightening. The scene where Jacob is in the basement at the old house, and it suddenly gets dark and you can hear the peculiar children coming, and then they peer down into the hole at Jacob - eep! I'm getting goosebumps writing about it now.

6. Steamiest scene (or sweetest/sexiest kiss award)

This is a hard one, but I think the absolute steamiest (AND sweetest) scene would have to be Alex and Brittany in the garage in Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

   
7. Best swoon-worthy moment

Etienne meeting Anna at the top of Notre Dame in Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Swooooon! 

8. Biggest nail-biting moment

When Katniss pulls back her bow at the end of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. 

9. Most hilarious scene

There are so many funny moments in Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. I especially loved the commercial breaks and footnotes. But the scene that comes to mind most when I think about the funny is when the reality show pirates crash land, and the girls subsequently go nuts over being near boys again.

10. Most heart-breaking/tear-jerker moment

Oh boy, there were quite a few of these. Like, pretty much all of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Perhaps the most heartbreaking of all was Tommy, screaming in agony as his heart breaks. It's overwhelming in the book, and brilliantly portrayed by Andrew Garfield in the movie (check out the two minute mark in the trailer below to catch a glimpse).

 
BONUS: Favourite meet cute

Anna literally running into Etienne in the hallway in Anna and the French Kiss. Cuteness.

What were your fave scenes of 2011?