Monday's Month In Retrospect - January 2011

It's that time of the month again!  Time to take a look back at the previous month and see what I considered the Best Ofs for what I read in January 2011.  Remember, these are my best ofs on books I read last month, regardless of release date.  Drumroll please!

Best Book I read last month:  (Tough choice this month since I read Across the Universe, and The Lipstick Laws last month, which I loved.  But in the end, the best book to me was....)
Delirium - Lauren Oliver
Release Date:  2/1/2011. 
Why it was my favorite: This was another dystopian, which I've discovered I love.  A better question would be what did I not love about this book.  Good romance, emotional book, smart, and inventive.
Reviewed:  Yes.  See review here.

Best Heroine:
Amy from Across the Universe by Beth Revis.
Why she's my favorite: She woke up to one of the most terrifying and difficult situations imaginable but she was strong.  I loved her inner strength and how smart she was.
Best Hero:
Delirium has it again with Alex.
Why he's my favorite: How could you not love him? He was kind, patient, and selfless.  What he does for the heroine in this story was beyond beautiful.

Best Villain:
Gotta hand it to Tyler and Becca from October Breezes by Maria Rachel Hooley.
What made them great villains:  What they were willing to do was unforgiveable, but at the same time, you can see it happening everyday, unfortunately.

Best Cover: (It's a tie!)

Why they're my favorites:  The Lipstick Laws is one of the most beautiful, eye-catching, and cute covers I've seen in a while.  I love the fact that it's for a debut book of 2011.  The House of Night series always seems to have amazing covers, but I love just the contrast between boy skin, tattoos, and those gorgeous black wings.

Those are my picks! Let me know if you'd like to participate and maybe I can make a meme out of it.  Until next month!