02 January 2013

Year in Review: Top Ten Books of 2012

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It's always difficult to winnow down the herd of wonderful books to come up with only ten of them.  This year I read 138 books (thank you, GoodReads, for helping me keep track!), not including the various novel-length pieces of Harry Potter fanfiction.  (Last year I counted the HP fanfics and reached over 150 book-length pieces read.) Here's how my stats break down this year. Numbers may add up to more than 138 because any given title may qualify for more than one category. 

Fiction:127
NonFiction: 11
Audio: 15
YA: 33
Female writers: 84
Male Writers: 54
e-books: 2

Usually I list the books in no particular order, but this year I've got a tie for favorite book read this year. Sort of.  One was technically the best book I read last year, but since it wasn't published until 2012, I opted in 2011 to include it on this year's list.  Little did I know that another book in 2012 would come along to blow me away.



1. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and The Dog Stars by Peter Heller share my top slot this year.  Both are extraordinary.  The former taught me that no story is too old and dry that it can't be brought to life by a master storyteller, while the latter taught me that post-apocalyptic fiction can also be beautiful and humorous. Both reading experiences were utter revelations.

The rest of them, largely in reverse-chronological order, are:


2. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I thought I'd written a review for this one but apparently I'm mistaken. One of the biggest surprises, not just of my own reading, but apparently on all of the interwebs.  It's a fun romp through the history of printing with quasi-mystical elements. Plus who can resist a dust jacket that glows in the dark? I'm not anti-ereader, but I am pro-book, and that's as cool as reason as I can think of to buy the physical book for this title.


3. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.  Whimsical and quirky and full of British humour, then wham! it knocks you upside the head with real emotional force.




4. & 5. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde and The Fault in Our Stars are the best two YA books I read this year.  This is a little surprising to me since I don't always have one YA book that earns a spot on my Top Ten list, much less two. The former is brilliantly funny and tightly written and, dare I say, better than his adult novels (the Thursday Next series included). The latter is brilliantly funny while being simultaneously sad, so it's a good thing that laughter through tears is my favorite emotion. Anything that allows me to reference Steel Magnolias has to be a good thing, eh?



6. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain. My early review for this book predicted that it would make the awards circuit, and it was shortlisted for the National Book Award but lost to Louise Erdrich's book.  How can a book with a chapter named "Dry Humping for the Lord" not win, I ask you? Never mind that I have a readerly crush on him OR that we are clearly long-lost and somewhat-distant cousins.  This writer is a fierce mind in a gentle soul, which makes for a formidable combination. If you've not heard of him yet, you will soon.


7. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. Stolen baby or rescued child?  So much depends on perspective in this emotionally gripping novel. I am not sure why, but my review of this book was second only to my review of Lauren Oliver's Requiem (with spoilers) in terms of popularity for my 2012 book reviews, with 1386 hits at this time of writing.

8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  This one surprises me a bit, as I didn't love the book as I read it, but I've revisited it several times in my mind since then, and though my own life doesn't begin to match the privilege of narrator Carraway its opening line continues to be as good a piece of advice as I've read this year: "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had."

9. & 10. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Behind the Beautiful Forevers tie for my favorite pieces of non-fiction read this year. Again, it is unusual for both to earn a rightful place on my Top Ten list instead of an honorable mention, since fiction typically comprises my year-end best-ofs. Oddly enough, I have no review on my blog of Unbroken, but it's one of the best works of narrative non-fiction that I have ever read.

There are some other titles I'd like to list here, either because they were so good or so bad:


Funniest novel: Tie between These Things Happen and Where'd You Go, Bernadette.  Both were excellent, and the humor served to enhance, rather than hide, the darker aspects of the stories.

 

Four Honorable Mentions:   Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell for being an outstanding YA relationship book that is mature beyond its years;  Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson for being so fun, inventive, and timely (incidentally it made the NYTBR Top Ten list for SciFi/Fantasy this year). The Dinner by Herman Koch for standing me  (and my expectations) on my head; and A Wedding in Haiti by Julia Alvarez for taking me on a fantastic and evocative ride.

  
Biggest Disappointments: Love is a Canoe by Ben Schrank, which was so bad I was moved to review it; and  The Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia Stuart, which was so disappointing that I couldn't bring myself to review it.
   

Biggest Surprises: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes for being a full-on romantic (albeit heartbreaking) novel; and Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman for surprising this non-parent with how many feelings and opinions she has on parenting--particularly the bad parenting on display in the US on an almost daily basis.

What about you?  What was your favorite book read in 2012?  The biggest disappointment? The most surprising? 

20 comments:

  1. Yay, Song of Achilles! I loved that book too, I was so pleased to see it win the Orange Prize.

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  2. I'm glad you liked that one, too, Sam. And I'm so pleased that it won the Orange Prize!

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  3. "Dry Humping for the Lord"? That reminds me of one of my favorite movies of the past few years -- Bad Teacher. Which some people hate, but it is hilarious, so whatevs.

    Song of Achilles! Which I will finish! Agh that book is so good. You've also got a bunch of others I know I added to my TBR list after you reviewed them, so I'm glad you still like them months later.

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    1. I've never seen Bad Teacher but I will add it to my Netflix queue posthaste. And seriously--how can you not love a book that is prize-worthy AND which has that chapter title in it?

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  4. That's a good list and a fun post. Thanks for the thought and effort! You inspired me to try to come up with my own list.

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    1. Thanks! Let me know if you do a Best of 2012 list so I can check it out.

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  5. My favourite book of 2012 was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It is so well-written, pacy and a cracking good read, I simply couldn't put it down! I loved her previous books (Sharp Objects and Dark Places) and was delighted that this one was just as good if not better.

    My biggest disappointment was also one of the best books I have ever read. I loved Trieste by Dasa Drndci, an extraordinary piece of writing, brilliantly researched and incredibly powerful. I then read a magazine article explaining that the author had rewritten/plagiarised large parts of an autobiography and has only now acknowledged this in her book. Left me feeling very let down but it is still a great book.

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    1. Oh, no. What a terrible story about Trieste. It makes me triste to read it. (gah, that was bad!)

      I've heard nothing but good things about Gone Girl. The catch is that I don't read anything scary these days, so it will have to be a pleasure reserved for other readers.

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  6. Ooooh, look at all these books I must read! I really really REALLY want to read Eleanor and Park, especially, but I HAVE just embarked on a book buying ban *mutters angrily to self*

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    1. Hey, wasn't E&P pubbed first in the UK anyway? What can possibly be your excuse? :)

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  7. I am so conflicted as to whether I should go back and read all your greats from 2012 or forge ahead and start reading great 2013 reads. I mean truly conflicted...

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    1. Aww, Belle, that's so sweet. And this year you'll no doubt have a formidable Best Of list since you're finished with school. Yay!

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  8. Ah, E, you and I are once again freakishly similar in our tastes.
    The Dog Stars & The Song of Achilles ran neck and neck for my favorite books of the year as well, and These Things Happen was one of my two fave YAs. If I hadn't read An Abundance of Katherines this year, I'm sure that The Fault in Our Stars would have made my top two YAs too.
    Then Gatsby: well, it's one of my all-time favorites, and a novel that - as you've discovered - ages exceptionally well and deepens with each reading.
    And I'm reading (and loving) The Light Between Oceans right now for book group.
    Harold Fry, Billy Lynn, and The Last Dragon Slayer are going right onto my iPad preview shelves, with Billy Lynn at the top of my TBR: your descriptions above convinced me.
    Happy New Year, kindred spirit on the opposite coast.

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    1. Aww, Laurie, thank you! I've been reading Anne of Avonlea on my cell phone as my comfort book these days and that means a lot to me. Can't wait to see what you've declared as your best of reads for 2012

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  9. So many good books on this list! I am about to start Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore today, so I'm glad to see that on your list. And I didn't really know anything about The Dog Stars, but it sounds really good!

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    1. Sarah, I look forward to your thoughts on Mr Penumbra. For me, it was the right book at the right time syndrome.

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  10. These Things Happen will be one of my favorites from this year as well...and now you've got me adding Bringing Up BeBe to my WishList :) Many of your other titles are either already on my Wishlist or on the TBR :P

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    1. And if/when you review Bringing Up Bebe, I look forward to your insights. I was amazed what a quick read that book was for me!

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  11. Both Song of Achilles and Dogs Stars made my end of year list, great books!

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  12. Thanks for posting these reviews...I need a couple books for my upcoming trip to Virgin Gorda and this blog gave me some great ideas! :)

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