2012: My Year in Books

[angela_o]

I'm following the example, mostly, o muffinkath7 nd giving you my list of books read in 2012.  It was a relatively light year for me with only 76 and in general I stayed on the lighter end of the literary pool.  There has been so much stress in my life in the last few years that I've used reading more for escapism.  That being said, there are some more serious entries on the list.  I've made a brief comment next to ones that I found particularly noteworthy for whatever reason.

So, without further ado...

January

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth  (The start of a YA trilogy that deals with a dystopian society in future Chicago in which teenagers are tested to join one of 5 factions that highlight a particular personality trait.  An interesting read.)

2. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson ("The Devil in the White City" is one of my all-time favorites, but this one just didn't do it for me at least partially because I didn't find anyone in the book sympathetic.  Though it does make you wonder if European history would have been different if the US had taken a stronger stance with Nazi Germany in the early days of its ascension to power.)

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (While I wasn't enraptured with the resolution, Morgenstern has a way with words.)

4. Yiddish with Dick and Jane by Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman

February

5. Proud Shoes by Pauli Murray (The story of the first female African-American Episcopal priest.  She grew up locally and her autobiography is a fascinating look at race relations in the South.  I learned a lot from this one.)

6. Second Nature by Nora Roberts

7. Lessons Learned by Nora Roberts

8. Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

9. Time Riders by Alex Scarrow

10. The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

11. Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox

12. The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne (Historical romance that enticed me enough that I sought out other works by the author.  Kath, you might enjoy these.)

13.Not Another New Year's by Christine Ridgway

March

14. My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne

15. The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne

16. Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne

17. The Thing About Jane Spring by Sharon Krum

18. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

19. Daring to Dream by Nora Roberts

20. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Another ostensibly YA book that has greater appeal.  This one deals with dystopia, a quest, and arcane movie/videogame trivia from the 80s.  Everyone at my house liked it.)

21. Finding the Dream by Nora Roberts

22. The Statistical Improbability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

23. When Someone You Love is Bipolar: Help and Support for You and Your Partner by Cynthia G. Last

24. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

25. The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux

April

26 Hurry Down Sunshine: A Father's Story of Love and Madness by Michael Greenberg

27 Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

May

28 Bitterblue by Kristin Cashor

29 Insurgent by Veronica Roth (The second in the trilogy.  Middle books in trilogies tend to lag, but this one maintained my interest.)

30 The Playboy Prince by Nora Roberts

31 Cordina's Crown Jewel by Nora Roberts

32 The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

33 City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

34 Bring It On by Laura Anne Gilman

June

35 Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

36 The Name of the Game by Nora Roberts

37 Once More With Feeling by Nora Roberts

38 The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr  (This was a fascinating, but unsettling, look at what internet usage with its attendant skimming and hyperlink jumping does to our ability to have sustained attention.)

July

39 Reflections by Nora Roberts

40 Dance of Dreams by Nora Roberts

41 Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

42 Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of A Husband, Father, and Son by Michael Chabon

43 Into the Storm by Suzanne Brockmann

44 Into the Fire by Suzanne Brockmann

45 Dark of the Night by Suzanne Brockmann

46 Hot Pursuit by Suzanne Brockmann

47 Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann

August

48 The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

49 In Secret Service by Mitch Silver

50 The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby

51 Chances Are by Barbara Bretton

52 Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed (A compilation from the advice column of The Rumpus published under the columnists own name.  I was surprised by how powerful and moving so many of these entries are.  I recommend this one.)

53 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (Somehow I had managed to make it to 47 without ever reading this physically slight, but very moving book.  A collection of letters detailing the relationship between a female New Yorker and the male employee of a British bookstore.  It was lovely.  I was also surprised to find out that it's true.)

54 Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell

September

55 Once Upon A Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen by Bob Greene (A moving account of a canteen that operated at the railroad depot in North Platte that was totally stocked and staffed by volunteers from the tiny Nebraska town and surrounding areas and that greeted every troop train that stopped there for 5 years with free baked goods and coffee.  Reaffirms your faith in the basic goodness of people.)

October

56 Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (I thought Gilbert's writing was excellent in Eat, Pray, Love but having found her infuriating, I was interested to see how she came off in her sort-of-sequel.  I actually found her somewhat less obnoxious because she admitted to a variety of personality flaws.  Though I still say that the book written by her ex-husband about the dissolution of their marriage would be something I'd definitely read.)

57 Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

58 The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

59 The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (This one got a lot of glowing press this year and it's well earned.  Who knew that there was a lot of humor to be found in the lives to two teenagers who meet in a cancer support group.  But, in true Green fashion, there are tears as well.)

60 The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

61 Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin

November

62 Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (This was one of my Book Group books and while Goodwin definitely has a pov (she *loves* Lincoln), it was a fascinating look at the history and politics of the Civil War and its preceding years.  I learned a lot and it was made more interesting that my reading was juxtaposed against the elections here in the US.)

63 White Horses by Joan Wolf

64 Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson The Bloggess

65 Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (One of my favorite books of the year.  The intersection of books, Google, and hoped for magic.  Check it out.)

December

66 Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (An American actress who's in Italy to be part of the filming of Cleopatra ends up in a tiny Italian seaside village.  The ripple effects from that play out over the decades.  Evocative and haunting.)

67 Cold Days by Jim Butcher (The latest Harry Dresden.  He definitely took some turns in this one that I didn't expect.  A stronger outing than some of his more recent entries in the series.)

68 Songs of Love & Death edited by George R. R Martin and Gardner Dozois

69 Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

70 Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews (I've read several books by the author and this is definitely my favorite.)

71 Remember When by Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb

72 Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

73 Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michaelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir by Ellen Forney (An artist's graphic memoir of her struggle with bipolar disorder. An unusual look at what it feels like to be inside a mood disorder.)

74 The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

75 Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich (To call this one slight would be an overstatement.  I've enjoyed the Stephanie Plum series in general, but it's played out.)

76 Between, Georgia  by Joshilyn Jackson

If you've made it all the way through the list, congratulations!  Please let me know what some of your recent favorites are.  I need new things for my "To Be Read" pile.  The 2013 list only has one entry thus far.

Comments

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

Heh, what did you think of those Brockmanns. I have a soft spot for Into the Storm based on the overall story. For some reason, the Silence of the Lambs thing engaged me. Dark of Night, as you may know, set Brockmann fandom ablaze. I don't think she's recovered since.

I need to read Mr. Penumbra's. I have it on my iPod, but I just haven't gotten to it.

I recommend, btw, the Call the Midwife books by Jennifer Worth. Exceedingly readable and interesting.

Can't agree more re the Stephanie Plum books.

Oh, I'll post my list forthwith.

[angela-o.livejournal.com]

I liked the Brockmanns. You know what you're getting when you read her and I'm a sucker for Sam, Alyssa, and Jules. I know nothing about the fandom. Why did Dark of Night ignite such a firestorm?

[ww1614.livejournal.com]

Dark of Night was Decker and Tracy, right? Everyone thought that Decker and Sophia would be the couple, and they felt cheated when Decker ended up with Tracy. Plus, Deck was into BDSM, and that made everyone freak as well.

See here: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/review-dark-of-night-by-suzanne-brockmann/

[muffinkath7.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that link ww1614! I so miss wank sometimes! lol Suzanne Brockman fans seem to be awesome at it! The fact that a bunch of PhD's are throwing down over Suzanne Brockman makes it even more awesome! (Not implying that PhD's shouldn't throw down over fandom...my sister does it over Dr. Who with the best of 'em). ; )

[muffinkath7.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this, Angela, particularly the rec. I'll check that author out. : )

Glad you liked Mr. Penumbra. Em did too. I picked it up right before Christmas because it seemed like it hit all my favorite touchstones. Glad that wasn't a waste of a Chapters gift card! : )

Interesting that you read The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. I just picked up that author's latest, also a Jane-themed novel. How did you like it?

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