Best reads of 2012

2012 has definitely been the Year of the Book for me.  I am too ashamed to share how many Amazon orders I've placed this year but they should really be giving me a Prime membership for free.  Petra over at Indivisualism inspired me with her "Best Books of 2012" post to also share some of my "bests" that I've read this year with you. Please feel free to share some of your favourite books as well. I'd love to see what you all enjoyed this year.

Night Circus cover Best Book for a Grey Day

I started this novel without knowing anything about it except that it has been extremely popular and after finishing it, realized it's for good reason. The plot really is lovely enough on its own - the ageless story about a boy and a girl and all of the obstacles that stand between them. But even more wonderful? The setting that the author uses to establish the backdrop of her story. If you are looking for a feast for the imagination and the most colourful and motile landscape you've experienced in a long while, I challenge you to find a better book than The Night Circus. It's no surprise that this book is already in development for a movie and I highly encourage you to read it soon so that you can conjure up all the images in your head before some director spoils the fun for you.
The Rook cover Best Female Protagonist

Before you all start throwing out names like Katniss Everdeen, Hermione Granger and Lisbeth Salander, I want to tell you all that Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in a park in London surrounded by dead bodies, no clue who she is and why supernatural agents are trying to kill her. Not hardcore enough?  She not only has to avoid and evade the assassins but also learn how to navigate the complex and secretive life of the person who inhabited her body prior to her own consciousness. This is a debut novel by Daniel O'Malley and if you like strong, logical-minded female characters and a twist of the unexpected, you'll enjoy The Rook and getting to know Myfanwy.
Reamde cover Best Technological Thriller

I thought this book was going to be a lot like Ready Player One, which I really enjoyed in 2011. That was an excellent book with a unique premise and this book starts out much in the same way. Story line: wealthy nerd makes a ton of money creating a computer  simulated world. But that's where the similarities end. Whereas Ready Player One mainly takes place in the simulation world and with avatars, Reamde takes place with real people in Canada and China. The book looks daunting but reads quickly and like an action movie. Its premise is smart and characters are sharp and resourceful. This one would also be a great one for a long plane ride, whisking you away for a wild ride while you're physically whisked away yourself.
The Watchers cover Best Male Protagonist

Marc Rochat is by far my favourite book character in 2012. The Watchers is set in Switzerland and Marc Rochat is the brain-injured, strange man who guards the bells of the Lausanne Cathedral. The characters become intertwined as more and more people are found gruesomely dismembered throughout Lausanne and drawn closer and closer to the cathedral. Jon Steele was a news cameraman and The Watchers is his first novel and the first in a series. I can't wait for the other books and I hope that Steele's other characters make me feel as much for them as I felt for Marc. Maybe it's because Marc's innocence and kindness provide such a counterpoint to the evil in Steele's world as well as our very own but it makes me hope for the goodness in people and pray that there are real people like Marc out there.
Dodger cover Best YA Novel

I've blogged about Dodger before here and want to just reiterate that this is one of my faves this year and not just because it's set in London. I like the street savvy of Dodger and Terry Pratchett pulling in Charles Dickens and Sweeney Todd to help push the plot along - plus the kids needs a little historical curiosity every now and then! There is a snippet of a love story but not Twilight-style and kids of all ages should be able to enjoy Dodger's rags to riches tale.
Einstein's Dreams cover Best Collection of Short Stories

This is another one that I've blogged about before and one that I find myself recommending over and over again to friends, especially those with a slight scientific leaning. I can't say enough about Alan Lightman's ability to place the reader in a place, time(s) and character in the least amount of words possible. When I get a chance, I really need to go back and study this book again, for technique's sake. If Sheldon Cooper read fiction, I believe this one would be one of his faves.


Comments

  1. Thanks for your recommendations Rooth! I've purchased a lot of books this year as well, but am always eager for me, especially as it's starting to get colder here in LA. The Night Circus sounds great!

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  2. Rooth, this is such a great list. The only one that I read thus far is Einstein's Dreams, but I'm definitely adding the others you mentioned to my list!

    Also....the covers for these books (especially the black and white ones!) are gorgeous. -sigh-

    ♥ xixia

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  3. Nice list. I have heard about Einstein's Dreams and it's on my list. Now there are more books to be read in 2013. Wishing you a Happy New Year and a great year ahead!

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  4. oh, thanks for sharing this. will add these to my wishlist. happy new year xxxxo

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  5. Thanks for sharing, I DO love a good book!

    Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, see ya next year! :-)

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  6. What a great list! How on earth do you pronounce Myfanwy?? Is it Welsh? Elvish? Haha. I loved Einstein's Dreams. My dad leant it to me and it reminds me of him so much. Even seeing the cover now brings back a ton of memories. Here's to much more reading in 2013!

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  7. I've heard some pretty amazing things about The Rook, and I'm pretty sure I'll be picking it up to read for the rainy and sicks days this upcoming year. Thanks for sharing this list of amazing reads!
    Wishing you a happy New Years, Rooth! So glad to have gotten to know you through the blogosphere. :)
    xo

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  8. Oh, we love Einstein's Dreams around here. As I write this, I'm trying to picture which shelf it's on so I can go and pull it out. I have lots of catching up to do on your blog since I've been off the interwebs for so long, but I mostly wanted to pop in and wish you Happy New Year! May all your wildest dreams come true!

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  9. Loved the Night Circus. Sigh.

    And I always love your book recommendations. Maybe someday I'll be able to hire you to write for my book blog. That would be a good day, indeed! :)

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  10. I love love love Night Circus and am always recommending that book to everyone, so magical!

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  11. 2012 has been the worst year for reading for me in a long time, maybe ever. I usually burn through at least a book every couple weeks, I think I have "burned" through maybe 5 or 6 all year (and that was all in the first few month of the year!). I have The Night Circus, I need to read it!

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  12. I think I need to add all of these to my reading list for 2013. I didn't even come close to my goal of 30 books for this year!

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  13. I haven't read any of these... but I think you have pretty good taste in books. I don't read YA much (nor do I read much...:() but like always, I want to!

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  14. Thanks for the list! I've been trying to clear my to-read list and here's more to add it! I've been wanting to read the Night Circus fur-Eh-VAH!

    My friend has been raving about Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, but I've been holding out just because Stephenson sounds a little too much to handle, but I will get down to it.

    Hope you post more on books, i will be reading!

    Happy New Year

    xx
    Chui

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  15. Oh wow, yes, thank you for the list! I love short stories and will be looking for that last one as soon as I can.

    Happy New Year Ruth! I hope 2013 has greatness in store for you.

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  16. Happy New Year, Rooth! And will be adding these books on my list. The Rook has been on my radar for a long time now. Borrowed the audio book, but hated the voice of the narrator, so I stopped:P

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  17. This is exactly the post I've been looking for. I'm craving a good book!! But I really want to read a good series. What do you have for me?

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  18. Best reads of 2012? That list has to include A MIUSMIE. It's a great find.

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  19. I'm now curious about Myfawny Thomas. I'll give The Rook a try and check out the rest of your best reads list.

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  20. I'll have to add most of these to my list since it has gotten very short and i love to read on the train. I totally got caught on the subway reading some YA fiction a few months ago. I was trying so hard to hide it :).

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  21. Thank you thank you thank you for all of these recommendations. Then again, I probably didn't need to add any books to my to-read list on goodreads.

    Oh who am I kidding? the more the merrier, right?

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  22. I'm putting everything in my list! Thanks, Rooth! ;)

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  23. Ooh, a book post, goodie. I had wanted to read the Night Circus but I caught a really scathing review recently. Will try and overlook that and give it a go sometime. Also, Myfanwy is an excellent name and I automatically like her.

    Another of my personal sales mottos, 'this cut/style has never ever looked good on me but before but this time will probably be different!'. x

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  24. I LOVED Einstein's Dreams but had forgotten all about it. I just bought The Rook based on this list and added The Watchers to my wishlist. Thanks!

    Have you ever read The Dork from Cork? Based on this list I think you would like it.

    And did I ever tell you how much I loved Ready Player One? And did you tell me about The White Devil and/or Daughter of Smoke and Bone? Because I loved those too.

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  25. The Night Circus was my favorite book of 2012. Really capable of making you feel like you'd been whisked away into a fantasy world.

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  26. I loved The Watchers. I read it, then got tired of waiting for Jon Steele to finish the trilogy. Now I have just bought 7 books from Amazon. All three of Jon Steele's Angelus Trilogy and Always by Sarah Jio, Beauty and Beauty and The Beast Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly, The Trojan Project and The Shack. But my favorite book of all was The Gold Finch.

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