2012 Wrap Up

What a year, what a year! 

 

I feel like I read a lot at the beginning of the year and then not so much near the end.  The last few months of 2012 were pretty busy which is ironic because when faced with the prospect of having both children in school full time, I was worried I wouldn't have enough to do.  It's funny how that works, isn't it?  Here is the annual wrap up of all I read this past year.

 

1. The Twilight Saga; The Official Illustrated Guide (hey- don't judge)
2. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
3. Gunn's Golden Rules by Tim Gunn
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
5. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
6. Ceasar's Way by Cesar Millan
7. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
8. Austenland by Shannon Hale
9. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
10. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
11. Beyond the Sling by Mayim Bialik
12. Entwined by Heather Dixon
13. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
14. The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler
15. The New Year's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
16. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (so good I read it twice!)
17. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
18. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
19. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
20. Holes by Louis Sachar
21. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
22. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
23. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
24. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
25. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
26. Drift by Rachel Maddow
27. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
28. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
29. The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin
30. Ranger Confidential by Andrea Lankford
31. The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
32. Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin

Still, I feel like that is a pretty good list.  I had forgotten about some of these.  I have said it before, but I'll say it again:  this blog is mostly for me to keep up with what I've read and to make it easier to recommend books to others.  It has also been really fun for me to write these reviews.  I pay more attention while I read, marking the spots I want to mention on the blog and I love talking about a good book.  If you are a regular reader, I hope you are enjoying reading my ramblings about these books.  I hope it has even been a place for you to find something new to read. 

 

So many of these books were absolutely wonderful and normally it would be difficult to pick a favorite, but this year one does actually stick out to me.  If you haven't read it yet, I cannot recommend Shadow of the Wind  strongly enough.  There would probably be twenty ties for second place, but that one definitely wins the gold medal. 

 

So what about you?  What was your favorite book of 2012?