In 2012 I read 57 books.
Several books above my target of 52, but quite a few below the rather grand total of 70 I managed in 2011 (who knew there where even that many books published?) Of course in 2011 I was studying full time, whereas in 2012 I was working full time.
Quite a few books deserved a five star rating (links to my goodreads ‘review’):
And even books deserved four star ratings:
- Alif the Unseen—Wilson Willow (a sort of Arabian Snow Crash, with some fantasy elements thrown in for good measure)
- Gone Girl—Gillian Flynn (wicked if not disturbing fun)
- The Garden of Evening Mists—Eng Tan Twan (Mediative, beautiful like the garden of the title)
- The Dog Stars—Peter Heller (the Road with a dog)
- Bring Up the Bodies—Hilary Mantel (more about Cromwell from a real master)
- A Hologram for the King—Dave Eggers (short, well written and clever)
- Prince of Thorns—Lawrence Mark (dark, fun fantasy)
- The Sense of an Ending—Julian Barnes (I barely remember reading this)
- The Blade Itself—Joe Abercrombie (a fantasy book that does all the expected things really well)
- The Player of Games—Iain M Banks (the Culture series continues to grow on me)
- The Marriage Plot—Jeffrey Eugenides (Eugenides writes these long, absorbing books that are a real treat to read)
- Rabbit, Run—John Updike (a modern classic—clean writing and a lingering story)
- The Dogs of Riga—Henning Mankell (a bit different from the first book, but still great)
- The Full Cupboard of Life—Alexander McCall Smith (charming, warm, delightful to read)
- Morality for Beautiful Girls—As above (as above)
- Dracula—Bram Stoker (dark, exciting, and a little scary (also a little histor-corny))
While all of these books were brilliant, to varying degrees, none stands out as worthy of being OMG-BOOKOFTHEYEAR! So, the honours instead go to my Kindle Touch, which has transformed my reading and is a constant joy and pleasure to use. That said, I would throw it in a ditch in any instant if a Kindle Paperwhite suddenly appeared. Kidding. Mostly.
My worst books of the year are:
- The Finkler Question—Howard Lameson
- Deadboring—Mira Grant
- The Tower, The Zoo, and The Really Bad Book—Julia Stuart
- Nacropolis—Thayil Sheet
Take your pick for which one should be tossed into the memory hole and never spoken of again. Or, toss all of them.
The most disappointing book of the year was David Mitchell’s 'comedic’ memoir, Back Story. Still, that’s what I get for straying from the comforting bosom of fiction.
Onwards to 2013 and another year of delights, surprises and one more chapter before lights out.