pagesofjulia

My year-in-review post is coming, but first, let’s take a look at the very BEST books I read in 2012. Not published in 2012, you understand – although several were that, as well. I was able to narrow it down to a list of 14 books and 1 short story; and I’m hoping you’ll forgive me for such a long list because 1) I read 126 books in 2012, and 2) I’ve broken them out into categories for you. 🙂

Best print nonfiction of 2012:

• Before the Rain, Luisita Lopez Torregrosa
• A Difficult Woman, Alice Kessler-Harris
• The Longest Race, Ed Ayres
• Real Man Adventures, T Cooper
• Soundings, Hali Felt

Best print fiction of 2012:

• Boule de Suif, Guy de Maupassant
• The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

Best audio nonfiction of 2012:

• Bossypants, Tina Fey
• The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger
• The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson

Best audio fiction of 2012:

• The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver
• The Likeness (in two reviews), Tana French
• Loving Frank, Nancy Horan
• Rules of Civility, Amor Towles
• The Shining, Stephen King

Many thanks to my editor at Shelf Awareness who sent me 4 of the 5 books in that first category to review! You’re doing a great job, Marilyn! And, bonus: Shelf Awareness just the other day published an issue entirely devoted to the best books of 2012. Their list includes two of my best of the year; one I really wanted to read but didn’t get around to (Robert MacFarlane’s The Old Ways); one I reviewed; and one that I would totally rate a runner-up for audio nonfiction (Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened). Not to mention, a whole bunch I never heard of, so there you are! Always more to read!

What did YOU read this year that’s blown you away?

Filed under: musings | Tagged: best of, best of the year, lists |