My Top 12 Books of 2012

Some of these books have been featured on my previous best of lists but I have no qualms mentioning them again. That’s how much I loved them!

The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam

I think it’s the beautiful prose of this book that has stayed with me. I look forward to reading more of Lam’s work.

We Are in a Book by Mo Willems

I shouldn’t have to convince anyone of how awesome Mo Willems’s books are. A professor in my publishing program introduced me to Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus but Elephant and Piggie are still my favorite. 

 

Salsa Nocturna by Daniel José Older

That awesome moment when your friend’s book is actually fantastic and you don’t have to hurt his feelings with a lukewarm review! If you’re in the New York area, be sure to go to Daniel’s readings featuring music from his band, Ghost Star.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I’ve read this book 3 times now. I bawl every single time. And now it’s a New York Times bestseller!

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathrynne M. Valente

Love love love this book. Valente’s world reminds me of Wonderland and Oz without the scary elements. Though there are plenty of dangers in Fairyland, September is brave enough to face them. It is an incredibly rich middle-grade novel that I would definitely read with my (hypothetical) children. I want to read the sequel but my compulsions demand I wait for the paperback edition. 

I am Number Four series by Pittacus Lore

I love this series so hard, y’all. I burned through The Power of Six and The Rise of Nine in less than 48 hours. What blows me away is the lack of pretention in the characters. Although these teenagers are in larger than life situations, their personalities are completely relatable. Each character has his or her own voice. I don’t like all of them but I understand all their motivations.  Combine that with a high-stakes interplanetary war and you’ve got one hell of a series. I can’t wait for the next book. 

Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

I had just finished This Dark Endeavour (which I found a bit overrated) when I picked up this book so I didn’t expect much. Boy, was I wrong. This book feels both contemporary and historical and is full of heart. I highly recommend it.

Persuasion by Arlene Dickinson

This will be a lifelong reference book for me. It is exactly the type of book you’d expect Arlene Dickinson to write. All her advice is based in honesty and integrity. I radically changed the way I prepare for interviews after reading this book and I immediately suggested it to a friend who was preparing advertising pitches. This may be a business book but it’s great for everyone. 

Pivot Point by Kasie West

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. The sci-fi-esque plot summary turned me off initially but I was drawn in by the very real situations. The characters’ enhanced mind powers enhanced rather than detracted from the emotion rollercoaster of the book. Look for this book in store February 2013!

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

I don’t like thrillers but this one really drew me in. It started as one woman’s struggle to discover her own past and turned into a gripping whodunit.

The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers

This book is so cute! I loved the encyclopedia format and Tink’s voice is precocious and hilarious. The book touches on serious topics with a simple honesty that readers will love.

Cold Magic by Kate Elliot

I read a description of this on Tumblr and immediately bought the ebook. I was blown away, y’all. I’ve always said that fantasy can and should include diverse characters but I’d never read any books that did. (Yes, I know. Octavia Butler’s books are on my to-read list.) The world-building deftly incorporates peoples from across Europe and Africa without making people of color seem like exotic tokens or magical negroes.  

Olympic Readathon Results

While London was hosting the 30^th Olympiad, Random House of Canada hosted the Olympic Readathon! I participated because I’m a champion reader. Or I thought I was. Here are my numbers at the finish line.

1. Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul—complete: 115 pages
2. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce—complete: 296 pages
3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas—complete: 406 pages
4. Tar Baby by Toni Morrison—read 110 out of 306 pages
5. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente—read 131 out of 247 pages

Total: 1058 out of 1200 pages

 So close! I think I tripped over two major hurdles on my race for victory.

1.  I did not have designated reading time. I simply read when there was nothing else for me to do.  With an extra fifteen minutes of reading per day (instead of fooling around on Twitter and Tumblr), I’m sure I would have met my goal.
2. I didn’t skip over the duds as quickly as I should have. I have a really hard time letting go of books I don’t like. I keep waiting for them to get better. My earliest memory of this was when I forced myself to finish The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett as a child. By the end I not only hated the book but also resented having wasted so much time on it! Lesson learned (I hope).

Overall this was a really fun challenge! Do you participate in Readathons? What are your keys to success?

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

In a previous post I mentioned Code Name Verity as one of the books I was most excited about in 2012. I talked about it so much that one of the agents I worked with brought it back from BEA for me!

This book far exceeded my expectations. I knew it would be sad (I’m proud to report that I did not cry that much—I was able to dab away the tears quickly) but I didn’t think it would so powerful. As heartbreaking as it was, this book tells a story of love and triumph. I cannot recommend it enough.

The two protagonists Verity and Maddie are strong women but they are not stoic and cold. They are vulnerable. They are flawed. They are afraid. Wein uses a list of their fears as a clever characterization technique. We see how these fears shape their responses to difficult situations and how their lists evolve as they grow.

"I am no longer afraid of getting old. Indeed I can’t believe I ever said anything so stupid. So childish. So offensive and arrogant. But mainly, so very, very stupid. I desperately want to grow old."

To tell the truth every character was nuanced and multi-faceted. I even found myself sympathizing with the Gestapo interrogator! (Don’t yell at me! Wein said it’s okay.) The characters (like the entire book, hint hint) are cloaked in subterfuge and are rarely what they initially appear to be.  

More than anything, this is a beautifully crafted book. Every detail is relevant (so read carefully, hint hint). Wein fits the characters, the plot, and the setting together like an elaborate jigsaw, yet each puzzle piece is whole on its own.  The hype is warranted, people. Go read this book.

Armchair BEA: Best of 2012

Day Two of Armchair BEA is reserved for giveaways but I have no prizes for you. Sorry darlings! Instead, allow me to share the BEA books I’m excited about.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
(May 2012, Doubleday Canada)
My Twitter timeline has been buzzing about this book since Fall. It’s a WWII-era historical fiction featuring two brave young women and has been getting amazing reviews. The only reason I haven’t bought it yet is because I haven’t seen it in bookstores. Maybe I’ll bite the bullet and order it online. And probably grab a box of tissues while I’m at it. Apparently it’s a tearjerker.

Son by Lois Lowry
(October 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
I read The Giver in middle school and had no idea it was part of a series! I’ll definitely catch up on books two and three so I can be ready when this fourth book is released.

Street Dreams by Tama Wise
(March 2012, Bella Distribution)
I’ve been looking for books with Native protagonists and I don’t think I’ve read an LGBTQ book yet this year. When I read the Kirkus starred review for this book and was very pleased. It is a coming-of-age novel about a queer Maori boy.  It’s a refreshing departure from “pretty girl” YA books.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
(August 2012, Bloomsbury)
I can’t not buy this book. I read an early draft on fictionpress.net a long time ago and loved it then. I’m sure it’s even better. Watching Maas “make it” has been an inspiration to keep following my dreams and keep persisting. Hard work pays off. I’d love to see this book be a bestseller.

It’s funny that all these books are YA—not representative of my normal tastes at all! But I guess YA tend to be a little flashier and a bit more captivating than adult books, thereby capturing my imagination before I even turn the pages.