Here are a few year in review articles by some excellent book and blog sites! Lots of good recommendations and interesting information to help you pick your next great read!
AbeBooks: a Literary Review of 2012
The Midnight Garden Favourite Books of 2012
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
My Best Reads of 2012
I read so many good books this year it was hard to pick my favourites! Here are my best reads of 2012 (in no particular order):
Wonder - R.J. Palacio
I laughed and cried my way through this amazing book. August Pullman is an ordinary boy with one difference; he was born with a facial deformity which has kept him out of public school...until now. Such an incredible story! Inspiring, funny, and courageous; this is a must read.
The Causal Vacancy - J.K. Rowling
Oh J.K. you have done it again. Such a different book from her Harry Potter series, you wouldn't even know it was her! The story of a small town full of awful and fascinating people and what happens after a local man dies and leaves a spot on the local town counsel. So well written and engaging; I really enjoyed it!
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
The Dovekeeper - Alice Hoffman
Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen - Susin Nielsen
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Still Life - Louise Penny
I laughed and cried my way through this amazing book. August Pullman is an ordinary boy with one difference; he was born with a facial deformity which has kept him out of public school...until now. Such an incredible story! Inspiring, funny, and courageous; this is a must read.
The Causal Vacancy - J.K. RowlingOh J.K. you have done it again. Such a different book from her Harry Potter series, you wouldn't even know it was her! The story of a small town full of awful and fascinating people and what happens after a local man dies and leaves a spot on the local town counsel. So well written and engaging; I really enjoyed it!
Fables, Unwritten, and Sandman...Oh my!
You have probably noticed that I'm really into graphic novels lately. There are just to many gems out there! Here are the few of my newest discoveries as well as some old favourites!
Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland
by Bill Willingham
This is within the Fables world / series however this is somewhat of a side adventure that features fan favourite Bigby Wolf as he travels across the American heartland in attempts to find a new location for the recently destroyed Fabletown. This is not my favourite Fables based adventure but it did have some interesting bits and did contribute to the overall story that Willingham is telling.
Unwritten
Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity
by Mike Carey & Peter Gross
I was turned onto this series by a coworker and I'm really looking forward to reading more!
Tom Taylor's life was screwed from go. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The problem is Dad modeled the fictional epic so closely to Tom's real life that fans are constantly comparing him to his counterpart, turning him into the lamest variety of Z-level celebrity. In the final novel, it's even implied that the fictional Tommy will crossover into the real world, giving delusional fans more excuses to harass Tom.
When an enormous scandal reveals that Tom might really be a boy-wizard made flesh, Tom comes into contact with a very mysterious, very deadly group that's secretly kept tabs on him all his life. Now, to protect his own life and discover the truth behind his origins, Tom will travel the world, eventually finding himself at locations all featured on a very special map -- one kept by the deadly group that charts places throughout world history where fictions have impacted and tangibly shaped reality, those stories ranging from famous literary works to folktales to pop culture. And in the process of figuring out what it all means, Tom will find himself having to figure out a huge conspiracy mystery that spans the entirety of the history of fiction
by Bill Willingham
This is within the Fables world / series however this is somewhat of a side adventure that features fan favourite Bigby Wolf as he travels across the American heartland in attempts to find a new location for the recently destroyed Fabletown. This is not my favourite Fables based adventure but it did have some interesting bits and did contribute to the overall story that Willingham is telling.
Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity
by Mike Carey & Peter Gross
I was turned onto this series by a coworker and I'm really looking forward to reading more!
Tom Taylor's life was screwed from go. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The problem is Dad modeled the fictional epic so closely to Tom's real life that fans are constantly comparing him to his counterpart, turning him into the lamest variety of Z-level celebrity. In the final novel, it's even implied that the fictional Tommy will crossover into the real world, giving delusional fans more excuses to harass Tom.
When an enormous scandal reveals that Tom might really be a boy-wizard made flesh, Tom comes into contact with a very mysterious, very deadly group that's secretly kept tabs on him all his life. Now, to protect his own life and discover the truth behind his origins, Tom will travel the world, eventually finding himself at locations all featured on a very special map -- one kept by the deadly group that charts places throughout world history where fictions have impacted and tangibly shaped reality, those stories ranging from famous literary works to folktales to pop culture. And in the process of figuring out what it all means, Tom will find himself having to figure out a huge conspiracy mystery that spans the entirety of the history of fiction
Really well written and a fun concept!
Fairest
Vol. 1: Wide Awake
by Bill Willingham
Since the Jack of Fables series ended, Willingham has only been working on the main Fables series. This is the first in a new series that, as expected, takes place in the Fables universe, and focuses on the women characters; Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina...He has lots to choose from! This graphic novel focuses on Sleeping Beauty and also includes a story about Belle (which is amazing!). I'm really excited to see where this series goes from here since it has a very strong introduction with this issue.
Absolute Sandman Vol. 1
by Neil Gaiman
The first of 5 volumes which compiles all the Gaiman's infamous Sandman stories. My husband has been telling me to read Sandman for years and I finally got around to tackling this first hefty volume. And may I just say...WOW! An amazing read for graphic novel fans, Neil Gaiman fans, Mythology fans, and many many more lucky readers.
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“Most of the time, there is no truth, only various levels of interpretation. Fact is a construct we provide to the public.”
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