2012 Year in Review Book Style

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

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):

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

My Review

Doomsday Book - Connie Willis

My Review

The Dovekeeper - Alice Hoffman

My Review

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

My Review

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

My Review

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen - Susin Nielsen

My Review

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

My Review

Still Life - Louise Penny

My Review

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!

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

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.

Chick Lit Party

I recently indulged in reading two wonderful 'chick lit' authors since it seems that I've been reading a lot of heavier books as of late and my mind needed to escape to the lovely and sexy mindscapes of romance literature.

I had never read Lisa Kleypas before but had picked up the first novel in her Friday Harbour Series when at Powell's earlier this year.  With a title like Christmas Eve at Friday Harbour, it felt like a good time of year to read this! Well I enjoyed this one so much that I immediately picked up Rainshadow Road (which was also lovely!) and Dream Lake (currently on my to-read pile), the next two installments in the series.  Being a west coaster, I really enjoyed the Seattle setting in these novels and all the visual imagery Kleypas uses to paint a picture of life on this side of the world.  She writes strong women characters and sexy men to accompany them; a fun series if you are looking for something contemporary, light-hearted, and a touch magical.

I had read the first two books in Eloisa James' Fairy Tale series before but I enjoyed them so much that I really felt the need to revisit these characters.  Book one is A Kiss at Midnight and is James' retelling of the Cinderella story with a feisty heroine named Kate and a dashing prince / budding archaeologist named Gabriel, along with a sexy half brother / butler, a saucy older godmother, a kind yet dimwitted step sister, and a bunch of little dogs.  Add this all together and you have a fun few hours in which you can get lost in this book.  The second book, When Beauty Tamed the Beast tackles the Beauty and the Beast tale and again we see James putting her own spin on things.  The Beauty of the story is socially ruined (and believed to be knocked up) Linnet and the Beast is the cranky doctor / duke Piers (modeled after tv's 'House').  Lots of fun dialogue between our lovers and some very sexy stuff sprinkled in.  There are at least 2 more novels and 3 novellas (eBooks only as far as I know) in this series and I'm looking forward to reading them!

If you too need something fun to read, grab any of these books and you won't be disappointed!

Great Graphic Novels

After my post on graphic novels yesterday, I thought it would be fun to recommend some of my favourites!  There are a number of graphic novels that I'm wanting to read so hopefully this list will continue to grow!

1) Fables and Jack of Fables
Both by Bill Willingham

Both great series but I would recommend reading Fables first since Jack of Fables is a continuation / spinoff.  My favourite graphic novel series out there, my husband and I are always excited when a new comic comes out!

2) Archie: The Married Life
Who doesn't love Archie?!
My Review

3) Maus
By Art Spiegelman
My Review

A stunning series by a fantastic writer and artist!  A story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself.
  
4) Hark! A Vagrant
By Kate Beaton
My Review 

Love love Kate Beaton!  

5) Smile
By Raina Telgemeier

I had the opportunity to meet Raina a few years ago and she is lovely! Her debut graphic novel is wonderful and definitely a great read for anyone who has ever had braces (not a requirement to read though!)

6) Bone
By Jeff Smith

All 9 comics in the series are wonderful! A great adventure story for readers of all ages!

7) Scott Pilgrim
By Bryan Lee O'Malley

"Scott Pilgrim's life is totally sweet. He's 23 years old, he's in a rockband, he's "between jobs", and he's dating a cute high school girl. Nothing could possibly go wrong, unless a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. Will Scott's awesome life get turned upside-down? Will he have to face Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends in battle? The short answer is yes."

8) Castle Waiting 
By Linda Medley

The Story of an isolated, abandoned castle, and the eccentric inhabitants who bring it back to life.  Lots of fun!

9) The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel
By Diana Gabaldon, Hoang Nguyen

My favourtie novelists first graphic novel! Outlander from Jamie's perspective!

10) Marvel 1602
By Neil Gaiman

"All's not well in the Marvel Universe in the year 1602 as strange storms are brewing and strange new powers are emerging. Spider-Man, the X-Men, Nick Fury, Dr. Strange, Daredevil, Dr. Doom, Black Widow, Captain America, and more appear in the waning days of the reign of Queen Elizabeth."  
  
Happy Reading! 

Raise a Glass to Graphic Novels

I found this article on the Chapters / Indigo Blog really interesting and thought I would share it.  One of the editors discusses how their list "The Best Books of 2012" was chosen and why certain titles made the cut or did not.  I'm especially interested in the following blurb:

"We as a group weren’t all on the same page about the titles either – there were several heated discussions about the inclusion of some of them (I’m looking at you, Batman), and the exclusion of others. Obviously, most of our Indigo Spotlight titles are there (not all), but some titles that were pitched for Spotlight unsuccessfully did make the cut here.
But back to Scott Snyder’s Batman: The Court of Owls. Yes, it’s there. Thank you to those of you who love its inclusion, and apologies to those of you who question it. Again, I’m the guy who nominated it – and I got some grief when I did.  Truth of the matter is that I happen to think Scott Snyder is the best thing to happen to Batman since Christopher Nolan."
 (To read the rest of the article, go here. )

I love that a graphic novel made the cut and I find it fascinating that there was apparent controversy to its inclusion.  Graphic novels are still the underdog in the literary world and it makes me wonder what it's going to take for them to start getting the credit they deserve.  There are some AMAZING graphic novels out there; in fact, when Time Magazine did their list of "All Time 100 Novels" they included 10 graphic novels.  For anyone who has ever read any of them, you know that they are very worthy.

A really interesting literary issue to watch in the coming years!  I work in a book store and everyday I see more and more people (both kids and adults) buying graphic novels and, as I mentioned earlier, there are some really good ones out there! The stories are great, the art is beautiful, and they often take just as much time and energy to read as a good novel.

“What happens to you changes you. Fer good or ill, yer changed ferever. There ain't no goin back. No matter how many tears you cry.”

I LOVED Moria Young's debut novel, Blood Red Road, so I was super excited to read the sequel in this planned trilogy, Rebel Heart which just landed on the shelves this month.  I finished it a few nights ago and am still in the process of forming an opinon of it.  I gotta say, I'm feeling somewhat disappointed.  I find that with sequels I often have one of two reactions: 1) It is even better than the first book (ex: Catching Fire in my opinion), or, 2) It falls short of the first book.  Which is sadly what happened here. 

The books starts off on a high note.  We pick up right where we left off with Saba, Lugh, Emmi, and Tommo traveling west in hopes of a better life; Jack having left them to deliver the news of Ike's death to his sweetheart Molly.  There is a lot of interesting things going on with these people. Saba and her subconscious as her guilt over Epona's death (and many others) catch up with her.  The reader is also left wondering what is going on with Lugh; what really happened to him during his captivity and why is he having such extreme mood swings?  The character of Emmi is also becoming more intersting as we see her developing even more into a strong willed young woman.  We also see the side story of Tommo's developing feelings for Saba.  Most interesting is trying to figure out who exactly Jack is and what side is he on?

So clearly there is a lot happening here so I should be jumping up and down with excitement.  And I will admit, I was loving parts of this novel.  However, I really am not sure how I'm feeling about a side story that Young brought in halfway through the novel (and clearly is going to be a big plot point in the next book) involving the former Tonton leader, DeMalo.  It just felt somewhat out of place to the rest of the story as well as how out of character for some.  I don't want to give to much away for those of you who haven't read this yet so I will leave it at that!  I think I might need to reread this in a few months and see if a second reading changes my mind.  Despite everything I'm still really looking forward to the third book since I'm interested to see how Young ties up everything.

"I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life”

I am in love with young Flavia de Luce, the young heroine of Alan Bradley's debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. 

When I first read about the premise of the novel, the first in a series of mysteries staring an eleven year old aspiring chemist with a passion for poisons, I just wasn't' sure what to make of the concept.  Most novels I have read that have a young adult as the main character either read like a YA or Teen novel or just read poorly, as if the author really has no idea how to write in the voice of a young person.  Alan Bradley does a wonderful job tapping into the mind of Flavia!  He gives her a unique voice that manages to make her seem wise beyond her years yet still give the impression of her youth.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie takes place in the summer of 1950 when a series of unexplainable events occur at Buckshaw, the falling apart English Mansion that Flavia's family calls home.  A dead bird is found on the doorstep with a postage stamp pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw.  

A delightful series for cozy mystery fans! I'm looking forward to having more adventures with Flavia!(and what a great name, right?)

Flavia de Luce Series

1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009)
2. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag (2010)
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard (2011)
4. I am Half Sick of Shadows (2011)
5. Speaking From Among the Bones (2013)
6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (2014)
 

October / November Reads

I've been so busy reading good books that I've barely had time to write about them!  Here's what I've been reading in the last few weeks:

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Imagine a book that is a mix between Neil Gaiman's Coraline and the children's classic Alice in Wonderland and you have Lauren Oliver's newest YA novel.  I would really love for her to publish an illustrated version of this because the imagery she creates with her words would be fantastic in large scale pictures.  Creepy and delightful, this was a very fun read!

Death on Demand by Carolyn Hart

My mom has been talking about this mystery series for years because she loved the book shop that the main character, Annie Laurance, runs.  After having read the first book in this mystery series I have to agree with her; I'm hooked!  What a fantastic book shop that our leading lady runs! All she sells are mystery books of all kinds!  One of the ongoing themes of the series is a contest whereby the first customer who correctly identifies a series of five mysteries from the clues in a painting hanging in the shop wins his or her choice of a novel.  There is also a coffee shop with hand painted mugs featuring the titles of famous mystery novels.  The location is amazing, the characters are fun, and the mystery at hand keeps you guessing till the end.  A fun series for cozy mystery fans!

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

The first book in the Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne mystery series, this novel centers around an abandoned baby found on the steps of the local church one snowy night and the murder of a young woman found half frozen in the local river.  I found the angle of having the lead characters as a priest and a police chief quite interesting and look forward to reading more in this series!

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

The final book in Roberts' Inn BoonsBoro series, this story deals with Innkeeper Hope and the third Montgomery brother, Ryder.  As per usual, Robert's delivers excellent dialogue (especially between women), a beautiful setting, and a tender and engaging love story.  A great end to a lovely series.

Ready Player One By Ernest Cline

One of the best and most fun book's I have read this year!  My inner geek screamed with happiness for pretty much the entire novel.  So many excellent 80's references! From video games, to sci-fi and fantasy novels, to films, and music, this book had them all!  Well written, engaging, fun, and action packed, Ready Player One is going to be on my favourite reads of 2012 list!

The Fabulous Susin Nielsen!

I have the opportunity to meet YA author, Susin Nielsen, this week and in preperation I decided to read a couple of her books.  Can I just say, WOW! 

Nielsen's latest novel, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, deals with big issues such as bullying and teen suicide.  It is the heartbreaking yet humourous story of Henry, the little brother left behind to pick up the pieces of his family and his life after the incident that left them all broken.  Written in diary style, this was such a fantastic read and one that I really recommend to both adults and teens.  I'm clearly not the only one who thinks books is great; it was nominated for the Governor General Award this year!

Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom is Nielsen's second novel and very much a lighthearted and charming read.  After Violet's parents divorce and her dad moves to L.A. with his new wife and family, Violet begins to think life is never going to be normal again.  It doesn't help that her mom keeps dating all these losers that Violet knows aren't right for her.  So what does she do? Writes a letter to Hollywood heartthrob, George Clooney, to try and convince him that he is perfect for her mom.  While all this is going on, Violet is also dealing with a falling out with her father and his wife and new children (in a hilarious and horrifying scene) and mean girls and cute boys at school.  A great read for anyone who has had unexpected and unwanted changes in their life and for anyone who has ever had to deal with the trial and tribulations of growing up.

Next up: Susin Nielsen's first novel Word Nerd!

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You....

This fall / holiday season, Hollywood is taking the literary world by storm by adapting a number of well loved novels into feature films.  Here are some of the biggies coming to a theater near you (all plot summaries from Goodreads):

Cloud Atlas 
by David Mitchell

"A reluctant voyager crossing the Pacific in 1850; a disinherited composer blagging a precarious livelihood in between-the-wars Belgium; a high-minded journalist in Governor Reagan’s California; a vanity publisher fleeing his gangland creditors; a genetically modified “dinery server” on death-row; and Zachry, a young Pacific Islander witnessing the nightfall of science and civilisation—the narrators of Cloud Atlas hear each other’s echoes down the corridor of history, and their destinies are changed in ways great and small.

In his captivating third novel, David Mitchell erases the boundaries of language, genre and time to offer a meditation on humanity’s dangerous will to power, and where it may lead us."

Les Miserables
by Victor Hugo

"In this story of the trials of the peasant Jean Valjean--a man unjustly imprisoned, baffled by destiny, and hounded by his nemesis, the magnificently realized, ambiguously malevolent police detective Javert--Hugo achieves the sort of rare imaginative resonance that allows a work of art to transcend its genre." 

 

The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest work and certainly the book for which he is best known. A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream.
It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. Spare, elegantly plotted, and written in crystalline prose, The Great Gatsby is as perfectly satisfying as the best kind of poem."

 
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy

"Described by William Faulkner as the best novel ever written and by Fyodor Dostoevsky as “flawless,” Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness."

 The Hobbitt
by J.R.R Tolkien

"Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent."  

Life of Pi
by Yann Martel 
  
"Growing up in Pondicherry, India, Piscine Molitor Patel -- known as Pi -- has a rich life. Bookish by nature, young Pi acquires a broad knowledge of not only the great religious texts but of all literature, and has a great curiosity about how the world works. His family runs the local zoo, and he spends many of his days among goats, hippos, swans, and bears, developing his own theories about the nature of animals and how human nature conforms to it. Pi’s family life is quite happy, even though his brother picks on him and his parents aren’t quite sure how to accept his decision to simultaneously embrace and practise three religions -- Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.

But despite the lush and nurturing variety of Pi’s world, there are broad political changes afoot in India, and when Pi is sixteen his parents decide that the family needs to escape to a better life. Choosing to move to Canada, they close the zoo, pack their belongings, and board a Japanese cargo ship called the Tsimtsum. Travelling with them are many of their animals, bound for zoos in North America. However, they have only just begun their journey when the ship sinks, taking the dreams of the Patel family down with it. Only Pi survives, cast adrift in a lifeboat with the unlikeliest of travelling companions: a zebra, an orang-utan, a hyena, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Thus begins Pi Patel’s epic, 227-day voyage across the Pacific, and the powerful story of faith and survival at the heart of Life of Pi. Worn and scared, oscillating between hope and despair, Pi is witness to the playing out of the food chain, quite aware of his new position within it. When only the tiger is left of the seafaring menagerie, Pi realizes that his survival depends on his ability to assert his own will, and sets upon a grand and ordered scheme to keep from being Richard Parker’s next meal.

As the days pass, Pi fights both boredom and terror by throwing himself into the practical details of surviving on the open sea -- catching fish, collecting rain water, protecting himself from the sun -- all the while ensuring that the tiger is also kept alive, and knows that Pi is the key to his survival. The castaways face gruelling pain in their brushes with starvation, illness, and the storms that lash the small boat, but there is also the solace of beauty: the rainbow hues of a dorado’s death-throes, the peaceful eye of a looming whale, the shimmering blues of the ocean’s swells. Hope is fleeting, however, and despite adapting his religious practices to his daily routine, Pi feels the constant, pressing weight of despair. It is during the most hopeless and gruelling days of his voyage that Pi whittles to the core of his beliefs, casts off his own assumptions, and faces his underlying terrors head-on. "

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky

"This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite."