Being the new girl at The Book Pushers, I don’t have a very long list of top reads for 2012 – and most of the books on my list are ones I’ve recently reviewed.
Every time I pick up a new book, I’m drawn first to the writing style and author’s voice and second to the characters and story. If the writing isn’t there, I’m probably too bored to care enough about the characters and story. And when that happens in a book I’m supposed to review, I’m probably stomping my feet that I have to slog through boring narrative. Every book on my 2012 list represents an author who grabbed me on page one with their unique voice and writing style and didn’t let go until the ride came to a full-stop.
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn While not a Romance, it is oh so good! I highly recommend this book if you’re in a reading rut and want to branch out into another genre to shake things up. It’s a gripping story and exceptionally well-written.
- Easy by Tammara Webber (review) Loved loved loved this story. So much love for this story. Intricate, layered, multi-dimensional characters, empowerment, healing, romance. This book should not be missed.
- White Horse by Alex Adams (review) Another powerful read, fabulous writing. Hope in a hopeless post-apocalyptic world. A bit of a Romance thread, but more so a Thriller. Take your time with this one.
- The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson Technically, this released in 2011 but I didn’t read it until 2012. This book made me willing to look at the YA genre again that I had previously felt had gone stale, formulaic and waaay too angst-ridden. Of course, The Girl of Fire and Thorns is none of those things! And really, I think it transcends the YA label. I keep trying to get to her second book, The Crown of Embers which did release in 2012, but my review schedule has been keeping me busy. So it sits in my Kindle library, just waiting. I really need to get a better balance between my personal TBR pile and my review pile!
- The Abby Sinclair Series by Allison Pang (review) This was the year of Allison Pang when I discovered her Abby Sinclair series. While A Brush of Darkness came out in 2011, the final two books in this Urban Fantasy trilogy were released in 2012: A Sliver of Shadow and A Trace of Moonlight. I may have been slightly disappointed in the love triangle that developed in the third book, but not enough to impact just how much I thoroughly enjoyed this series as a whole. Nor can I deny Pang’s ability to craft a truly well told and well written story. I don’t know how this author went under my radar until after the series came to an end, but I am really looking forward to anything Pang writes in future.
- Before and Ever Since by Sharla Lovelace (review) Another hard to categorize book: Romance with a touch of the supernatural and a healthy dash of humor. Lovelace grabs you on the first page and takes you cheerfully and sometimes tearfully on a journey about a woman, a house and love lost and found.
I received Gone Girl as a gift for Christmas and have already finished it. 😀 I cannot agree with you more on that book. I *did NOT* like the characters at all but the story was soo compelling that I felt I just had to finish and see what happened. The ending felt oddly anti-climactic but it also felt like it was in line with the narrative of the story, so I wasn’t too bummed.
I loved Easy as well. I’ve read the rest of her books and thought they were enjoyable but I didn’t love them the way I did with Easy .
I read Rae Carson’s A Girl of Fire and Thorns and promptly bought The Crown of Embers right after I read it. I think reading her books have spoiled me a little on YA. I find myself getting bored or skimming quite a bit if they don’t grab me the way Carson’s books did.
Excellent List!! 🙂 I have White Horse on my TBR pile to check out.
@Readsalot81: I think your observation re Gone Girl is part of the genius of the story. The author draws us into the story despite the characters…usually it’s the other way around. Sounds like we have some similar preferences in books:-) I hope you work your way to White Horse…it’s quite a ride but it can be heavy reading (stark tone, rich prose). Worth it, though!