Best Reads of 2012

When I read a great book, I can't help but spread the word. Sometimes a good book can be hard to find! That was certainly true for me in 2012. It was like every novel I picked up was ho hum. But I did find a few diamonds in the rough and here they are:




The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

First of all, from the time I first read Maggie's Shiver series, I was in love with her prose. Her sentences are like poetry, deliberate and full of beauty. Still, the Shiver series wasn't my favorite, mostly because of the werewolf elements and general teenage drama. So I couldn't help noticing the The Scorpio Races was written just for me (wasn't it?) The prose was gorgeous and the storyline was perfect too! This book is so cinematic. It reads like a movie and if they don't make one, I might have a fit.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
The only thing that bugs me about this book is that I didn't read it sooner. It's science fiction that reads like a witty 1940s film. Does it get better than that? It also has that P.G. Wodehouse flavor, which I adore. The only thing I can say is, "I should have known!" When I was a work study in the English Department at the University of Northern Colorado, the author used to come in now and again. Then she spoke at my husband's graduation and she was hilarious! I even burned CDs of the audio book for my parents for Christmas. So good.






Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Ok, this is a last minute addition because I finished this book less than 24 hours ago. But it was great and it had been so long since I read great! Such bad luck with books this year, I swear. Anyway, this novel captures the trailer park lifestyle. I know you may not think you want to go there, but you do! It follows Leah Jones as she becomes a pilot behind her mother's back and falls in love. I'm not into planes either, but it didn't matter. I loved this book and would totally read it again. Plus, if you aren't above judging a book by its cover (which I'm totally not), well...just look at the cover! See also: the 5-star review that almost made me avoid this book. And: the video review that changed my mind.




So there you have it, my top three reads of 2012. Why three? Because that's all there was of the great. Now taking recommendations in 2013. I'm determined to at least have a top five next year!