The Book List: 2012

Okay, here we go. The second annual, end of the year summary of what I read. Last year, I was a little disappointed with my final total for the year. I'm happy to say that I added to that number in 2012, though I still want to do better in 2013. Without further ado, here's the list. (R = a book I reread, BC = a book I read for one of my book clubs)

Shadows in Flight, Graceling (BC), Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (BC), The Name of the Wind, Let Me Be a Woman (R), Wise Man's Fear, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Out of the Silent Planet (BC), Thunderstruck (BC), Talking to Girls About Duran Duran, This Momentary Marriage, Around the World in 80 Days, Ragtime, The Once and Future King, Go Tell it on the Mountain, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (BC), John Adams, Anna Karenina, The Polysyllabic Spree, Ready Player One, Murder on the Orient Express (BC), True Grit (R, BC), 1Q84, Fall on Your Knees, The Map of Time, The Prisoner of Heaven, The Night Circus, The Hangman's Daughter, The Last Dragonslayer, Ready Player One (yep, again, BC), The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club (BC), The Woman Who Died a Lot, Robopocalypse, Neverwhere, The Princess Bride (R), World War Z (R), Harry Potter 1-5 (R)

So there it is. 42 books, 18,856 pages. 33 fiction, 9 non-fiction.10 repeats. 9 book club books (5 for one, 4 for the other).

The best non-fiction book I read in 2012 would have to be This Momentary Marriage by John Piper. The Bonhoeffer biography follows closely behind, Mindy Kaling's book was hilarious, and I loved the Duran Duran book, but Piper's book on marriage is something everyone needs to read. For married people, I imagine it would be a wonderful reminder of what marriage is supposed to be. For those who aren't married yet, I feel like it's so important to read this first and gain an appropriate perspective on what they should be looking for in marriage. Read it if you haven't!

My top 5 novels of 2012 are Ready Player One, The Name of the Wind (and I'm including Wise Man's Fear with this because it's its sequel), Fall on Your Knees, Neverwhere, and The Night Circus. If I had to pick only one favorite book from last year, it would be Ready Player One. I did read it twice in one year, after all. But in a year of pretty stellar books (I only read 1 or 2 that I just didn't really like at all), these are my top 5. They have mystery, magic, sadness, laughter, romance, and characters I fell in love with. Here's to more amazing books in 2013!

What did you read in 2012?