I didn’t read anywhere near as many books as I would’ve liked in 2012. Almost half of the year was taken up by my last semester of college, then there was graduation, my trip to New York, and a wedding. Things didn’t begin to calm down until around August, but I was in a post-college funk until around October. By the end of November, it became perfectly clear I wasn’t going to make my goal of reading 50 books by December 31st. Regardless, I did get some reading in and made a list of the best books I’ve read since last January. Granted, they contain most ALL the books I’ve read since January, but they were good nonetheless.
10. The Dive From Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer
I actually didn’t realize how much I liked this book until after I read it. I was in Manhattan in July when I realized how similar I was to the main character and, despite I’d never been faced with the same dilemma before, how much I resonated with her decisions, flawed as they were. It was one of those books where you feel like you’re looking into a mirror, but the reflection is what sets you on edge because you realize you’re looking at a version of yourself.
9. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I started reading this book about two years ago, but didn’t finish it until this year. I’m not sure why I stopped reading it, but it very well could’ve had something to do with school assignments intervening in my pleasure-reading time. I also think I wasn’t getting into all that much at first, but a few months ago, I picked it back up and decided to finish the last half of the book. I enjoyed it so much, and vowed to read it again in full without taking any breaks later on. The ending was absolutely perfect.
8. Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
This book reminded me so much of myself and other girls graduating from college and getting thrust into the adult world of living on your own, paying your own bills, trying to find satisfying jobs, and understanding grown-up romantic relationships. While there were some characters in the book who could’ve been taken out, most of them were hilarious and fun to read about. I would probably read this book again.
7. Night by Elie Wiesel
I read this book before and during the ride up to New York City over the summer. It is incredibly raw. That’s really the only way I know how to describe it with any kind of accuracy. It has the power to break you, because by the end of the book, Elie doesn’t really get any closure. He’s just left with these horrendous events, orphaned and weakened. Every time I read about the Holocaust, I just can’t believe what humans are capable of doing to people just like themselves. I should be able to believe, but it continuously appalls me. With that being said, the book was written bare, a skeleton exposing all the pain and treachery of what the Holocaust did to people.
6. Daily Horoscopes: Poems by Dana Gioia
My First-Year English professor gave me this book the summer after my freshman year. She’d been to a conference where Mr. Gioia was speaking and she bought one of his books, having read and liked his work in the past. He’s a businessman turned poet, and writes the most intriguing poems about everyday life. I definitely want to read more of his collections in the future.
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This was the first book I read in its entirety on my iPhone. It actually wasn’t a bad reading experience, but I still prefer tangible books to e-books. That will never change. Regardless of format, though, the book was amazing. Probably my favorite thing about it was the epistolary format, and how the “you” he talks about is really you, the reader. It’s pretty interesting, really, because in the book he says he’s not going to send his letters with a return address, so the recipient can’t actually respond, and he also says that he’s heard you’re a good listener and will understand what he’s going through. 1.) There’s no possible way for you to respond to Charlie in the book, as he’s a fictional character and 2.) obviously if you’ve picked up the book and have decided to take time out of your life to read it, you’re a good listener in Charlie’s eyes. I love the way Chbosky made that work.
4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I decided to finally read this after everyone gawked over it on Twitter following its release a few months ago. I made it part of my Delve Back into YA Lit experience, since I hadn’t read much YA lit outside of Harry Potter in a while. I absolutely loved this book. It wasn’t one of those sappy romances, but instead a raw, severe romance. Instead of a quiet beach house with two descendants of Greek gods and goddesses making passionate love every other page, this was a romance about two teenagers with cancer living with the idea that their days are numbered. It is not always a pretty romance, but instead grotesquely, gratifyingly real. And the characters, despite their illnesses, still know how to have a sense of humor and often pick on each other’s cancer problems. Or, maybe that was just Augustus…
3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
This will go down as one of my favorite books of all time. An eccentric English family living in a ruined Victorian castle that just happens to be owned by two handsome American gentlemen? Um, yes. And yes, again.
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I’m pretty sure I fell into this book and barely managed to pull myself out. I took my sweet time reading about Francie Nolan, her family, her hometown, her dreams and aspirations. It’s a big book with a lot of love to give, and in return you learn so many things about reading and writing and stories and life. Francie will go down as one of my favorite characters of all time.
1. Harry Potter and ALL THE BOOKS by J.K. Rowling
So, I had to compile the entire Harry Potter series into Number 1 or else it would’ve taken up the whole list…more or less. Obviously you know how much these books mean to me, as I’ve written about them a hundred times and even dedicated a whole Page (see navigation bar) to the posts. It’s impossible for me to sum up how much I love the Harry Potter series in one small blurb, but just know that I learned so much from these stories, and will probably be reading them again next year.
