Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Best books I read in 2012

I think 2012 was my greatest reading year yet. I read 120 books this year. This post will probably hurt, having to choose some of my favorite, but I chose my top 10 books I read in 2012.

1. Everneath by Brodi Ashton is an amazing paranormal romance based off of the Persephone myth that I devoured. It gave me so many emotions and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to come out on the 22nd.








2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I finally got around to reading this classic, and I loved it! Completely deserving of its title. It's also considered one of the first young adult novels. It's certainly the first classic young adult novel.








3. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson is a contemporary novel about Lennie, who's dealing with the death of her sister, a mother who abandoned her, and a new boy in town. I loved the setting and the characters and the depth of this novel. It was absolutely wonderful.







4. Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale. This is a sequel that may just be better than the first. I loved where Miri's journey took her, the politics and personal stakes in this book.








5. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is a contemporary novel about Kyra, a thirteen-year-old girl in a community that practices polygamy, and is told she's to marry her much older uncle. High stakes and beautiful language with strong characters--this book is a quick recommendation for me.







 6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I read this along with the nerdfighters and found it worth all of the hoopla around it (which unfortunately I don't always find with classics). So very thought-provoking and amazing.








7. Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. This entire series is amazing--lots of action, strong characters, and moving themes. Recommended in a heartbeat.









8. Endlessly by Kiersten White is the final book in the Paranormalcy trilogy. A perfect ending for Evie and everyone else. Strongly recommend the whole series.









9. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. I think the only thing I could recommend more than reading this play is to watch it, especially the version from the 90s. This was my favorite Shakespeare play we read for my class.








10. American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. This year I was introduced to graphic novels, and I am now a huge fan of them. This Printz-winning book was probably my favorite that I read. Funny and meaningful, this is an amazing piece worthy of its award.







Other favorites from 2012: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, Wintergirls and Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred  D. Taylor.

What were some of your favorite books you read in 2012?

4 comments:

  1. Those are some great ones - I will have to add them to my list of books to read! I didn't read enough last year and I need to fix that this year. My favorite was probably "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. :)

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  2. I haven't read most of those! Adding them to my tbr list. And I loved Everneath! Can't wait for the sequel.

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  3. That's an awesome list! Kiersten White's books are awesome. Have a wonderful 2013!

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  4. Interesting mix of genres here. I might pick up the one about polygamy--that sounded fascinating. Twelfth Night is one of my faves of the comedies too, though I have a soft spot of Beatrice and Benedick and their wonderful banter in Much Ado About Nothing.

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