Books I Read in 2012

(symptom: being excessively engaged in tasks that require exquisite attention to detail, such as list-making)

Summary

82 books by 55 different authors [having read 12 by Darren Shan (groan, but I was trying to appease my teenaged son); 5 by George R. R. Martin; 4 by Terry Pratchett; 3 each by Stieg Larrson, Lawrence Block, and Sue Grafton; and 2 each by Brian W. Aldiss and Robert A. Heinlein] from 9 countries (including India, Wales, South Africa, Jamaica, and Ireland).

Genres

Alternate history, 1%

Romance, 2%

Historical fiction, 5%

General and literary fiction, 6%

Humor, 6%

Action & adventure, 10%

Thriller/ suspense, 11%

Horror, 15%

Nonfiction, 16%

Scifi, 17%

Mystery & detective, 21%

Young adult, 21% (still groaning)

Fantasy, 30%

(total greater than 100 due to some books fitting multiple categories)

36 out of the 82 (44%, an all-time low) won a major award or were named to a Best Of list in the year of their publication.

Top 10 Reads of 2012

Very difficult this year.  I did not keep ratings for the entire year.  Whether this was due to waning obsessive/ compulsive symptoms or despair at reading too many popular yet not-very-good books written for young adults, I'm not sure.  But now I am sad because I didn't rate nearly half of the books I read.  I have no empirical data for this list, just memory and my gut.

1. A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin (1997 - fantasy with palace intrigue)
2. A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin (2005 - fantasy with palace intrigue)
3. Drift: The Unmooring of American Political Power, by Rachel Maddow (2012 - nonfiction, politics and the use of US military power)
4. Brainworks: The Mind-bending Science of How You See, What You Think, and Who You Are, by Michael S. Sweeney (2011 - nonfiction, brain science)
5. The Smart Study Guide: Psychological Techniques for Student Success, by Louise Tamblin (2006 - nonfiction self-help for learning)
6. A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin (1998 - fantasy with palace intrigue)
7. The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, by David Plouffe (2009 - nonfiction, politics)
8. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett (2002 - literary fiction with opera)
9. The Black Prince, by Iris Murdoch (1973 - literary fiction with murder)
10. Waiting for the Barbarians, by J. M. Coetzee (1980 - literary fiction)

Least Favorite Books of 2012

1. The Saga of Darren Shan, by Darren Shan (all 12 of them, young adult horror)
2. Room, by Emma Donoghue (2010, literary fiction)
3. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, by Philip José Farmer (1971 - scifi)
4. I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak (2002 - young adult mystery)
5. Bone Crossed, by Patricia Biggs (2009 - romantic fantasy)
6. Glory Road, by Robert A. Heinlein (1963 - scifi)
7. Get Organized, by Ron Fry (2011 - self-help time management)
8. Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey (1984 - fantasy scifi)
9. Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris (2001 - fantasy)
10. Brown Girl in the Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson (1998 - fantasy with voodoo)

The Chronological List

January

Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein

A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan

The Big Black Mark, by A. Bertram Chandler

How to Ditch Your Fairy, by Justine Larbalestier

A Stab in the Dark, by Lawrence Block

Waiting for the Barbarians, by J. M. Coetzee

The Last Spymaster, by Gayle Lynds

February

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick

Moreta:  Dragonlady of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin

Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larrson
A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin

March

Allies of the Night, by Darren Shan

Cirque du Freak, by Darren Shan

Killers of the Dawn, by Darren Shan

The Vampire's Assistant, by Darren Shan

Hunters of the Dusk, by Darren Shan

The Lake of Souls, by Darren Shan

Lord of the Shadows, by Darren Shan

Vampire Mountain, by Darren Shan

Trials of Death, by Darren Shan

Tunnels of Blood, by Darren Shan

The Vampire Prince, by Darren Shan

April

The Confessor, by Daniel Silva

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin

The Recruit, by Robert Muchamore

Sons of Destiny, by Darren Shan

May

Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel

Inside of a Dog:  What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, by Alexandra Horowitz

The Psychopath Test:  A Journey Through the Madness Industry, by Jon Ronson

A Storm of Swords, by George R. R. Martin

The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi

June

A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin

Started Early, Took My Dog, by Kate Atkinson

18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done, by Peter Bregman

Brainworks: The Mind-Bending Science of How You See, What You Think, and Who You Are, by Michael S. Sweeney

The Smart Study Guide:  Psychological Techniques for Student Success, by Louise Tamblin

Study Smarter, Not Harder, by Kevin Paul

July

Stupid White Men ... and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!, by Michael Moore

The Calcutta Chromosome, by Amitav Ghosh

Mort, by Terry Pratchett

A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin

Helliconia Spring, by Brian W. Aldiss

August

Proven Guilty, by Jim Butcher

The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly

Pebble in the Sky, by Isaac Asimov

Bone Crossed, by Patricia Briggs

Glory Road, by Robert A. Heinlein

The High Crusade, by Poul Anderson

N Is for Noose, by Sue Grafton

The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly

Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett

September

I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larrson
O Is for Outlaw, by Sue Grafton
P Is for Peril, by Sue Grafton
Bossypants, by Tina Fey
Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
Drift:  The Unmooring of American Military Power, by Rachel Maddow
Helliconia Summer, by Brian W. Aldiss

October

Everybody Dies, by Lawrence Block
A Ticket to the Boneyard, by Lawrence Block
Brown Girl in the Ring, by Nalo Hopkinson
Babel-17, by Samuel R. Delany
Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith
Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larrson
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, by Philip Jose Farmer

November

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer, by Seth Grahame-Smith

61 Hours, by Lee Child

The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama

Room, by Emma Donoghue

December

Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

Making Money, by Terry Pratchett
The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, by David Plouffe
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Body of Lies, by David Ignatius
The Black Prince, by Iris Murdoch