Book Club Favorites: 12 Good Reads of 2012

I was always one of those nerdy kids who loved to read and who asked for books for Christmas and birthdays. And yet, I hadn't read a lot in the last few years.  New babies have a way of short-circuiting nighttime reading.

But 2012 was the year of the book for me and I was delighted to return to my first love. In the spring, I began to write down the titles of books I read. I am not sure what I read earlier this year, but this is what occupied many late nights in 2012.

In a wonderful turn of events, I formed a book club this year with a dear friend. We tend to like the same genres and both read rather quickly. We alternate choosing books but both must agree on the final choices.  These were our three favorites of 2012, all earning 5 stars (out of 5).

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand – biography. An amazing story about the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner turned WWII airman who’s shot down over enemy territory. Compelling story and well-written. I loved Hillenbrand’s Seasbiscuit too. 5 stars (and would have given this 10 stars if I could.)

The House at Riverton and The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.  We read these two “Downton Abbey” style novels back-to-back and enjoyed them immensely. 5 stars.

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese – a sweeping family saga, beautiful and tragic (and overly long). The focus is on twin brothers who are raised in an Ethiopian mission hospital by two skilled doctors.  The book's beginning is particularly strong. 4 stars. 

Room by Emma Donoghue - novel told from the perspective of 5-year-old Jack who has been imprisoned since he was born in a room with his mother. Original and absorbing. 4 stars.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Books – novel about the plague and how it impacted an English village in 1666. Beautifully imagined and it is much more interesting and compelling than a book about the plague should be. Plus, it had a protagonist I loved. I would have given the book 5 stars if I hadn’t disliked the ending so much. 4 stars.

Little Bee by Chris Cleeve – Story of two women, a young Nigerian refugee and a married British magazine editor, and how their lives converge under extraordinary circumstances, This novel started out strong but left me cold. There is a horrific graphic scene in one section.  3.5 stars.

My Korean Deli: Risking It All For a Convenience Store by Ben Ryder Howe – funny memoir of a struggling young couple who try to please the wife’s Korean immigrant parents by buying a Brooklyn deli. 3.5 stars.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley - mystery narrated by precocious 11-year-old chemistry prodigy who has an affinity for poisons.  A sweet, simple, often funny, story set in a sleepy English village in 1950.  Suitable for young readers. 3.5 stars

 

Of the 12 books we read in 2012, our least favorites were Garden Spells and The Weird Sisters. Both were novels about adult sisters who return to the family home. Of the two, we preferred Garden Spells.  

I also read several books outside of the bookclub.  They included: Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford; Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson; Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson; The Call by Yannick Murphy; Wesley The Owl by Stacey O'brien; Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel In Letters by Mark Dunn; and Private Patient by PD James.

Of those, my two favorites were: Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (5 stars) and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (4.5 stars). 

Do you have a book to recommend?  As we bid adieu to 2012, we're looking for titles for our 2013 reading list and would love to have your suggestions. 

Wishing you a wonderful new year!  Happy reading.