2012 Follow up: Book Meme

1. Best book of 2012?  Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. I am always put off by the titles of his books. Another one is Too Late the Phalarope. What the…?

2. Worst book of 2012?  Jennifer Johnson is Sick of Being Married by Heather McElhatton. It was a Library Thing Early Reviewers book that I didn’t even review here, lest someone accidentally pick it up.   

3. Most Disappointing Book of 2012?   The Art of Racing in the Rain. It was pretty well received by the critics, but I was surprised at how much I hated it.

4. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?   Wife 22. Loved it, loved it!

5. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?   Probably Quiet by Susan Cain. I recommended it to all my introvert friends, and also to extroverts to get some insights into understanding us introverts.

6. Best series you discovered in 2012?   If Timothy L. O’Brien writes any more detective novels featuring Temple McFadden, they will definitely be on my reading list!

7. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?   Laurie Frankel, Joshilyn Jackson, Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Melanie Gideon, Timothy L. O’Brien.

8. Most hilarious read of 2012?   I don’t usually read books that I call “hilarious,” but there are some honorable mentions here. I’m currently reading Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island, which is alternately funny, bewildering, crude, and outdated. Also, Eloisa James’ Paris in Love was funny in a gentle way.

9. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?   There were several this year that I devoured as fast as I could, but I’ll give the edge to A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson.

10. Book you most anticipated in 2012?   Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. I anticipated it so much that it almost couldn’t avoid disappointing me once I finally read it, though I did enjoy it. (Review coming soon).

11. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012? Leaving Mundania by Lizzie Stark. And just for the record, I’m  sick of the “head missing” type of book cover shot. Let’s move on, people, there’s nothing to see here.

12. Most memorable character in 2012? Dr. Annick Swenson from State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.

13. Most beautifully written book in 2012?  Cry, the Beloved Country.

14. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012: Probably Quiet. It helped me to embrace my introversion.

15. Book you can't believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?   Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton.

  

Other book highlights

I wrote a dissertation. That’s almost a book J

I still love Library Thing and Paperback Swap. Goodreads not so much. I wasn’t impressed with the kerfuffle they had this year and how it was handled. I’ve stopped posting reviews on Amazon, though.