Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Books of 2012

Just like last January, I will list the books in the order that I read them.  And, again, I will list author, book, pages, and rating.  At the end, I will list my top 11 (huh?) along with 1 book that gets a special mention in my new category:  "The Community Service Award."  This award will be near the bottom of the post, right before a New Year's Contest.  Now, on to the list:

Koontz, Dean - 77 Shadow Street - 451 - 3.0
Palmer, Michael - Oath of Office - 374 - 2.5
Griffin, W.E.B. - Covert Warriors - 372 - 3.0
Hoag, Tami - Down the Darkest road - 432 - 2.5
Taylor, Brad - All Necessary Force - 380 - 1.5
Gardner, Lisa - Catch Me - 385 - 2.5
Coben, Harlan - Stay Close - 387 - 3.0
Smith, Tom Rob - Agent 6 - 467 - 3.0
Rosenfelt, David - Heart of a Killer - 298 - 2.5
Johnson, Craig - As the Crow Flies - 2.5
Wallentin, Jan - Strindberg's Star - 447 - 2.0
Kerr, Philip - Prague Fatale - 397 - 3.0
Sweet, Victoria - God's Hotel - 347 - 2.5
Raffel, Keith - Smasher - 300 - 2.5
Collins, Suzanne - Hunger Games - 374 - 3.0
Lukas, Michael David - Oracle of Stambol - 294 - 3.5
Flynn, Vince - Kill Shot - 385 - 2.5
Lamott, Ann - Some Assembly Required - 272 - 2.0
Picoult, Jodi - Lone Wolf - 421 - 3.0
Gardiner, Meg - Ransom River - 357 - 2.5
Patterson, Richard North - Fall from Gracee - 276 - 2.5
Gutcheon, Beth - Gossip - 278 - 2.5
Archer, Jeffrey - The Sins of the Father - 339 - 3.5
Berry, Steve - The Columbus Affair - 419 - 3.0
Balmanno, Robert - September Snow -N/A (only read 60 pages)
Berenson, Alex - The Shadow Patrol - 389 - 2.5
Coes, Ben - The Last Refuge - 387 - 2.5
Grippando, James - Need You Now - 357 - 2.5
Haynes, Jasmine - Dead to the Max - 241 - 2.0
Baldacci, David - The Innocent - 422 - 3.5
Landay, William - Defending Jacob - 421 - 3.0
Hamilton, Steve - The Lock Artist - 304 - 2.5
Raffel, Keith - Drop by Drop - 320 - 2.5
Jayne, Hannah - Under Attack - 322 - 2.5
Eastland, Sam - Archive 17 - 250 - 2.5
Senft, Adina - The Hidden Life - 301 - 3.5
Buckley, Christopher - They Eat Puppies, Don't They? - 334 - 2.5
Margolin, Philip - Capitol Murder - 340 - 2.5
Harris, Robert - The Fear Index - 286 - 2.5
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz - The Prisoner of Heaven - 278 - 2.5
Harback, Chad - The Art of Fielding - 512 -3.0
Silva, Daniel - The Fallen Angel - 393 - 3.0
Kava, Alex - Fireproof - 307 - 2.5
King, Steven - 11/22/63 - 849 - 4.0
James, E.L. - Fifty Shades of Grey - 514 - 2.5
Raffel, Keith - A Fine and Dangerous Season - 338 - 3.0
Locke, Attica - The Cutting Season - 382 - 2.0
Rosenfelt, David - Leader of the Pack - 360 - 2.5
Swain, James - Dark Magic - 352 - 2.5
Morgenstern, Erin - The Night Circus - 512 - 2.5
Griffin, W.E.B. - The Spymaster - 381 - 2.0
Weiner, Jennifer - Good in Bed - 375 - 3.0
Albom, Mitch - The Time Keeper - 222 - 2.0
Flynn, Gillian - Gone Girl - 415 - 3.5
Towles, Amor - Rules of Civility - 324 - 2.5
Chandler, Raymond - The Big Sleep - 231 - 1.5
Swan, Joan - Fever - 342 - 3.5
Kingsolver, Barbara - Flight Behavior - 433 - 3.0
Barrett, Elisabeth - Deep Autumn Heat - 284 - 3.0
Koontz, Dean - Odd Apocalypse - 355 - 1.5
Alexander, Cassie - Nightshifted - 331 - 2.0
Eugenides, Jeffrey - The Marriage Plot - 406 - 2.5
Follett, Ken - Winter of the World - 940 - 4.0
Palmer, Michael - Political Suicide - 355 - 2.5
Zadoorian, Michael - The Leisure Seeker - 272 - 3.5
Waters, Rayme - The Angels' Share - 276 - 4.0
Grippando, James - Blood Money - 342 - 2.5
Durban, Pam - The Tree of Forgetfulness - 169 - 2.0
Moehringer, J.R. - The Tender Bar - 368 - 3.5
Sussman, Ellen - French Lessons - 236 - 3.0
Michel, Deborah - Prosper in Love - 326

71 books
26,034

Top 11 - in order (these are all of the 3.5's and 4.0's):
Follett - Winter of the World
King - 11/22/63
Waters - The Angels' Share
Baldacci - The Innocent
Moehringer - The Tender Bar
Zadoorian - The Leisure Seeker
Archer - The Sins of the Father
Swan - Fever
Lukas - Oracle of Stamboul
Senft - The Hidden Life
Flynn - Gone Girl
(There were also 16 3.0's - what a year!)

The Community Service Award:
Julie Dart - Ellie Stands Up to the Bully.  I reviewed this on 9/21/12, so I won't go through that again. Suffice it to say that Julie wrote a book that everybody, from grade school kids to adults, should read.  We all want to eliminate bullying, but Julie actually does something about it.  She not only has written a story that tells children how to stand up to a bully, she also has resources in the back of the book for kids and parents.  Way to go, Julie!

That's it for 2012.  I'm looking forward to 2013 with all of you.  Go readers.

NEW YEAR'S CONTEST:  Give me your top book of 2012 in the "Comment" section of this post.  At the end of the week, I will have a drawing.  The winner gets his or her pick of any book on my year-end list.  The winner will also have a choice of hard copy or digital.






10 comments:

  1. Really enjoyed reading your list! You've given me great ideas for 2013 reads. I was fortunate enough to read so many great books in 2012, but my favorite was Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've just now caught up on all of your 2012 reviews and lists and what a treat they've been! Bravo, Lloyd, and many wishes for even more excellent reads in the new year!

    And, to continue with Katie's above appreciation of Cheryl Strayed, my top read of 2012 is Tiny Beautiful Things.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree, such a great list! Although it's hard to pick just one, I would have to say that A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan definitely stands out.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! 2 of you picked a Cheryl Strayed book. I haven't even heard of her. It looks like I'm going to have to give her a try. I have heard of The Goon Squad but haven't been motivated to look into it. I will at least do that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My favorite of the year was 11/22/63--major work of literature IMHO. However, for a lighter (by about 500 pages) and at times hilarious read I also have to recommend Where'd You Go Bernadette. Another hidden gem was The Housekeeper and the Professor by Owaga. Highly recommend trying out all three for size.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 11/22/63 was one of my favorites of 2012. I would never have believed I would enjoy a Stephen King book.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rayme, thanks for the suggestions. And, Kathy, I certainly agree with you about 11/22/63. I've only read one Steven King book in the last 25 years.

    ReplyDelete
  8. And the winner is...Emily. So, Emily, pick a book from the list and let me know if you want a hard copy or a digital copy. If it's a hard copy, then get me an address. And if it's a digital version, then I guess someone can tell me how to get it downloaded for you. I'm not too swift electronically.
    In any case, congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Do I get a book too as a finders fee for suggesting Emily to Booksage? If so, you don't have to ship me anything, I'll collect my prize when I'm home in a few weeks :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Let me mull that over and render my decision when I see you - in 2 weeks!

    ReplyDelete