Best-of-the-Year Book Lists!

Ok. I'll admit it. I’m a bit obsessed with all these end-of-year, best-of-year book lists. When December rolls around and these lists start rolling in...I’m very happy. These book lists are great resources for gift-giving or for just finding the next good book to read. They often come in quite handy when seeking ideas for a book discussion group.

The New York Times just released their "100 Notable Books of 2012" and their "10 Best Books of 2012". Amazon has their "Top 100 Picks for 2012". The library journals are starting to release their own lists. Kirkus Reviews "Best Fiction of 2012: The Top 25" is here. Publisher's Weekly best fiction titles of the year are here. If you’re even more list-obsessed than I am, take a look at the mother-of-all-book-lists over on the largehearted boy blog. There, David Gutowski compiles the "Best of 2012" Book Lists, a list of ALL the online best books lists of the year. What a resource for the list-obsessed! Perusing this list of lists can keep one busy for hours!

Of course I can hardly resist listing a couple of my own personal favorites from 2012. Two of my favorite books happened to be written for young adults. If you are an "older" adult, don't let that "young adult" designation dissuade you from trying one of these excellent titles.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Wein tells an incredible story of friendship between two extraordinary young women--one British, one Scottish--who are brought together by World War II and become fast friends. One becomes a flyer, the other a spy and together they make a "sensational team". The spy parachutes from a plane, but is captured in Nazi-occupied France. Part One is her written "confession" to her Nazi interrogator. Part Two tells another's tale. Just the right amount of humor allows the reader to make it through the heartbreaking parts of the narration.

I finished this book then IMMEDIATELY went back to the beginning and read it again. The plot is intricate. While reading Part Two I realized that I should have been paying MUCH closer attention in Part One. Part One contains clues (lots of foreshadowing) and connections that help to complete the story, and I gasped (literally) when I "got" it all.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few more years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. When a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at the Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

I am not alone among those who are fans of this wonderful book. Below are just of few of the many accolades this book has received.

A blend of melancholy, sweet, philosophical, and funny. Green shows us true love…and it is far more romantic than any sunset on the beach.” -New York Times Book Review

“A pitch-perfect, elegiac comedy…it will linger long and hard in the minds of teens and former teens.” -USA Today

“Green writes books for young adults, but his voice is so compulsively readable that it defies categorization. The Fault in Our Stars proves that the hype surrounding Green is not overblown.” -NPR