Best Novels You Read in 2012

[Philip Overby]

Not necessarily a book published in 2012, but a novel that you read in 2012 that you really loved. Here are some books I read in 2012 that I thought were really cool.

1. Red Country by Joe Abercrombie-I actually haven't finished this yet, but from what I read so far, I'm enjoying another foray into the world made popular by his earlier books. Bloody, funny, and with cool characters.

2. The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington-Someone I've trumpeted in the past, Bullington deals with darker than dark subject matter, historical situations, and a bit of humor. Not for the weak of heart, but one of my favorite reads of the year.

3. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy-Not fantasy, but still an awesome book. I don't know how he does it, but his writing is poetic without being heavy-handed. Deals with the Old West in a literary way. An impressive book to say the least.

These are just some of the books I enjoyed in 2012. How about you?

 

[myrddin173]

It's tough to say, I read a lot of great books last year but if I was forced to choose my top three...

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, it is a YA not a fantasy so it is a bit outside of my normal reading but I watch the videos the author and his brother make on youtube (they're the Vlogbrothers). It is a very sad book, the main character has terminal cancer...

Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, last year was the first time I really got into the Discworld novels and this one is definitely my favorite (though Going Postal comes close). It also brings back Death and Susan who are my two favorite Discworld characters. Not to mention I love stuff that has to do with time.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, this was actually a re-read but I just love this book, it is in my top five books of all time. Even if you aren't a fan of mysteries you should read this book.

 

[Ireth]

The Soddit -- a parody of The Hobbit, whose author I can't recall offhand. It's utterly bizarre and hilariously funny, and has its own fascinating twists on Tolkien's classic.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, books 1 and 2, by Douglas Adams -- more utter brilliance in a completely different vein. I didn't know my mom already owned the entire series until I got the first two as a Christmas gift from my roommate. I must see about borrowing or buying the rest at some point. ^^

 

[Xaysai]

1) Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. This is a fast, funny and surprisingly intelligent series (humor & mythology).

2) Riryia Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan. Not just saying this because he is a member of these forums, I read it before I joined Mythic Scribes and very much enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the next book!

3) The Warded Man/The Desert Spear by Peter Brett. There were a few small nitpicky things I would have liked to see him do differently, but I thought the world and storytelling were unique and interesting.

4) Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. This 1200 page monster held my attention with some fairly imaginative elements (Shard Plates & Knives? Do want...)

5) Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. I felt he rushed through some of the main parts of the story while giving too much time to things we didn't need to spend more time on (Kvothe still at the school), but overall it was beautifully written and entertaining book just like the first in the series - Name of the Wind.

Books I wish I didn't read in 2012: Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, oh lawdy I couldn't even get through it...

 

[Sparkie]

It's been a light year for me in terms of how many books I've read, but here's a few that I really enjoyed during 2012:

1) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie - It's a wonder, to me, how Abercrombie can create such a wide range of characters, bring them all together, and make the reader believe in them all. This story also has a great twist at the end, the kind of twist that can only be pulled off in a book. I'm not sure it could work in any other medium. (Looking back, I should have caught it from the beginning; there's at least one indicator early in the story.)

2) The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson - While this is technically a novella, I enjoyed this read well enough to include it here. It's good, perhaps not great. What I thought was interesting about this book was how sparse it was in terms of setting. I'm not talking about worldbuilding, I'm referring to the fact that the bulk of the scenes in the story take place in one room. While I don't think Sanderson was trying to write a 'playable novel,' this book reminded me of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men, in that I can see the story being transferred to the stage with ease.

3) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut - I've been meaning to read this classic for forever, and I finally got to it this year. I can't remember the last time a book made me laugh so much. And, yes, it's very dark comedy, but that doesn't make it any less funny. At the same time, there's some excellent writing here. It's hard not to admire Vonnegut's use of concise style and short phrasing. I wonder why I didn't read this sooner that I did.

4) The Swordsman of Carn Nebeth by Tristan Gregory - See my review in the "Mythic Scribes on Mythic Scribes" sticky thread.

5) On Writing by Stephen King - This was a re-read, but I feel like I got more out of it this time around. If you like to write and haven't read this book, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. There's a lot of insight in there without a lot of fluff.

6) Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens - The title says it all. Although not written expressly for kids, this book was recommended to me by my ten-year-old nephew. I should listen to him more often. Some of the oldest and most influential stories are presented here without much embellishment. Good for inspiration, if you ask me.

Book I wish I hadn't read: Eulogy by D. T. Conklin - Ugh! Why did I waste my time reading over half of this bleak slog before finally calling it quits? I dunno. Some dumbass notion of sticking it out, I guess. It's not that the book is bad. The writing is decent, the story makes some kind of sense, and the author seems like a nice guy. It's the tone, I think. There's a sense when reading this novel that everything is futile, every action useless to stop the inevitable. If I wanted to read something like that, I'd pick up a newspaper.

This year was also the year I picked up an E-reader. I love my Kindle, and I hope to use it even more in 2013.

 

[TWErvin2]

1) Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. This is a fast, funny and surprisingly intelligent series (humor & mythology).

I am very much enjoying these novels, and agree with Xaysai. I am mostly listening to them via audiobook (I listen while driving to work and back, and on various trips to visit family and such).

I've read and listened to Hounded, listened to Hexed and Hammered and Ticked. I'm now listening to Two Ravens and One Crow and have Trapped ready in the bullpen.

Lots of action, interesting characters and plotlines with twists. Solid fantasy that my wife has enjoyed very much too.

 

[kayd_mon]

I read the existing five volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire in 2012, and I absolutely loved them. I can't wait for the rest. Otherwise, I really enjoyed A. J. Jacobs' My Life as an Experiment , and I read Stevenson's Kidnapped for the first time (surprisingly) this past year. I read a collection of Grimm's fairy tales, and I enjoyed that. I also read the Hunger Games trilogy, but while those kept my attention, I thought they were quite overrated. I read a few more children's literature books earlier in the year, but they were for work and I wasn't exactly floored by any (though I did enjoy teaching some, namely Tuck Everlasting).