Talk Healthy

What are your favorite books for 2012?


What did you Read?

I set a goal of 100 books for 2012 and only hit 75. I blame it entirely on the Game of Thrones series since those books always took me a week or two to read and then it would take me forever to get in the right head space to read something else!

What are your favorite books for 2012?
Bringing up the Bodies by Hillary Mantel
Where'd You Go Bernadette? By Maria Semple
The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus

What did you Read?

1 Catherine The Great by Robert Massie
2 The Strangers on Monage Street by Karen White
3 Growing up Amish by Ira Wrangler
4 The Favored Queen by Carolly Erickson
5 Six wives The Queens of Henrey VIII by David Starkey
6 The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus
7 The Obamas by Jodi Kantor
8 The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugindes
9 There is no Dog by Meg Roloff
10 MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Berlsche
11 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
12 The Orphan Masters Son by Adam Johnson
13 A Bad Thing I'm about to do by Chris Getharf
14 Heft by Liz Moore
15 The World of Downton Abby by Julian Fellows
16 Bond Girl by Erin Duff
17 The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillian
18 Talking w My Mouth Full by Gail Simmons
19 Human Cargo
20 Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
21 Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
22 Smart Women by Judy Blume
23 Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
24 Walking Dead comics 12,13,14
25 Defending Jacob by William Landay
26 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
27 The Odds by Stewart O'nan
28 Escape from Camp 14 by Blake Harden
29 I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
30 Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman
31 If These Walls Could Talk by Lucy Worsely
32 SEAL LAB by Ben Hellworh
33 Border Run by Simon Lewrs
34 When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
35 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
36 Archive 17 by Sam Eastland
37 The Girl w the Dragon Tattoo by Steiger Larsen
38 Fair Coin by EC Meyer
39 Cinder by Melissa Meyer
40 Bringing up the Bodies by Hillary Mantel
41 The Cranes Dance by Meg Howery
42 Winter Garden by Kate Hannah
43 I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markouts
44 Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
45 Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
46 Divergent by Veronica Roth
47 Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
48 Insurgent by Veronica Roth
49 Dare Me by Karen Abbott
50 Becoming Sister Wives by Kody Brown
51 The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
52 Battle Royale
53 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
54 50 Shades of Grey by EL James
55 The Expats by Chris Pavone
56 Where'd You Go Bernadette? By Maria Semple
57 One Last Thing Before I Go by Johnathon Tropper
58 A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin
59 A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin
60 The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
61 Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead
62 Tell The Wolves I'm Home
63 Judging a Book by it's Lover by Lauren Leto
64 Inside Game of Thrones
65 The Cutting Season by Attica Lockes
66 Mrs Queen Takea the Train by William Kuhn
67 Mr Penumbras 25 hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
68 Heads in Beds by Jacob Tommsky
69 My Heart is an Idiot by Davy Rothbart
70 The Middlesteins by Jami Herzog
71 This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
72 Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalen
73 A Feast for Crows by George RR Martin
74 World War Z by Max Books
75 The Walking Dead Comic 17 by Robert Kirkman

I read 29 books this year. My favorites were:
Divergent, by Veronica Roth
Matterhorn, by Karl Marlantes
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

I'm too lazy to reformat the whole list to put here.

Fighting off feelings of inadequacy but here goes: I read 22 books. (And the year before I read maybe 5 so hey, something to feel proud of!)

Defending Jacob William Landay
Full Body Burden Kristen Iversen
Eventide Kent Haruf
The Glass Castle Jeanette Wells
Before I Go To Sleep SJ Watson
Blue Nights Joan Didion
State of Wonder Ann Patchett
Tell the Wolves I'm Home Carol Rifka Brunt
The Double Bind Chris Bohjalian
The Book of Joe Jonathon Tropper
The Kindness of Strangers Katrina Kittle
Plainsong Kent Haruf
The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion
Lit: A Memoir Mary Karr
We Need to Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver
Crooked Little Heart Anne Lamott
So Much Pretty Cara Hoffman
Gone Girl Gillian Flynn
The Almost Moon Alice Sebold
A Stolen Life Jaycee Dugard
Black Heels to Tractor Wheels Ree Drummond
The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin

There were a number of books that I started but didn't finish because I didn't like them. Most notably was "Here Comes Trouble" by Michael Moore. That was a huge disappointment.

My favorites:
The Glass Castle
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Plainsong
Blue Nights

Here is my 2012 list...sorry for the crazy formatting....


Rating Title Author
3 Bare Bones Kathy Reichs
3 What's A Disorganized Person to Do? Stacey Platt
2 Fat Vampire Adam Rex
2 Speed Cleaning 101 Laura Dellutri
5 We Need to Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver
2 How to Clean Your Home Fast Vicki Christian
3.5 Star Island Carl Hiassen
2 Dirty Little Secrets CJ Omololu
3 The Most Dangerous Thing Laura Lippman
2 My Horizontal Life Chelsea Handler
1 We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This George Lowe and Tony Jeary
1 Death Benefit Robin Cook
3 A Grown Up Kind of Pretty Joshilyn Jackson
4 11/22/1963 Stephen King
3 Bond Girl Erin Duffy
2 Wild Thing Josh Bazell
2 Great on the Job Jodi Glickman
2 Engage! Mary King
3.5 The Accident Linwood Barclay
2 Girlchild Tupelo Hassman
2.5 Dead End in Norvelt Jack Gantos
3.5 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Steig Larsson
3 Full Dark, No Stars Stephen King
2 Ashes, Ashes Joe Treggiari
3 The Fault in our Stars John Green
2.5 All the Money in the World Laura Vanderkam
2.5 Monday Mourning Kathy Reichs
2 Waiter Rant Steve Dublanica
2.5 Cross Bones Kathy Reichs
2 Lone Wolf Jodi Picoult
4 Divergent Veronica Roth
3 The Way We Fall Megan Crewe
3 Blood Wounds Susan Beth Pfeffer
3.5 Stay Close Harlan Coben
3 The Song Remains the Same Allison Winn Scott
3 Blood Red Road Moira Young
4 Cinder Marissa Meyer
3.5 The Night Following Morag Joss
2.5 Beneath a Meth Moon Jacqueline Woodson
4 Insurgent Veronica Roth
2 Food Rules Michael Pollan
2 Imaginary Girls Nova Ren Suma
3 Matched Ally Condie
3 Escape Barbara Delinsky
3 Crossed Ally Condie
3 Jeneration X Jennifer Lancaster
2.5 Delirium Lauren Oliver
2 The Skinny Rules Bob Harper
3 Fifty Shades of Grey EL James
3 The Taste of Sale Martha Southgate
3 Deadlocked Charlaine Harris
3 The List Siobhan Vivian
3 Wife 22 Melanie Gideon
3 More Like Her Liza Palmer
3 The Widowers Tale Julia Glass
4 Defending Jacob William Landay
2 Fifty Shades Darker EL James
3 Bruiser Neal Shusterman
3.5 The Lifeboat Charlotte Rogan
3 The Running Dream Wendelin van Dranen
4 Gone Girl Gillian Flynn
3.5 The Arrivals Meg Mitchell Moore
3 The 500 Mathew Quirk
3.5 168 Hours Laura Vanderkam
3 The Age of Miracles Karen Thompson Walker
3 Inside Apple Adam Lashinsky
3.5 Summerland Elin Hilderbrand
2 50 Shades Freed EL James
3 My Life Next Door Huntley Fitzpatrick
3 Off the Menu Stacey Ballis
2 The Sometimes Daughter Sherri Wood Emmons
2 Bones to Ashes Kathy Reichs
3.5 The Next Best Thing Jennifer Weiner
4 Kill You Twice Chelsea Cain
4 Where'd You Go Bernadette Maria Semple
3 The Expats Chris Pavone
2.5 Dare Me Megan Abbott
3.5 One Last Thing Before I Go Jonathan Tropper
3.5 And When She Was Good Laura Lippman
3 Gone Missing Linda Castillo
4 The Whisperer Donato Carrisi
2 Me & Emma Elizabeth Flock
4 Trust Your Eyes Linwood Barclay
3.5 I Shouldn't Be Telling You This Kate White
2 Seating Arrangements Maggie Shipstead
3 Happier at Home Gretchen Rubin
3 The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin
3.5 A Killing in the Hills Julia Keller
3.5 The Light Between Oceans ML Stedman
3.5 I Couldn't Love You More Jillian Medoff
1 Self Promotion for Introverts Nancy Ancowitz
3 12-21 Dustin Thomason
3 Tell the Wolves I'm Home Carol Rifka-Brunt
2 What the Nanny Saw Fiona Neill
2.5 The Giver Lois Lowry
2.5 Reached Ally Condie
3 These Girls Sarah Pekkanen
3 Origin Jessica Khoury
2 Potboiler Jesse Kellerman
2.5 No Time for Goodbye Linwood Barclay
3 Afterwards Rosamund Lupton
1 How I Live Now Meg Rosoff
3.5 Breed Chase Novack
3.5 love anthony Lisa Genova
3.5 Naked in Death JD Robb
2.5 The Middlesteins Jami Attenberg
3 Friends Like Us Lauren Fox
2 A Summer Affair Elin Hilderbrand
3.5 Heft Liz Moore

I read somewhere around 25 books. Not great

HEY.

Rowan, did you export that list from GoodReads? (Are you on Goodreads?)

Annie, I'm not on Good Reads. I may have an account but don't use it to track books.

I keep a running Excel file (I know DORK).

But Blush, my kid goes to bed at 7:30 or 8:00! Granted that means I can't read during the day but I'm not sure I'd be inclined to anyway.

Rowan, I started a spreadsheet yesterday too. The ongoing list on Goodreads is html, so not really copy/paste-able. And that annoyed me so now I have a spreadsheet also. I just wondered because of the rating system. THAT part might make you a little dorky but I'll admit that I scanned your list for 4's and 5's and then looked up synopses and added them to my GR's list. Sisters in dorkdom!

The ratings really help me remember if I really liked something. When I'm struggling to find good books, I will go back to the spreadsheet to find random authors that I might have liked.

IMO, it's all about finding good books off of peoples lists not the number of books. I hope I don't steer you wrong....don't forget the Gone Girl Debacle of 2012. If you take out Mellen's love of historical fiction, our reads are very similar this year.

I know, you and Mellen are serious book buddies!

1. 3.5 A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
2. 4 Maus by Art Spiegelman
3. 5 The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson (audio)
4. 2 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (book club)
5. 5 Food Rules by Michael Pollan
6. 5 In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (NF, audio)
7. 4 A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
8. 3 Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling (NF)
9. 4 The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell (book club, audio)
10. 4 Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood (book club, reread)
11. 4 A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
12. 4.5 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (NF, audio)
13. 4 Ender’s Game (reread, audio)
14. 2.5 Dress Your Family in Denim & Corduroy by David Sedaris (audio)
15. 2.5 Bossypants by Tina Fey (NF)
16. 2 I am America, and So Can You by Steven Colbert (audio)
17. 3 A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
18. 3.5 The Go-Giver by Bob Burg & John David Mann (NF)
19. 3.5 A Child Called “It” by David Pelzer (NF, audio)
20. 4.5 Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (audio)
21. 4.5 Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
22. 4 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (audio)

22 for the year and several mediocre ones. Meh. Apparently my favorites were the Michael Pollan ones. Hoping that this year is better, book-wise.

Rowan wrote: If you take out Mellen's love of historical fiction, our reads are very similar this year.

Hey, I'll have you know that most of my Tudor era historical books are historical biographies, not fiction! Though I have to admit, Phillipa Gregory books are sometimes a guilty pleasure.

Edited to add, I need to start rating my books better. I just added stars to my hand written list to books I loved but by the end of the year you kind of forget some of them.

Annie wrote:

I read somewhere around 25 books. Not great

HEY.

And hello, friends! I read 21! But my son goes to bed no earlier than 10 pm and I have no commute or lunch hour, so most days I only read for like 30 minutes or so. And 20 is about my average throughout the years

I have no excel file and I'm too lazy to type, but this was a bad year book-wise. NOTHING memorable. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton was my favorite, but it was only 4 stars. It dragged a bit. Before I go to Sleep was a lot of fun, but that's it. Just fun. And the 2 Stephen Kings were good, but not excellent (Under the Dome and 11/22/63). The rest was readable at best. Bah. I hope this year's reading is MUCH better.

Hey, I'll have you know that most of my Tudor era historical books are historical biographies, not fiction!

My original comment was written with respect. Truly. I read only crapola.