My Top 10 Favourite Books Read In 2012

I know that 2012 has been gone for a good month now, but I have seen lots of peoples top 10 books that they read during 2012 and I have been toying with the idea of writing my list for a little while…I guess that I have decided to do it. 2012 was a year of reading accomplishment for me as I set, and reached, a goal of reading 50 books during the year. I had never set a reading goal for myself before and was looking forward to trying to attempting said goal. I not only reached my goal of 50 books but I surpassed it by reading 51 books! I feel very proud of myself, and I also feel like I have read enough books to compile my top 10 favourite books that I read during 2012. I hope that this list inspires you to read more and that you check out some of the books on the list. Just so you know this list is not in the order I liked them but in the order that I read them.

 

1.       The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

I guess I cheated a little with The Book Thief because I actually started it before the New Year but I did read the bulk of it during 2012. This book is set in Germany during the Second World War and follows the story of a young girl who steals books and teaches herself to read. I found this story to be very interesting for a number of reasons, the first being that you rarely get stories that are from the German side of the war. Sometimes it seems that people forget that there were innocent people living in Germany during the war, people who were just like those living in the ally countries, being killed even though they didn’t agree with Hitler and what he was doing. The other reason was because it is narrated by death. This gave the story such an interesting perspective especially during a war.

2.       The Fault In Our Stars By John Green

I have loved John Green for quite a while now and when I discovered that he was going to release a new book I preordered it as soon as possible. I read The Fault In Our Stars in two days, it is one of those books that you just can’t put down. The story is about a girl named Hazel who has cancer and meets a boy name Augustus at a cancer support group and the relationship that the two develop. The Fault in Our Stars is a story that hits you hard right in the heart. It evokes so many feeling, and emotions that you start to really think about life while you read it. There is not enough praise that I can give this book, you really just need to read it.

3.       The Descendents By Kaui Hart Hemmings

I saw the movie of The Descendents before I read the book and I can honestly say that it didn’t ruin the book for me. It is one of the best adaptations that I have ever seen, and while reading the book I could picture everything from the movie that is how closer the movie is to the book. If you don’t know The Descendents is about a man whose wife is in a coma and tells how he deals with it and his two daughters. The thing that jumps out about this story to me is how realistic it is, I feel like this story could happen for sure.

4.       Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children By Ransom Riggs

If you want a book that grips you then this is the one for you! The story follows a boy who is trying to find out if the stories that his Grandfather told him about a home for children are true. This was such a surprising read; I didn’t know where it was going to end up. I enjoyed the journey so much and the experience was enhanced by the use of old strange pictures.

5.       Divergent By Veronica Roth

In a world where there are now tons of dystopian young adult novels you’d think that there aren’t really any new interesting stories within this genre, but there is! Divergent is different! Yes, the world is still not as it should be, and the government is still corrupt, but it is done is such a captivating way that it makes the whole genre seem fresh and new. It was one book that I could not put down and more than once read late into the night.

6.       13 Reasons Why

Teen suicide seems to be at a high right now, but you never really know the reasons why. 13 Reasons Why is a haunting suicide note in the form of tapes. These tapes are being passed around to all the people that are mentioned and the reader finds themselves experiencing the story with one of these people and getting his commentary on what is said on the tapes. I think that this is an important book, it shows how your actions can affect someone, even if you don’t realise it.

7.       Before I Fall By Lauren Oliver

This was probably the book that surprised me the most, at first I wasn’t really sure if I was going to like it but by the time I was half way through I was hooked. The story follows a teenage girl, Samantha, who goes to a party and then is in a car accident. Each chapter is Sam living the same day over and over as she sees how her actions effect and change the events that happen. At first I really didn’t like Sam, but by the end of the story I had a strong emotional attachment to her and had to continue reading to find out what was going to happen to her next.

8.       White Oleander By Janet Fitch

This was a reread for me, I had read White Oleander about two years previous, and I can say that I enjoyed it more the second time around. The book follows Astrid after her mother is put in jail and she is put into foster care. The writing is absolutely amazing, it really grabbed me and kept me interested throughout the whole book. The story is sad, but ultimately hopeful, and I know that I will reread this book again.

9.       The Causal Vacancy By J.K Rowling

I am a fan of the Harry Potter series and yes, that is part of the reason that I wanted to read J.K. Rowling’s newest book, but it was more because of her writing and not because I was wanting another book just like Harry Potter. The Causal Vacancy is nothing like Harry Potter and it is definitely not for kids. I know that a lot people didn’t like this book, but I really liked it! It is an interesting and different read. I can’t say that I’ve read anything that is quite like it, and it is all about a community and how people interact and influence each other lives. In the end it is Rowling’s writing that really make this book great, she has such a distinctive style that enhances the story.

10.   Who I Am: Pete Townshend By Pete Townshend

This is the only non-fiction book I read in 2012 and I sure did pick a good one! If you are unaware Pete Townshend is the guitarist and principal songwriter for The Who. However, if you are looking for a book about The Who then you have the wrong book. This autobiography is about Pete Townshend’s life, sure it touches on The Who, it was a huge part of his life, but it gives more insight into the feelings and thoughts that went into what happened to Pete rather than the band as a whole. One of the coolest things about this autobiography is that the words sound like Pete Townshend talking, and the book reads like he is telling you a bunch of stories. To make this book even more special I was lucky enough to meet Pete Townshend and get him to sign my copy!

BEDA - Day Twenty-Five

Divergent by Veronica Roth is set in Chicago during a dystopian future. Something has happened that has shut the city off from the rest of the world, and the people have created five factions which each have a different purpose in governing the city. At the age of 16 a test is administered to see if the faction that you were born into is the faction you should stay a part of. This is when we meet the main character Beatrice, and the story follows her through her choice.

I really enjoyed Divergent; I read half of it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. The writing really draws you in and I wasn’t able to figure out what was going to happen next, it was always a bit of a surprise.  I found the idea of different factions where you are raised to believe a certain thing, and to act a certain way really interesting. The idea of factions make you think about society and how it works, and why it works.

I loved the characters in Divergent. The main character Beatrice is awesome; she is so brave and kind. I like the journey that she takes and it is fascinating how she continues to have an internal struggle even after she makes her decision about which faction she belongs in. Beatrice seemed too real to me, like her thoughts and feeling could be exactly what someone would actually have, and it made her more believable. I wish that more female heroes were written like her.

The male lead, named Four, is completely swoon worthy and I’m not talking in an Edward Cullen sort of way. Four really cares about Beatrice, and works really hard to make sure that she gets through all the hard ships she encounters. The thing about Four that is really cool is that he doesn’t coddle Beatrice, he helps her, but in a way that makes her able to deal with things better on her own. Four never once tries to save her from pain, because he understands that it is part of life, and he never puts her up on a pedestal.

I gave Divergent a four out of five on Good Reads, and if you enjoyed The Hunger Games you will definitely like this book.  It is a dystopian novel, where the world is different and the government is bad, but I enjoyed Divergent and would recommend it to anyone.