Reading list 2012

New books: 40 ( 15,328 pgs ) 

Longest book: The Wise Man’s Fear (994 pgs)
Shortest book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (160 pgs)
Oldest book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
Newest book: Ruins (October 2012)
Best book: tie – Mistborn / The Name of the Wind
Best children’s/YA book: Walk Two Moons
Worst book: Our Tragic Universe
Most disappointing book: The Flame Alphabet

Kira Salak, The White Mary
Neil Gaiman, Stardust
Sunshine O’Donnell, Open Me
Joshua Ferris, The Unnamed
Michael Scott, The Alchemyst
Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Veronica Roth, Divergent
Chris Van Allsburg, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick
Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Ann Aguirre, Enclave
Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, Willpower
Lisa McMann, The Unwanteds
Sheridan Hay, The Secret of Lost Things
Susan Beth Pfeffer, Life As We Knew It
Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson, The Well of Ascension
Brandon Sanderson, The Hero of Ages
Jon Ronson, The Psychopath Test
Amy Stewart, Wicked Plants
The Arbinger Institute, Leadership and Self-Deception
Tony Hillerman, Listening Woman
Tony Hillerman, The Dark Wind
Ally Condie, Matched
Tony Hillerman, The First Eagle
Douglas Richards, Wired
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
Brian Jacques, Taggerung
Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Pittacus Lore, I Am Number Four
Ben Marcus, The Flame Alphabet
Scarlett Thomas, Our Tragic Universe
Brandon Sanderson, Elantris
John Grisham, The Litigators
John Grisham, The Associate
John Grisham, The Appeal
Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man’s Fear
David Levithan, Every Day
Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons
Orson Scott Card, Ruins
Brandon Sanderson, The Emperor’s Soul

Previous years: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

The Emperor’s Soul

by Brandon Sanderson | 176 pages, published 2012

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been reluctant to read more Brandon Sanderson books. But I enjoyed Elantris after finishing the Mistborn trilogy, so I thought I’d give this stand-alone book a go – especially since Jarom got it for me for Christmas! (Aren’t books the best presents?)

The Emperor’s Soul is definitely not as good as either Elantris or the Mistborn books, but it’s good. It was short, so it packed a lot into a small space. I liked it even more when I got to the end and found a note from the author that he got the idea from name stamps, which they use frequently in Asian countries like Korea, where he served his mission. Hey! Jarom did that too! And I have a name stamp!

This seems like a much less fantasy/magic-heavy book, although it did have elements of magic-ish-ness. With such a short read, I think you’d enjoy picking it up. It has a very different feel from the other Sanderson books I’ve read – which is good. I like when an author can capably write in several styles.

Buy The Emperor’s Soul on Amazon

Ruins

by Orson Scott Card | 544 pages, published 2012

This is the second of the Pathfinder series. It takes the story in a very different direction than I was imagining . . . I think I liked Pathfinder better, but who can stop at just one book? (Actually, I read quite a few first-in-a-series books this year that I have no intention of following up on. So I guess this is an exception.)

Not much to add to my recommendation of Pathfinder, which I do think you should read, but you might wait until all the books are out for a more satisfying read. I think Harry Potter was the exception to this rule.

Buy Ruins on Amazon

Walk Two Moons

by Sharon Creech | 288 pages, published 1994

How have I not read this before? I’m realizing (over and over again) that Newbery books deserve the medals they’ve received. Walk Two Moons is no exception.

If you haven’t read it, this is the story of Salamanca Tree Hiddle, who’s trying to find out what happened to her mom. It’s also the story of Sal’s friend Phoebe, and of Sal’s adorable grandparents. The writing is phenomenal, the characters are complex and beautifully written. And I couldn’t put it down, and when I finally did (when I finished), I was bawling. Sometimes those books are the best.

I have a copy if anyone wants to come borrow it. But I think you should go out and buy it.

Buy Walk Two Moons on Amazon

Every Day

by David Levithan | 336 pages, published 2012

This was the first book we chose for our little book club. Fascinating premise: the main character wakes up as someone else every day. He/she only stays until midnight, is always a person his/her own age, and wakes up in the same state as the day before. The main character, who calls him/herself “A,” tries to interfere as little as possible with the daily routine of the person whose body he/she wakes up in – until one day, he/she falls in love with the person’s girlfriend and seeks her out every day after that.

There’s also a side story of a fake pastor who seems to be just like A, but has figured out how to stay in one body for an extended period of time. I wish more of the book had been spent on this, although supposedly there are more books to follow.

I had several problems with the book. The first is that, as an LGBT author, Levithan spent so much energy convincing the reader that love is love no matter what that almost every person A woke up as fit into the LGBT grouping somehow. I’m just not sure that statistically, that’s what would happen. Maybe I’m out of touch, and I do live in a much more conservative area of the country. But it didn’t seem quite as realistic to me – more of a plot device.

Second, A initially proclaimed that he/she tried to interfere as little as possible in people’s lives, but begins interfering in major ways after meeting Rhiannon (the love interest). A goes so far as to prevent one guy from going to Hawaii for his sister’s wedding because it would mean that A would be stuck in Hawaii, away from Rhiannon. Not cool!

Third, there was only one instance of A helping a person. A woke up as a very, very depressed girl who was planning to commit suicide in a matter of days. A, as the girl, told her father (who had been distant) what was wrong, showed him her notebook with suicide plans as proof, and pleaded for help. The girl got her father’s support and was able to get the treatment she needed. I wished she had been brought up again, or that A had tried to help any of the other people – instead of just skipping whatever plans they had for the day so he/she could go see Rhiannon.

All in all, I wouldn’t recommend the book. I think it came down to how much I disliked A’s selfishness in disrupting people’s lives just to see this girl. And again, I’m hesitant to support teenage Love in all its reckless glory. It’s so angst-ridden and fleeting. Thank goodness I’m not a teenager anymore!

The Wise Man’s Fear

by Patrick Rothfuss | 993 pages, published 2011

I had some spare cash a few months ago so I ordered a copy of the second Kvothe book. I sat outside in a swing under the chestnut tree reading it and thought, life doesn’t get much more beautiful than this.

The book added new story lines, continued old ones, and kept up the lovely storytelling. It did add a few more adult elements and suspend-your-disbelief-a-little-extra parts. I’m not sure if I liked it more or less than The Name of the Wind – so we’ll call them equal. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard an update on when the third and final book will be out.

I still strongly suggest you start reading the series!

Buy The Wise Man’s Fear on Amazon