I’ve seen all over the internet that people have done memes putting up top 10, and top 20 best books they read in 2012. Unfortunately, since I only read 26 books in 2012, it doesn’t make any sense for me to take part in them.
Instead, I humbly list my top five books of 2012, in order of preference:
- The Handmaid’s Tale – Hands down my favorite book of 2012. I had long ago read The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, and decided that she was not for me. But, this book just blew me away. I definitely see more Atwood in my reading future.
- Unaccustomed Earth – Again, I am not a fan of Jhumpa Lahiri, or short stories for that matter. I should hate this book, but I was very surprised by how much I loved it, and how much I related to it.
- A Case of Exploding Mangoes – This was a book that grew slowly on me. My first reaction was not very positive, but the more I read this book, and the more I thought about it, I realized it’s very cleverly written with all those multiple viewpoints. May not be the most satisfying read emotionally, but it really appealed to me intellectually. The author Mohammed Hanif really hit a sixer (hit the ball out of the park if you’re American) with this first novel of his.
- I’ve Got Your Number – Light chick-lit, true, but it’s really well-done. Sophie Kinsella’s writing style really appeals to me. I actually went back to read it again one late night couple of weekends back, and I found it just as lively and hilarious as when I first read it.
- Beloved – This book has faded a little in my memory, but re-reading my review reminds me of how this book affected me powerfully then. I am not a fan of Morrison’s writing style in some parts of this book, but the story was strong enough to overcome these issues. So, this book rounds off my top 5 of 2013 list.
Probably, the most painful book of 2012 was The Canterbury Tales – a book I read for the better part of 6 months without really getting anything very positive from it, apart from the satisfaction of mentally crossing it off my Classics to Read list :(.
What were your favorite books of 2012? What were your disappointing reads?
I quite enjoyed Unaustomed Earth and I’ve got your number too. I read Blind Assasin and enjoyed it! Haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale, though. Putting it on my to-read list. 🙂
@moderngypsy: Oh, you should try The Handmaid’s Tale. I highly recommend it and I think you will love it 🙂
I think my favourite was “Fault in our stars” by John Green. Nice list Nish. Unfortunately, I havent read even one of these 🙁 Must read them sometime.
@Avada Kedavra: And I haven’t read Fault in our Stars. Thanks for the recco 🙂
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My favourite for 2012 was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Nishita you need to read that book. It’s all sort sof awesome for people who grew up in the Pac Man , Mario video games era 🙂 Also AshFall by Mike Mullin- one hell of a dystopian!
I haven’t read Margaret Atwood for a long time. Nice to see her book on your bests list/
@Shweta: Both those books sound really interesting. I used to love Mario video games, so Ready Player One sounds really interesting. Will look them up on Good Reads
I think my best in 2012 was Tell the Wolves I’m Home. That book was amazing, but overall I have to say 2012 wasn’t the greatest reading year I’ve ever had. I’m hoping to be wowed a little oftener in 2013.
@Jenny: Too bad 2012 wasn’t a great reading year for you. What are you looking forward to reading in 2013? I’m looking for some good books, but somehow none of the recently published books are very enticing.
The best book this year for me was ‘Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand’ by Helen Simonsen. In fact, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Outstanading !
Oops ! I meant ‘outstanding’ 🙂
I never did jot down the books I read last year, but one that I remember off the top of my head would be William Dalrymple’s Nine Lives. I loved the different perspectives he covered in the book.