For more information, and a complete list of 2012’s books, feel free to visit my GoodReads site.
*Thank you to The Perpetual Page-Turner and Aesop to Oz for the questions!
How Many Books Read in 2012?
101
Fiction/Non-Fiction?
33 Non-Fiction/68 Fiction
Male/Female Authors?
39 Male/62 Female (this is definitely conscious – I seek out female voices, especially forgotten/under-appreciated female authors in the canon/classics genre)
Oldest Book Read?
Love and Freindship (deliberate misspelling) by Jane Austen. Dated 1790 and unpublished in her lifetime, Austen wrote a few of these novellas in her youth for the entertainment of her family.
Newest Book Read?
I’ve read tons of books released in 2012. I like the feeling of going into a bookstore and seeing all familiar faces on the new releases shelves . . . It makes me feel like a reading connoisseur!
Longest Book Read?
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel
Shortest Book Read?
It would have been one of the plays again if not for my Dr. Seuss binge after seeing the Chicago MSI exhibit last Winter
Best Book You Read in 2012:
I refuse to choose!
Most Disappointing Book/Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did?
I waited FOREVER for the second installment in the Discovery of Witches trilogy, and unfortunately, the second book was a let-down.
Most Surprising (in a good way!) Book of 2012?
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. A fantastic romance novel with a curvy protagonist who has a career and a mind of her own!
Book You Recommended to People Most in 2012?
Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. Seriously, you know you’re obsessed with this study of hyper-masculinity when you find nothing wrong with soliloquizing about it on a first date. While using its full title every time.
Best Series You Discovered in 2012?
The Johannes Cabal Necromancer series. Unfortunately, since these are based across the pond, we Americans have a bit of delay in getting the newest titles in the series.
Best Book That Was Out Of Your Comfort Zone or Was a New Genre For You?
I read several textbooks this year (some for the purposes of a paper I am co-authoring). I’ve never done that outside of the classroom. A good one (because it’s broken into essays) is From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games.
Most Thrilling Book in 2012?
The Hunger Games series.
Book You Most Anticipated in 2012?
Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel’s second graphic novel. It wasn’t nearly as good as Fun Home.
Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2012?
Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz. I mean, it’s a photography book, so obviously.
Most Memorable Character in 2012?
Madeline Hanna of The Marriage Plot. I know, I know, Eugenides is one of the white, male literary darlings, but I really identified with the philosophies on romance.
Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2012?
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Exceptionally well-crafted.
Book That Had The Greatest Impact On You in 2012?
The Feminine Mystique. It’s unbelievable (and somewhat tragic) how relevant Friedan’s work still is fifty years later.
Book You Can’t Believe You Waited UNTIL 2012 To Finally Read?
The Picture of Dorian Gray. There are serious gaps in this English Major’s classic books’ education.
Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
“A woman didn’t tell hero stories, after all, only ghost stories.” (The Nightingales of Troy)
“The stork is the bird of war.” (A Margaret Sanger quote from the Life of Passion biography)
“It was as if he had inadvertently told her something essential about himself, a secret she would have to keep forever: ‘you can’t count on me.'” (The Bird Sisters)
“You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.” (A Colette quote from The L Life)
“‘A girl needs a husband, Peggy,’ she said. ‘Well,’ I said, “I’ve always been a terrible failure at being a girl.'” (The Giant’s House)
I was so never going to pick just one . . . )
Book That You Read In 2012 That You Would Be Most Likely To Reread In 2013?
The Portable Dorothy Parker
Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About?
Winnie the Pooh and the Angle of Dath (which you can buy here). Thankfully, I can take my over-attachment to fictional characters straight to their author . . . benefit of dating a writer!
One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
I have 48 of them waiting for me from the Open Books Open Boxes sale.
And now, a kitten with books. Happy New Year to all!
Half-Way to a Mid-Life Crisis 