Well this past year I read 13 more books than the previous year, ending up with 83 books read for 2012. I found out that the books that aren't normally the type of book I would read were the ones I loved the most! If you have any recommendations please let me know. However, I already have a great list to start off with for the year, imagine that!
So here are my Top Ten Reads for the year, in order or most recently read as well as why you should read them!
1. Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Swan Song was by far the longest book I've ever read, maxing out at over 850 pages. It was an excellent read though! Definitely one of those that is unique and unlike any storyline I've read before. The book starts off with a nuclear holocaust and the people who survive it are left to fight for their own survival. Naturally the battle of good and evil begins early as people begin to lose their mind and start living the mentality of every man for himself. The novel follows Sister who discovers a strange glass artificat in Manhattan, Josh Hutchins who is a pro wrestler who finds refuge in a Nebraska gas station, and Swan who has special powers of healing. Who will win? Good or evil?
2. The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom's newest book was a quick read that was hard to put down. The Time Keeper is a tale about the man who became Father Time. The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift and is banished to a cave for centuries. There he is forced to listen to the voices of people who come after him that yearn for more time. In order to redeem himself he must teach two people the true meaning of time, while stopping the rest of the world. This book definitely makes you appreciate the time that you are given, which speaks volumes to me now.
3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Finally Gillian Flynn came out with a new book! I've been waiting for what seems like forever. Any book of her's is dark and twisted and Gone Girl doesn't disappoint. I will be honest, at first it dragged for me and I was just waiting and waiting for the book to make the sudden turn but when it did it was a shocker! On Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth anniversary Amy disappears. When her journal is read it seems to paint Nick as a bitter man that may just have it in him to become her killer. Even all the evidence points to him. I can't tell you any more or else this thriller will be given away! It's a must read, I promise!
4. The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
This is the first year that I have tried to make myself more aware of other cultures, so I added this book to my list after seeing it on a top read's list of a friend of mine. Somer is a physician in San Franscisco and finds out that she will not be able to have her own children. That same year in India, a poor mother must give her newborn daughter away in order to save her life. As imagine, this decision haunts her for the rest of her life. Asha is adopted from an orphanage and is the link between the two women. The book follows both sides of Asha's family as she is on her journey to figure out who she truly is, which ultimately leads her back to India.
5. Defending Jacob by William Landay
I
had found this book on Amazon and then on my favorite author's eNewsletter I saw
that she was reading it and so I was sold. It was much like Jodi Picoult's own
style of writing: gets you attached to the main character and their struggle,
they win their battle, and in the last 5 pages... BAM, comes an incoming car!
(<---- Name this Picoult book) Defending Jacob is keeps you locked into the
courtroom drama revolving around a district attornery's son who has been accused
of killing a classmate. His dad seems to be the only one who believes in his
innocence the entire time. It also discusses an interesting concept called "the
Murder Gene." Is it possible that the capacity for committing murder is
inherited? Very good book!
6. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
I really enjoyed the controversial
Young Adult novel, Unwind. I know there are some people that would not be a fan
of the concepts in the book at all, but I found it was very interesting. Unwind
takes place in the future, after the end of the second civil war which is fought
over abortion. Both pro-choice and pro-life can not agree, so they come up with
a compromise to end abortion and creates the alternative of "unwinding." Between
the ages of 13 and 17, parents or guardians can choose to have their children
unwound, or harvested, to be "donated" to other people. Every single body part
will be given a new use so they try and say that the person never died. This
book follows the life of three kids who have been chosen to be unwound and are
on their way to the harvest camps. Fifteen-year-old Connor's parents can no
longer control him. Lev, a tithe, was raised by religious parents with 10
children and his whole purpose of being born was to be unwound. Risa, a ward of
the state, is a victim of shrinking budgets since she is not a talented enough
musician to be kept alive. The Bill of Life also allows for "storking," where if
a mother does not want their baby they can drop it off at any doorway and that
baby then belongs to the family that lives there. Definitely controversial in
regards to abortion, organ donation, and religion, but well worth the read and
very intriguing!
7. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
It took me a while to get into this
book, but by the end of it I was totally hook and involved with the characters
and their love and loss journeys. It starts in 1968 where Lynnie, a young white
woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man,
are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and
Feebleminded. They have been long forgotten by their families. But they have
fallen in love and manage to escape the school. They find refuge in the
farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not
alone, Lynnie has just had a baby girl. The baby is not Homan's but a result
from a horrible night caused by School officials. The police have caught up with
them, Lynnie is caught and Homan goes on the run. Before leaving Lynnie manages
to get out the words, "Hide her." So this is exactly what Martha does. The rest
of the book is a 40-year journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia to
figure out where the paths of love and loss cross.
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Usually I'm against the "big hit books," but after I gave in and read the Hunger Games I was not disappointed. It was so enthralling to me that I sat down and
read it for a few hours straight. It takes place in the future and the United
States has collapsed from disasters like war and famine. It has been replaced by
Panem, which is a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year
every district must choose a boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to
participate in the Hunger Games. This is basically where the 24 unlucky ones
literally fight to the death until a winner is left standing, while being
televised for entertainment. The main character is Katniss, and she actually
fills the spot for her younger sister. During the course of events there are
changes in the rules, alliances are formed, and some chances for romance. Ready for the next movie to come out in November! After reading this I came to the realization I do appreciate dystopias. (Brave New World shoutout!)
9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus is definitely
mystifying, and one of those books I've never read another like it. It is about a circus that
only opens at night, and it shows up in places unannounced. It is the stage for
performers with real talents, making it have an atmosphere of fantasy to it as
well. The circus is used for a duel between two young magicians, Celia and
Marco, who have been trained since childhood just for its purpose. They find out
as they go only one of the illusionists can be left standing, which creates a
catastrophic problem as the two fall in love. The must find a way to beat the
fate they have been cursed with, or leave one with a broken heart. It feels like
you are actually there in the circus experiencing the acts with them.
10. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
I have always been intrigued with tales of adoption and different measures it takes to have the ideal family. This book was the story of a group of women who do not know each other and how their lives cross in order to get what they want the most. Jules Strauss is a Princeton senior on a full scholarship who plans on
selling her “pedigree” eggs to help save her father from addiction.
Annie Barrow, a struggling Pennsylvania housewife, thinks that being a surrogate will help her recover a sense of purpose and will bring in
some much-needed cash.
India Bishop, thirty-eight (really, forty-three) and recently married to the
wealthy Marcus Croft, yearns for a baby for reasons that have more to do with
money than with love. When her attempts at pregnancy fail, she turns to Jules
and Annie to make her dreams come true. That is until her step-daughter Bettina becomes suspicious and begins to find out who India really is.
I hope that you give some of these books a chance, and if you do please let me know what you thought!
-Audra
