Recommended Books of 2012

I read 30 books in 2012--far fewer than I had read in 2011, even though my goal was to read more in 2012 than the previous year. I was pregnant in 2011 and took care of a baby in 2011. I also moved to a new state. So those things might have a bearing on less reading time. I would make a goal to read more than last year, but this year looks even busier than last, so I'm just going to try to keep taking the time to read. This year is the year when my husband gets to buy me a Kindle, so I wonder how that will influence how much reading I do.

I looked over my list of books I read last year and these are the ones that stood out to me that I would recommend to others:

The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
You read that right. I did not read the entire series until this past year. I had read the first few when they were first really big. My roommates would buy them, so I'd read them. But book 5 was just too long for me to take the time on when I was reading 15 books per English class per semester (oh, how I wish I'd kept lists of books I read back then!). But this year I read them all in close succession, starting with book one. Then I watched all the movies. Reading them this way helped me remember plot points and to appreciate Rowlings craft and storytelling skills.

Unpacking My Library by Leah Price
A photo book of authors' personal libraries. Cool for book nerds.

The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith
The best book on writing memoir I've ever read. And I've read a lot of them. I'm almost certain this is part of the new curriculum for my old memoir writing teacher's classes now.

How I Killed Pluto by Mike Brown
Interesting story about how Pluto got demoted. If every science writer was this good, I'd read science books all the time. I definitely want to look up and see if he's written anything else.

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Compelling storytelling and fascinating story. Another author I might look up again in the future.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale is my new author for light reads. This one fit the bill, plus it made me want to read Jane Austen. Which any good fan fiction should accomplish.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Beautiful story, beautiful pictures. The movie Hugo was good too. There were little differences, but it is one of the few times I'd recommend the book and the movie or both.

What did you read in 2012 that I should add to my list for 2013?