2012: Year in Review

# of posts: 149
# of books read: 139

Favorite books of 2012

Middle-grade fiction
In a Glass Grimmly
Liar & Spy

Young adult fiction
The Fault in Our Stars
Where Things Come Back

Adult fiction
Gone Girl
The Family Fang

Adult nonfiction
Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Wild

Favorite jackets of 2012

Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

Unholy Night

Least favorite books of 2012
Girl Land
Wonkenstein

Happy New Year, y'all!

SIX: Birthday Haiku

Oh, Turkmenistan:
please don't get any older.
You're perfect as-is.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland: Review Haiku

Don't try to figure
out the metaphysics: just
sit back and enjoy.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne Valente. Feiwel & Friends, 2012, 272 pages.

Merry Christmas!

Savage Chickens.

Gone Gone Gone: Review Haiku

Damaged boys figure
out loss is both personal
and universal.

Gone Gone Gone by Hannah Moskowitz. S&S, 2012, 288 pages.

Son: Review Haiku

A fitting valedictory
for Lowry's love letter
to feelings.

Son by Lois Lowry. HMCo, 2012, 400 pages.

Wallflower in Bloom: Review Haiku

Dance away a couple
hours with Cook's well-worn
formula. Cha-cha-cha.

Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook. Touchstone, 2012, 272 pages.

Starry River of the Sky: Review Haiku

Grace tries her hand at
magical realism
with an Asian twist.

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin. Little Brown, 2012, 304 pages.

The Last Dragonslayer: Review Haiku

Old-fashioned honor
meets a media-savvy
foundling with a heart.

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde. Harcourt, 2012, 296 pages.

In a Glass Grimmly: Review Haiku

"Fractured fairy tales"
doesn't begin to describe
this kickass novel.

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz. Dutton, 2012, 192 pages.

Princess Academy, Palace of Stone: Review Haiku

A primer on
political theory and
revolution, for teens.

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury, 2012, 336 pages.

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl: Review Haiku

The hero's tour takes
an unexpected detour.
Ah, celebrity.

Legends of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke. First Second, 2012, 224 pages.

How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You: Review Haiku

The short answer? Yes.
The long answer? Also yes,
with handy pictures.

How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You by Matthew Inman. Andrews McMeel, 2012, 136 pages.

Advent Fair TOMORROW, 9-2!

Local peeps! Y'all should come to the Advent Fair at my church tomorrow. Marvelous gift baskets (which I helped make), handmade crafts, country kitchen, children's activities, silent auction, and a raffle to win an iPad mini. It's a one-stop shop!

http://www.stpaulsbedford.org/news/special-events/advent-fair/

Saturday, December 1
9:00am to 2:00pm
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
100 Pine Hill Road
Bedford, MA

The Casual Vacancy: Review Haiku

A dense, all-too-real
look at the pettiness of
local politics.

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. Little Brown, 2012,

What Came From the Stars: Review Haiku

Like a Helen Vendler
lecture: riveting, but
impenetrable.

What Came From the Stars by Gary D. Schmidt. Clarion, 2012, 304 pages.

Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Review Haiku

The profound and the
mundane, rolled together in
one takeout menu.

Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi. Random, 2012, 128 pages.

The Great Unexpected: Review Haiku

Just ignore the twee
connections and coincidences,
and trust Creech.

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech. Harper, 2012, 240 pages.

Jerusalem: Review Haiku

Apolitical
drawings of life on the front
lines of God's city.

Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle. Drawn and Quarterly, 2012, 320 pages.

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Review Haiku

Don't think about the
plot too much; just enjoy
the writing. (His parents!)

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery, and a Very Strange Adventure by Lissa Evans. Sterling, 2012, 272 pages.

Remarkable: Review Haiku

Wanders a bit, but
the ride is enjoyable.
Plus, bonus: PIRATES.

Remarkable by Elizabeth Foley. Dial, 2012, 336 pages.

Almost Home: Review Haiku

Wise, adorable
homeless girl and her puppy.
Grab your hankies.

Almost Home by Joan Bauer. Viking, 2012, 240 pages.

Drama: Review Haiku

So nice to see the
backstage crew take center stage.
Plus, middle-school drag.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier. Graphix, 2012, 240 pages.

No Biking in the House Without a Helmet: Review Haiku

Inspiring and (thank God)
realistic about bad times.
Mazel tov.

No Biking in the House Without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene. Sarah Crichton Books, 2012, 368 pages.

Mad Women: Review Haiku

Real-life Peggy Olson
dishes on work, sex, and
martinis. Good stuff.

Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the '60s and Beyond by Jane Maas. Thomas Dunne Books, 2012, 272 pages.

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea: Review Haiku

Too clever by half,
but that's kind of the whole point.
Bring on Volume Two.

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea: Book One\ by Ellis Weiner. Chronicle, 2012, 232 pages.

Liar & Spy: Review Haiku

Newbery winner
tackles loss and lying with
Konigsburg-esque flair.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead. Wendy Lamb/Random, 2012, 192 pages.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight: Review Haiku

How come I never
met the perfect hot guy on
a trans-ocean flight?

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. Poppy, 2012, 256 pages.

The Next Best Thing: Review Haiku

Yes, it's formulaic --
but who cares? I like
the formula. Sue me.

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner. Atria, 2012, 400 pages.

Seating Arrangements: Review Haiku

I swear none of this
happened at my wedding* (or
I didn't notice).

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead. Knopf, 2012, 320 pages.

* Thirteen years yesterday -- happy anniversary, dorkbutt!

Carry the One: Review Haiku

Well-executed,
but man, I did not like a
single character.

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw. S&S, 2012, 272 pages.

The Voluntourist: Review Haiku

Childless man seeks purpose:
No great insights, but
that was kind of the point.

The Voluntourist: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem by Ken Budd. Morrow, 2012, 464 pages.

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: Review Haiku

The "unreliable
narrator" concept gets
a whole new meaning.

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone -- Especially Ourselves by Dan Ariely. Harper, 2012, 304 pages.

Making Babies: Review Haiku

Rehash of "smart woman
has baby; freaks" tropes, but
still wicked funny.

Making Babies by Anne Enright. Norton, 2012, 208 pages.

The Legend of Diamond Lil: Review Haiku

Quick, breezy read, but
still a bit too much sizzle
and not enough steak.

The Legend of Diamond Lil (A J. J. Tully Mystery) by Doreen Cronin. Balzer + Bray, 2012, 144 pages.

Dangerous Pumpkins: Review Haiku

Love me some Jenkins,
but undercurrent of meanness
spoils this series.

Dangerous Pumpkins (Invisible Inkling #2) by Emily Jenkins. Balzer + Bray, 2012, 160 pages.

Since You Left Me: Review Haiku

Sanskrit, I give you
permission to punch your mother
in the face. Hard.

Since You Left Me by Allen Zadoff. Egmont, 2012, 320 pages.

The Phantom of the Post Office: Review Haiku

Cute epistolary
series gets lost under
heavy messaging.

The Phantom of the Post Office (43 Old Cemetery Road #4) by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise. Harcourt, 2012, 160 pages.

Shine: Review Haiku

Even though I guessed
the ending halfway through, still
with her all the way.

Shine by Lauren Myracle. Abrams, 2012, 376 pages.

Wicked Business: Review Haiku

I can't even do
this anymore. Trash is fun --
but sometimes, just trash.

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich. Bantam, 2012, 320 pages.

The Age of Miracles: Review Haiku

Awesome dystopia --
but there's no way that narrative
voice is twelve.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. Random, 2012, 288 pages.

The One and Only Ivan: Review Haiku

A third Newbery
contender throws his simian
hat in the ring.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Harper, 2012, 320 pages.

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny: Review Haiku

You're even reading
this review in Garrison
Keillor's voice, aren't you.

Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny by Garrison Keillor. Penguin, 2012, 224 pages.

Friends with Boys: Review Haiku

Fine line between
reality and fantasy --
just like age fourteen.

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks. First Second, 2012, 224 pages.

Gone Girl: Review Haiku

HOLY HELL THESE PEOPLE
ARE INSANE. Edge-of-your-seat
summer reading.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Crown, 2012, 432 pages.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: Review Haiku

I wish I had her
sanguine attitude on life,
but I'm not there yet.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir by Anna Quindlen. Random, 2012, 208 pages.

Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom: Review Haiku

Well-drawn characters
make topical drama resonate
more strongly.

Tessa Masterson WILL Go to Prom by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin. Walker, 2012, 272 pages.

The Difference Between You and Me: Review Haiku

I would've cared more
if either of the girls were
at all likable. 

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George. Viking, 2012,

Reunited: Review Haiku

Three girls, one van, a
million tiny slights make for
one awkward road trip.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham. S&S, 2012, 336 pages.