My favorite reads of 2012

Back at the beginning of the year, when the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour topics were picked, I thought this would be an excellent chance to point out the things I’d loved and get my ideas together for Hugo awards. Which is still true. However, the truth is that I’ve already talked about a lot of the books that came out this year that I’ve enjoyed. So my plan here is to list the ones I’ve talked with links to my earlier reviews, hit the ones I haven’t mentioned yet, touch on the ones in progress, and then list a few that have come out that I haven’t gotten to yet but that I recommend others check out.

Already mentioned:

Not previously mentioned (I think):

  • Libriomancer, Jim C. Hines (Urban fantasy where books really are magic. What’s not to love? Discussion on Scalzi’s blog)
  • Alchemystic, Anton Strout (Urban fantasy, first in a series about Spellmasons — magic, masonry, and gargoyles!)
  • Redshirts, John Scalzi (Science fiction, an homage to all the bad science in Star Trek, plus other show tropes, and about as meta as fiction gets.)
  • The Diviners, Libba Bray (Spooky fiction about ghosts and prophecies, people with different talents, and how they all fit together. First in a series, set during Prohibition mostly in New York.)
  • Arctic Rising, Tobias Buckell (Science fiction, set in the Arctic, oddly enough. Okay, I mentioned it back in August in the TBR post, but not reviewed — and pretty much everything in that post that came out this year belongs on this list somewhere!)

Still in progress:

  • The Killing Moon, N. K. Jemisin (Fantasy, based on Ancient Egypt, but not set there. Excellent. Discussion on Scalzi’s blog)
  • Discount Armageddon, Seanan McGuire (Urban fantasy, cryptid hunters.)
  • The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg (Nonfiction. Yes, I do read some aside from for research or work.)
  • Apex Book of World SF 2, Lavie Tidhar, ed.
  • Solaris Rising 1.5 (SF anthology)

Still on the TBR pile:

  • Blackwood, Gwenda Bond (YA, the Lost Colony of Virginia, etc. Discussion on Scalzi’s blog)
  • The Grass King’s Concubine, Kari Sperring (Fantasy, too complex to sum up, but sounds fabulous. Discussion on Scalzi’s blog)
  • Rainbow’s End (Collection of romance novellas, including one by Valerie Comer.)
  • AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers
  • Once A Duchess, Elizabeth Boyce (Regency romance written by an author I know. Yes, I’m sorry to say, only available as an e-book.)
  • Cold Days, Jim Butcher (Urban fantasy, the latest Dresden Files book. Just came out this past Tuesday. I’m currently 6th in the hold list at the library.)
  • Plus a few of those from that previously mentioned TBR post . . .

What are you working on reading now?

Today’s post was inspired by the topic “Favorite books of 2012”– December’s topic in the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour — an ongoing tour where you, the reader, travel around the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. We have all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The next post in the tour will be on the 4th, by D. M. Bonanno. Be sure to check it out.

If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and find out their thoughts on crossing genre lines, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. You can find links to all of the posts on the tour by checking out the group site. Read and enjoy!

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4 Responses to My favorite reads of 2012

  1. Laura Eno says:

    I’m going to save this list for reference! 🙂

    • Erin says:

      😀 Always glad to share my recommendations.

      Actually, if you want regular recommendations, do check out John Scalzi’s blog, Whatever. He regularly has “Big Idea” posts, where the authors talk about what inspired them to write a specific book or create a world. A couple others he mentioned that I haven’t checked out yet are Vessel, by Sarah Beth Durst, and Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan.

  2. Dawn says:

    I added about 6 things to my to-read list. I swear I’m never going to “catch up” with my reading. 🙂

    • Erin says:

      There’s no way to catch up! (Which 6?)

      I forgot to mention Anne’s second book comes out just before the end of the year, too. Oops.

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