My Top 2012 Picks

I'm a couple weeks late on this post, but here are some of my favourite reads of 2012.

When I look back at my 2012 list of books, there aren't all that many "Must-Reads" ... It seem that in 2012, I didn't spend my time reading literary masterpieces or classic novels - it was a year I spent reading recommended books, top books on the chart, recent releases or simple stuff to pass the time!  It's not about reading what people think you should read, but reading what you're in the mood for!

Instead of listing my top 5 books of 2012 (like I did for 2011), I've decided to pick a few categories and list my top pick for those categories.




Funniest True (or Mostly True) Books

Seriously... I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

I read this book early in 2012 and remember reading it so quickly.  It was a hilarious read about nothing in particular.  It had me laughing out loud and telling everyone to read it if they needed a little "pick-me-up" in their day.  It's a book that I will honestly read again someday.  Buy this book here.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

 

A little more, shall we say, "adult" (or "inappropriate") than the other winner in the "Funniest True (or Mostly True) Book" category, this was a top pick for me this year.  Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) is a hilarious blogger who writes about anything and everything that happens to her.  Her stories are exaggerated (or not, you make that call) and funny.  She takes ordinary (and some not-so-ordinary) situations and turns them into awkward and extremely memorable stories.  I read through this book at a crazy speed and really want to listen to the audiobook of "Let's Pretend This Never Happened", for the sole reason of hearing Jenny Lawson's expressions as she tells some of her stories.  Buy this book here.

Favourite Love Story

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

I'm a sucker for love stories and this love story was a beautiful one.  These two individuals went through so much individually before they tried to make it work out with each other.  Nicholas Sparks tells the story in a way that gives you enough information to see what is going on while keeping you guessing about how everything is going to unfold. I didn't want to put the book down once I started it (and I may have watched the movie "The Lucky One" a few times already...).  Buy this book here.


Most Talked About Series

"Fifty Shades of Grey" series by E.L. James

What would a 2012 list be without this series mentioned?  While it wasn't my favourite series, it was very talked about and popular in 2012.  I asked myself numerous times, "Why am I still reading this?"  Yet I continued to read it.  While I don't think it's any literary masterpiece, I remember my dad saying to me once, "You may say that it's not good writing.  But if the author can get you to ignore everything else that you have to do in your life right now and pick up that book instead, then it's got something."  So, E.L. James, although I'm embarrassed to say it, you get a pick on my 2012 list because I made it through the series in 2012 and so did so many other people.  Buy this series here.

Best Young Adult Book

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Dealing with difficult issues such as bullying, hate crimes, depression, and rape, Shine is a must-read for teens.  It was a book that was a bit difficult to read because of the content, but I think it deals with issues that need more awareness.  While I felt that the way some of these issues were dealt with in the book was unrealistic or different than the larger communities that many of us are used to, the issues are important and the content itself is worth a read.  Buy this book here.

Most Magical Book

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I've talked to a few people who just couldn't get into this book, but I loved it.  I thought The Night Circus was well written and told a story in a different, magical way.  If you're up for using your imagination and getting into a book that will make you think, give this one a try.  Buy this book here.

Seriously... I'm Kidding (Ellen Degeneres)

I've been waiting for a while to read this book.  I kind of knew that I was getting "Seriously... I'm Kidding" as either a Christmas or Birthday gift (shh...) so I had to hold off on reading it.  I was super excited when I finally received it for my Birthday and it made it on top of the pile of books that are on my "to-read" list!

I LOVED this book.  Loved it.  I thought Tina Fey's book was funny, but I thought Ellen's book was funnier.  This could be because I am a huge Ellen fan (and didn't know much about Tina Fey when I read her book), but regardless, this book was Hilarious with a capital H. 

I was laughing out loud even as I read the flaps in the book and the back.  And then I was laughing out loud when I was reading her message to readers and her acknowledgements at the beginning of the book.  And so on... The laughing continued.

It's such a random book, with chapters about anything and everything.  A chapter about Meditation?  Yep.  A chapter about Stretching?  Yep.  A chapter about Pros and Cons?  Yep.  She includes something for all ages!  Colouring pages for children, a chapter for the older audience and a chapter for the teens.  It's all there! 

It's like a standup routine, but you're reading it instead of listening to her say it.

One part I thought was particularly funny was a chapter where she suddenly says that she bets you're thinking about how you're thirsty for tequila.  She writes, "So that reader is going to take to their Twitter account and tweet, 'Reading Ellen's hilarious new book.  Thirsty for tequila.'  And if that makes people want to buy the book, I think that's great." (Seriously... I'm Kidding, Ellen Degeneres, p. 139)  Well, I decided to sign onto Twitter and search for this phrase.  Yep, it was there.  In fact, at the exact moment that I made it my most recent tweet, 10 other people also tweeted the exact same sentence.  Awesome.

I suggest you go out and buy this book.  Read it as fast as you can (because I know once you start it, you won't want to put it down).  Then make everyone you know read it by talking about how funny and great it was.  Then once everyone has read it, keep it as a coffee table book or a bathroom reader.  Because it's that funny that you will want to reread sections of it over and over again.  Seriously... It's funny.