Second Look: My 2012 Reading List (part 1 of 2)
It's everybody's favorite time of year, the time I get to look at my reading list from a decade earlier and add commentary, mostly consisting of any memories I haven't shared before and how I feel about the title now. Note: I drafted this post about a month ago and I'm queueing it for today because I'm probably not doing TTT this week, but just in case I'd like to leave that day open.
I still can't believe 2012 was a decade ago; it feels like it's been maybe ten weeks. That was the year I joined Goodreads (halfway through the year) and began writing slightly longer reviews than the LJ blurbs, so I'm curious to see if that changes my ability to remember stuff. This is also the year I began getting tailored recs from said Goodreads AND learned Interlibrary Loan wasn't just for colleges, so the quality started to go up.
Formatting rules: 4-star titles get italicized, 5 stars are in bold, 1-star reads are struck through, and the rest you have to guess from my tone if they were 2 or 3 stars, since I was still linking titles to Amazon rather than my Goodreads review back then. But if you hate Amazon and/or want to see all the covers at once, here's a link to My 2012 Year In Books on Goodreads instead.
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January
1. The Hearts of Horses - Molly Gloss. 304 pg/2007. [1/8]
Here it is, the very first book I ever added to Goodreads! Also one of the earlier examples of me reading an adult fiction book that I really liked -- but I can't remember what, specifically, I liked about it enough to say for sure if this is still a book worth owning, or if it was an above-average read at the time that has now been surpassed by countless other novels.
2. Gleeful!: A Totally Unofficial Guide to the Hit Series [NF] - Amy Rickman. 214 pg/2010. [1/15]
This was such a good read for me at the time, yet now I remember none of it. I wish I would run across a copy of it secondhand, I would buy it in an INSTANT. Sure, I've got Don't Stop Believin' and I've never read more than a few pages of it at a time, but that's much more structured as an episode guide; I want Random Facts. And whatever else was in this one.
On a related note, I am so excited for the day Glee gets cool enough again and/or old enough for people to write nonfiction books about the series as a whole (we got such a deluge after season 1, then crickets). I will read them all.
3. Fixing Delilah - Sarah Ockler. 320 pg/2010. [1/19]
It has been a decade and I'm still mad about the cool premise of prepping a house for an estate sale (I think that's what happened, anyway) being smothered beneath my loathing for the main character.
4. Diary of a Chav - Grace Dent. 216 pg/2008. [1/23]
I will never forget how much I loved picturing a young Rose Tyler while reading this! I never did read the sequel*, not being aware that Interlibrary Loan wasn't just for colleges at the time, and thereafter feeling like I was too old to appreciate it as much. (*edit: five sequels?? Holy carp.)
5. CSI: Brass in Pocket - Jeff Mariotte. 323 pg/2009. [1/25]
I remember nothing.
February
6. CSI: The Burning Season - Jeff Marriotte. 345 pg/2011. [2/3]
I remember nothing, part II. Literally, out of all the CSI-verse tie-ins I ever read, there are maybe 3 that I can differentiate.
7. Crossing the Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted. 312 pg/2004. [2/4]
Yeah I definitely did not like this sequel as much as the first one.
8. A Match Made in High School - Kristin Walker. 278 pg/2009. [2/5]
I have much less contempt for this obviously cute/silly story now than I did then, when I was positively OUTRAGED by what I saw as the continual dumbing-down of YA. Honestly, I don't think I was wrong; the contemporaries were only just starting to amp up the maturity and seriousness level as a whole. We still have light-hearted books, but I feel like the girls are generally smarter in them.
9. That Summer - Sarah Dessen. 198 pg/1996. [2/5]
I don't actually remember what happens in this book, and over time I've definitely come to agree it's not her best, but on the other hand I was happy enough with my memory to take an ugly, but appealingly small and slim, paperback ex-library copy out of a Little Free Library last fall.
10. The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story [NF] - Diane Ackerman. 323 pg/2007. [2/6]
I STILL haven't seen the Jessica Chastain movie!! Which I also feel in my bones will be more engaging than this, since I feel no temptation to own or reread it, even though I liked it at the time and would still recommend it.
11. Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best - Maria Padian. 352 pg/2011. [2/11]
2 stars all the way, what a bland streak of nothing.
12. The Daughters Take The Stage - Joanna Philbin. 273 pg/2011. [2/11]
I'll just quote the 2011 retrospective: remember when I thought this series was gonna be the next Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, only I rapidly outgrew each installment of this one and never read the 4th one [of this] at all? I still recommend it for younger YA readers, though.
13. The Sweetheart of Prosper County - Jill Alexander. 224 pg/2009. [2/15]
Even though I only gave it 3 stars and don't remember it well, I always remember it fondly, just because 4-H stories are so rare.
14. Stay - Deb Caletti. 313 pg/2011. [2/17]
Kind of a "meh" entry in my memory of Caletti books, no interest in rereading. Unless Finn is a cuter love interest than I remember...
15. Child of the Wolves - Elizabeth Hall. 176 pg/1996. [2/19]
This is ENTIRELY up my animal-book-obsessed self's alley and I'm pretty sure I read it as a kid too; why is it so plain in my memory.
16. Shrinking Violet - Danielle Joseph. 292 pg/2009. [2/19]
I always loved the play-on-words in this title. In the sea of mediocrity that was much of my book selection in the early part of the year, this one stood out for having a surprisingly memorable/relatable character.
17. Somewhere in Blue - Gillian Cummings. 334 pg/2010. [2/22]
I do not remember anything that happens in this.
18. Love, Inc. - Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout. 408 pg/2011. [2/25]
I just love how much the girl on the original cover reminds me of Kat Dennings, specifically from 2 Broke Girls. I don't remember this well, but it looks very cute and I'm not at all mad I read it, even though I never got to the sequel.
19. Harmonic Feedback - Tara Kelly. 288 pg/2010. [2/27]
Don't remember this, but I think it was the first book I read with an autistic main character? First autistic girl, at least. A real 3.5 star read to me, I found it hard to rate on Goodreads.
20. Crowned - Julie Linker. 290 pg/2008. [2/27]
I feel like YA doesn't make many books this silly and light anymore, outside of pure romances. Not outstanding, but so good for what it is. I'm sad to see this was her 2nd and last book published.
21. Spoiled - Heather C. & Jessica Morgan. 360 pg/2011. [2/29]
I refuse to accept that anyone with a last name like Heather's (censored for propriety) wouldn't change it by age 19, let alone bestow it on their children. But anyway, I don't remember this one nearly as fondly. It seems very dumb, even though I gave it 3 stars. Maybe that's just my annoyance about her later success with dumb-sounding The Royal We.
March
22. Rival - Sarah Bennet Wealer. 336 pg/2011. [3/4]
Big ball o' meh! (not that I actually remember it) I remember the author mentioning on Twitter (in a reply; I don't follow her) that she assumes all the characters in her YA novels break up after high school, as opposed to the HEA-found-my-soulmate kind, and I just kept thinking I dodged a bullet there by not caring about any of her books.
23. With Or Without You - Brian Farrey. 368 pg/2011. [3/5]
In retrospect, I feel strongly like my new Blaine Anderson blinders/determination to cast him in this inflated my blown-away reaction. A few years later, I even donated the copy I'd bought (I think), because I couldn't see revisiting it. But I can't bedgrudge it being Past Me's favorite book of the year up to that point. Look what she was dealing with.
24. Undone - Brooke Taylor. 320 pg/2008. [3/5]
Don't remember details, but def. not one I'd reread.
25. Crunch Time - Mariah Fredericks. 336 pg/2005. [3/11]
Holy crap why was this book so long. I remember it being a story worth like, 1/3rd that length.
26. A Boy I Once Knew [NF] - Elizabeth Stone. 205 pg/2002. [3/11]
I am SO MAD at Past Me for not writing a detailed review on this one, because while this was definitely another cast-Blaine-Anderson situation, I'm not sure if that worked out. I do remember it being really moving for reasons beyond that, but I'm not quite sure why, beyond how interesting I find the idea of leaving one's journals to a former teacher. I'm also not quite sure how I came across this one -- I must have been searching something specifically, probably related to gay teens given the subject matter and because this isn't an area of the library I'd browse, but...what? and where?
27. Sing Me To Sleep - Angela Morrison. 301 pg/2010. [3/12]
All I remember is my review and I would not revisit this one.
28. Recovery Road - Blake Nelson. [3/13]
Don't remember it well, but I have the sense of it being well written. I'd like to try a few more of his novels too, I think. I didn't realize the author was a man when I read this, so that's a good sign as far as writing female main characters goes.
29. The Girl Who Became a Beatle - Greg Taylor. 2011. [3/14]
Can't improve on original review: "It makes no apologies for its cracktastic literal wish fulfillment, so I can't say I didn't know what I was getting into..."
30. Taking Off - Jenny Moss. 340 pg/2011. [3/16]
I don't remember the content well, but I liked this book enough that I actually have it on my bookshelf instead of in a box somewhere, and occasionally I take it down and page through it and think about rereading it someday.
31. Every Little Thing in the World - Nina de Gramont. 282 pg/2010. [3/17]
*feelings of punching transpire*
The ending of this made decide that
[spoiler]abortion
is the only thing I ever, and ALWAYS, want a content warning for because if I know that happens there's a 90% chance I won't read it. I don't ever want to deal with that again.
32. Bitter End - Jennifer Brown. 368 pg/2011. [3/20]
Awww, this book! My 2nd by this author, from whom I've read 3 books in total, all great, and whose back catalog I really need to finish. Anyway, I never did get around to my reread last year, but the next time my Melissa Benoist feelings need a book outlet I WILL revisit it. In paging through it when I had it checked out for 9 weeks, I was really drawn in by the writing style.
33. Dramarama - E. Lockhart. [3/26]
To quote my original review, "mix one part summer theater school program with one part straight girl/gay best friend (OH HAI THERE GLEE AU)," and you understand why I bought a copy of this, even though I've never read any of her other books, and still think fondly about it.
34. No and Me - Delphine de Vigan. 244 pg/2007. [3/26]
Most of the details have slipped, but the strong character portrait of the title homeless girl has remained lodged in my heart.
April
35. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters - Natalie Standiford. 313 pg/2010. [4/1]
2012 review: Only author cred made me pull it out, which is a shame, because its title, cover and summary make it easy to get lost amidst the vast sea of low quality Rich White Girl Problems stories, and it's really a cut above the general population.
2022 Me: holy crap I miss Rich White Girl Problems stories so much.
(That said, I see I only ever was willing to give this 3.5 stars at most, so this probably wouldn't be the ideal one to revisit. update: in fact, I just saw it's still at the library, but as soon as I started paging through it I was overwhelmed by Meh.)
36. Star in the Middle - Carole Larese Millward. 303 pg/2009. [4/2]
Original review says it all! "Was like reading a Lifetime movie. And by that I mean cheesy, melodramatic, and hard to take seriously. Even the cover photo looks fake and staged." ...and even as I read my own warnings, I'm getting sucked in by the summary like "but wouldn't it be INTERESTING to read about what teen parenting classes are like? especially for a stereotypical teen mom, who is neither very financially well supported nor very bright?" But I suspect the answer is NO, at least not in this format.
37. A Nostalgic Almanac [NF] - Edna Hong. 173 pg/1980. [4/5]
Bought this at a book sale originally, still have it. It's a slow read and probably not still 5 stars to me today, but it's a nice rumination on growing up rural in the 1920s, not unlike Gladys Taber's writing. I am a bit shocked it still has next to no presence on Goodreads, though.
38. A Little Bit Wicked [NF] - Kristin Chenoweth (w/ Joni Rodgers). 240 pg/2009. [4/7]
My very first celebrity memoir -- a great choice that opened the door for many more to come! Still own a copy.
39. After - Amy Efaw. 350 pg/2009. [4/9]
Meh. But still well written enough overall that I'm very surprised to see she only ever published two books.
40. Wild Season - Allan M. Eckhert. 154 pg/1967. [4/13]
Bought this paperback in a secondhand bookstore, still have it. It's another nice rumination on nature (well...not always nice, but realistic), and I've found it for a couple of people on lost-book forums. I didn't realize at the time that he was also the author of Incident at Hawk's Hill, which I read (and loved) for class in 7th grade and have been meaning to revisit as an adult.
41. How To Be Bad - E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski & Lauren Myracle. 325 pg/2008. [4/15]
I remember some fun things happening on the trip, but I also remember these girls being dumbasses. I have since learned that Lockhart's plots don't interest me, Mlynowski is the anti-Christ when it comes to YA content i can stand, and Myracle is 30/70 hit or miss. Would that I could have imparted this wisdom to Past Me.
42. The Implosion of Aggie Winchester - Lara Zielin. 288 pg/2011. [4/16]
I really thought You Should See Me In A Crown would be the better version of this book, but honestly? At the end of the day I have better memories of this one, despite the main character probably being worse. The cover is just so pretty it's tricking me.
43. Imaginary Girls - Nova Ren Suma. 352 pg/2011. [4/22]
I GET IRRATIONALLY ANGRY AT THE MERE SIGHT OF THIS COVER. It was just so freaking weird and incomprehensible , esp. compared to how excited I was to read about people swimming in a reservoir built over a flooded town, that it earned her an instant author blacklist she still hasn't come back from.
44. Fostergirls - Liane Shaw. 256 pg/2011. [4/29]
I don't remember the details of this at all, but I'm glad I read it and glad it exists.
May
45. All We Know of Love - Nora Raleigh Baskin. 208 pg/2008. [5/1]
I do not remember this well. I a little bit wonder if it's actually as bland/boring as I thought it was at the time, because bus trip!, but then again...probably.
46. Mountain Solo - Jeanette Ingold. 309 pg/2003. [5/5]
This was 3 stars, but favorably so; I'm sad I don't remember ANYTHING about it.
47. Rx - Tracy Lynn. 265 pg/2006. [5/6]
Can't believe I was still reading about drug abuse/addicts/dealing in 2012. The subject is just so boring to me now.
48. Clean - Amy Reed. 272 pg/2011. [5/12]
I remember nothing! Except that I found this read so bland I never read another of her books.
49. King Dork - Frank Portman. 344 pg/2006. [5/13]
I remembered this with such weird fondness that I actually recommended it to Chris, back when I was still trying to assess his taste in books, and possibly bought him a copy. That we still have.
50. Target - Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson. 175 pg/2003. [5/15]
I claimed on Goodreads I would "never be able to explain why I read this," but I actually know exactly why, it's because it's about the aftermath of a teenage boy who was violently raped by a (male) stranger, and I wanted in that headspace so I could project it onto poor Blaine Anderson. For hurt/comfort reasons. Alas, most of what I remember is how annoying I found his new friend.
51. Are You Going To Kiss Me Now? - Sloane Tanen. 2011. [5/19]
It's like the very definition of "beach read." And honestly, sometimes I want to revisit it!* I'd love to pick celebrities to mentally cast, now that I do that.
* = literally 2 weeks after writing this I found the library's last copy in the sale corner, so it's mine now oops.
52. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) [NF] - Mindy Kaling. 240 pg/2011. [5/20]
Second celebrity memoir, even better than the first and still ABSOLUTE PERFECTION 2 ME. I now own it in both hardcover and audiobook, and one day I will even listen to the latter.
*53. The Girl Next Door - Selene Castrovilla. 237 pg/2010. [5/20]
This was my second read of this perfect hurt/comfort teen cancer novel, and I did it for Kurt/Blaine reasons despite both having ample fanfic covering this territory and having to transpose from girl/boy to boy/boy, because I wanted them in a story I knew would be well written and hit me in the feels.
54. Girls Don't Fly - Kristen Chandler. 300 pg/2011. [5/21]
I think it's going to end up my 3rd favorite of her 3 because it focuses on birds over mammals, and I definitely downgraded this to 4 stars on Goodreads, but even so, a great choice for the year!
55. Love, Cajun Style - Diane Les Becquets. 400 pg/2005. [5/25]
I remember this book so fondly. I've ended up reading a surprising number of hers since, not intentionally, but just because she has so many different styles, and I've never been disappointed. I still want to reread this one.
56. Putting Makeup on Dead People - Jen Violi. 326 pg/2011. [5/27]
I think this one had sexcapades at some point that made me dock a star, but it's also such an incredibly unique premise (teen working in a mortuary) that I've never forgotten ti.
June
57. The Future of Us - Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler. 356 pg/2011. [6/1]
This book is so dumb I could never reread it, but it was dumb in a way that was super fun to read the first time around (90s teen finds a mysterious website called "Facebook" that shows her the future!), even though it was never going to be more than 3 stars.
58. Part Wild [NF] - Ceiridwen Terrill. 235 pg/2011. [6/1]
This was a letdown.
59. After You - Julie Buxbaum. 336 pg/2009. [6/4]
One of the few times I randomly browsed the adult fiction and decided one looked good, I'm pleasantly surprised it worked out (not outstanding but good), especially since I didn't know her from YA yet.
60. All My Patients Kick and Bite [NF] - Jeff Wells, D.V.M. 243 pg/2011. [6/9]
I don't honestly remember why I loved this one so much, except maybe I hadn't read a vet memoir in a while and I missed the style.
61. From Bad to Cursed - Katie Alender. 442 pg/2011. [6/10]
It's funny how much I loved these books then, but now don't remember them at all.
62. Between Here and Forever - Elizabeth Scott. 250 pg/2011. [6/10]
My underwhelming and final read from this author.
63. Finding Somewhere - Joseph Monninger. 224 pg/2011. [6/16]
Very fond memories of this one! Maybe my favorite of his?
64. Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography [NF] - Elisabeth Sladen with Jeff Hudson. 334 pg/2011. [6/17]
One of the few books I anticipated long before its publication back then, this was my first request as soon as I found out I had access to ILL. I've forgotten a lot of the detail by now, but I have never forgotten how utterly perfect and wonderful it was for me at the time.
65. Five Flavors of Dumb - Antony John. 352 pg/2010. [6/18]
A very worthwhile read with a deaf lead, though in the end, I found I didn't love it quite enough to keep my copy.
66. Don't Let Me Go - J.H. Trumble. 344 pg/2012. [6/20]
Forget Target, THIS was the Kurt/Blaine post-assault hurt/comfort story of my dreams, complete with the storyline we all feared. I'm still pissed about the cheating that ruined the last third of the book, though, specifically when she doubled down on the cheating at the last minute for no reason. Yes that's a spoiler, but it deserves to be known. ...although in retrospect, since Canon Blaine later cheated out of sadness too, maybe I can get over it? ...no.
67. Twelve Long Months - Brian Malloy. 316 pg/2008. [6/20]
I don't remember what any of the "poor decisions" I mentioned in this are, but man did this cement some dislike for that poor male cover model, who is also on the cover of some book about an anorexic teen (same photo), whom I have only ever been able to see as a thick-headed numbskull ever since.
68. The Rescue of Belle & Sundance [NF] - Bridget Stutz & Lawrence Scanlan. 221 pg/2010. [6/23]
It was fine for what it was, just not that compelling.
69. Deep in the Heart of High School - Veronica Goldbach. 202 pg/2009. [6/27]
Mehhhhhhhh! But not objectively bad, just not interesting to me, so I'm sorry to see that this author never published any other books.
70. And Then Things Fall Apart - Arlaina Tibensky. 272 pg/2011. [6/28]
I see this cover and I simultaneously go "oh, looks indie and interesting" and gnash my teeth because of the "sofa king" phrase. Otherwise, I don't remember it.
July
71. Walking Back To Happiness - Lucy Dillon. [7/1]
Second Lucy Dillon ever! And also last; damn, I really am approaching a whole decade behind on her backlog, huh.
*72. Candy Stripers - Lee Wyndham. 196 pg/1958. [7/1]
Flush with my shiny new access to Interlibrary Loan, I realized this included access to my college library (the best thing about college) with none of the drawbacks to actually being a college student, so this became my third request. It was every bit as good as I remembered, so I own a copy now.
73. Horses Never Lie About Love [NF] - Jana Harris. 277 pg/2011. [7/2]
This book got trashed on Goodreads because apparently she's not a very responsible horse breeder, but whatever, it reminded me SO MUCH of my fictional character in the sim horse club/Great Big Complex Fictional Universe that it is very dear to me, and that's why I now own a copy despite it being rather oversized.
74. The Eighty Dollar Champion [NF] - Elizabeth Letts/ 296 pg/2011. [7/4]
The book that sparked what has now been ten years of me trying to buy a copy of the stupid-rare picture book about this horse, The Story of Snowman by Tony Palazzo. Culminating in the time it turned up ON MY LOCAL CRAIGSLIST last year for a mere fifty dollars (cheapest I've ever seen it online was a little over $100; usually it's anywhere from $180 to $400), but it was way outside of my driving comfort zone, in the middle of winter to boot, and I just could not bring myself to commit.
75. Winter Town - Stephen Emond. 331 pg/2011. [7/5]
I said this book would have been better without the sillly graphic novel aspect and I stand by that. But probably not much better, because the female character sucks.
76. The Survival Kit - Donna Freitas. 355 pg/2011. [7/8]
Although I don't remember this at ALL, I need to remedy that because I read a scant handful of truly outstanding YA novels this year, and I am sure this was one of them.
77. How To Save A Life - Sara Zarr. 341 pg/2011. [7/8]
mehhhhhh! Better than her debut, but so is anything.
*78. Into The Wind - Gertrude Mallette. 295 pg/1941. [7/14]
See Candy Striper, except I don't own a copy of this. One day I'm gonna have to cave, even if it means I have to buy it under the hideously ugly and poor-representation-of-its-content cover with the title Probation Nurse.
79. Pedigree Unknown - Dorothy Lyons. 172 pg/1973. [7/17]
My least favorite of the novels of hers I've read (also by far the least horse-focused), but I'm glad I read it.
80. Becoming Chloe - Catherine Ryan Hyde. 215 pg/2006. [7/18]
Another Interlibrary Loan request, and my first by this author, because I 100% intended to mentally cast this with Glee characters Blaine and Brittany (but in practice, I found Chloe to seem even more mentally handicapped than Brittany and I just couldn't make it work. Still bummed. Still tempted to try again, especially now that there's a sequel novella)
81. The Less-Dead - April Lurie. 229 pg/2010. [7/22]
This book has some gay characters, with tragic results. GUESS WHY I READ IT.
82. Sandpiper - Ellen Wittlinger. 227 pg/2005. [7/22]
Beautiful cover, but definitely one of my least favorite Wittlingers. Title character's a BRAT.
83. Bumped - Megan McCafferty. 323 pg/2011. [7/23]
Although not amazing, I liked it a lot more than the scores of people disparaging it. Maybe because it was just so refreshing to me to have a book where being a pregnant teen was something desirable and worth celebrating (not to mention very voluntary, capitalizing on teens' general interest in having sex), instead of one of the 750 dystopias about how females are miserably pressed into sexual servitude from the moment they hit puberty.
84. Rose In A Storm - Jon Katz. 217 pg/2010. [7/25]
At the time I was so overjoyed to find an adult novel that focused on a dog I probably would have put it in my top 10-15 reads of the year, but I dunno. Now I'm just so conditioned to dislike Katz's name that it's tainting my memory.
85. Want To Go Private? - Sara Darer Littman. 332 pg/2011. [7/26]
Ughhhh, the cautionary tale that fails at being a useful tool because it's also full of gross/explicit detail. Also, no offense, but I don't feel like the majority of teens who are groomed on the internet end up losing their virginity via
[trigger warning]violent rape in a hotel room -- the deliberate kind where the girl doesn't want to participate and is actively crying -- that is also recorded on video and put online.
edit: my bad, I actually just remembered there was definitely a case exactly like that in the early 2000s. But still.
86. A Three Dog Life [NF] - Abigail Thomas. 182 pg/2006. [7/27]
This made me sad. Too sad to ever look at it again. (Because it's not really about dogs so much as a husband with permanent brain damage from an accident that requires him to be in assisted living.)
87. Animal Magnetism: My Life With Creatures Great and Small [NF] - Rita Mae Brown. 235 pg/2009. [7/28]
Still haven't read any of her fiction, don't even remember the contents of this one, except that I felt like it required an appreciation or at least knowledge of her work to really enjoy it.
88. Are U 4 Real? - Sarah Kadefors. 320 pg/2001. [7/29]
Book twins w/ #85! This one's the good twin, though still not exciting, because it's about meeting someone online who isn't a predator. I don't remember the content at all, otherwise.
August
Whoops, I got too rambly and was hit with a "post too large" error, so we'll finish it up later!
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P.S. Please warn me if anything needs to be spoiler-cut that isn't. When I split my draft post into two parts I lost some of the special formatting; I think I caught it all, but not sure.
I still can't believe 2012 was a decade ago; it feels like it's been maybe ten weeks. That was the year I joined Goodreads (halfway through the year) and began writing slightly longer reviews than the LJ blurbs, so I'm curious to see if that changes my ability to remember stuff. This is also the year I began getting tailored recs from said Goodreads AND learned Interlibrary Loan wasn't just for colleges, so the quality started to go up.
Formatting rules: 4-star titles get italicized, 5 stars are in bold, 1-star reads are struck through, and the rest you have to guess from my tone if they were 2 or 3 stars, since I was still linking titles to Amazon rather than my Goodreads review back then. But if you hate Amazon and/or want to see all the covers at once, here's a link to My 2012 Year In Books on Goodreads instead.
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January
1. The Hearts of Horses - Molly Gloss. 304 pg/2007. [1/8]
Here it is, the very first book I ever added to Goodreads! Also one of the earlier examples of me reading an adult fiction book that I really liked -- but I can't remember what, specifically, I liked about it enough to say for sure if this is still a book worth owning, or if it was an above-average read at the time that has now been surpassed by countless other novels.
2. Gleeful!: A Totally Unofficial Guide to the Hit Series [NF] - Amy Rickman. 214 pg/2010. [1/15]
This was such a good read for me at the time, yet now I remember none of it. I wish I would run across a copy of it secondhand, I would buy it in an INSTANT. Sure, I've got Don't Stop Believin' and I've never read more than a few pages of it at a time, but that's much more structured as an episode guide; I want Random Facts. And whatever else was in this one.
On a related note, I am so excited for the day Glee gets cool enough again and/or old enough for people to write nonfiction books about the series as a whole (we got such a deluge after season 1, then crickets). I will read them all.
3. Fixing Delilah - Sarah Ockler. 320 pg/2010. [1/19]
It has been a decade and I'm still mad about the cool premise of prepping a house for an estate sale (I think that's what happened, anyway) being smothered beneath my loathing for the main character.
4. Diary of a Chav - Grace Dent. 216 pg/2008. [1/23]
I will never forget how much I loved picturing a young Rose Tyler while reading this! I never did read the sequel*, not being aware that Interlibrary Loan wasn't just for colleges at the time, and thereafter feeling like I was too old to appreciate it as much. (*edit: five sequels?? Holy carp.)
5. CSI: Brass in Pocket - Jeff Mariotte. 323 pg/2009. [1/25]
I remember nothing.
February
6. CSI: The Burning Season - Jeff Marriotte. 345 pg/2011. [2/3]
I remember nothing, part II. Literally, out of all the CSI-verse tie-ins I ever read, there are maybe 3 that I can differentiate.
7. Crossing the Line - Lauren Baratz-Logsted. 312 pg/2004. [2/4]
Yeah I definitely did not like this sequel as much as the first one.
8. A Match Made in High School - Kristin Walker. 278 pg/2009. [2/5]
I have much less contempt for this obviously cute/silly story now than I did then, when I was positively OUTRAGED by what I saw as the continual dumbing-down of YA. Honestly, I don't think I was wrong; the contemporaries were only just starting to amp up the maturity and seriousness level as a whole. We still have light-hearted books, but I feel like the girls are generally smarter in them.
9. That Summer - Sarah Dessen. 198 pg/1996. [2/5]
I don't actually remember what happens in this book, and over time I've definitely come to agree it's not her best, but on the other hand I was happy enough with my memory to take an ugly, but appealingly small and slim, paperback ex-library copy out of a Little Free Library last fall.
10. The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story [NF] - Diane Ackerman. 323 pg/2007. [2/6]
I STILL haven't seen the Jessica Chastain movie!! Which I also feel in my bones will be more engaging than this, since I feel no temptation to own or reread it, even though I liked it at the time and would still recommend it.
11. Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best - Maria Padian. 352 pg/2011. [2/11]
2 stars all the way, what a bland streak of nothing.
12. The Daughters Take The Stage - Joanna Philbin. 273 pg/2011. [2/11]
I'll just quote the 2011 retrospective: remember when I thought this series was gonna be the next Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, only I rapidly outgrew each installment of this one and never read the 4th one [of this] at all? I still recommend it for younger YA readers, though.
13. The Sweetheart of Prosper County - Jill Alexander. 224 pg/2009. [2/15]
Even though I only gave it 3 stars and don't remember it well, I always remember it fondly, just because 4-H stories are so rare.
14. Stay - Deb Caletti. 313 pg/2011. [2/17]
Kind of a "meh" entry in my memory of Caletti books, no interest in rereading. Unless Finn is a cuter love interest than I remember...
15. Child of the Wolves - Elizabeth Hall. 176 pg/1996. [2/19]
This is ENTIRELY up my animal-book-obsessed self's alley and I'm pretty sure I read it as a kid too; why is it so plain in my memory.
16. Shrinking Violet - Danielle Joseph. 292 pg/2009. [2/19]
I always loved the play-on-words in this title. In the sea of mediocrity that was much of my book selection in the early part of the year, this one stood out for having a surprisingly memorable/relatable character.
17. Somewhere in Blue - Gillian Cummings. 334 pg/2010. [2/22]
I do not remember anything that happens in this.
18. Love, Inc. - Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout. 408 pg/2011. [2/25]
I just love how much the girl on the original cover reminds me of Kat Dennings, specifically from 2 Broke Girls. I don't remember this well, but it looks very cute and I'm not at all mad I read it, even though I never got to the sequel.
19. Harmonic Feedback - Tara Kelly. 288 pg/2010. [2/27]
Don't remember this, but I think it was the first book I read with an autistic main character? First autistic girl, at least. A real 3.5 star read to me, I found it hard to rate on Goodreads.
20. Crowned - Julie Linker. 290 pg/2008. [2/27]
I feel like YA doesn't make many books this silly and light anymore, outside of pure romances. Not outstanding, but so good for what it is. I'm sad to see this was her 2nd and last book published.
21. Spoiled - Heather C. & Jessica Morgan. 360 pg/2011. [2/29]
I refuse to accept that anyone with a last name like Heather's (censored for propriety) wouldn't change it by age 19, let alone bestow it on their children. But anyway, I don't remember this one nearly as fondly. It seems very dumb, even though I gave it 3 stars. Maybe that's just my annoyance about her later success with dumb-sounding The Royal We.
March
22. Rival - Sarah Bennet Wealer. 336 pg/2011. [3/4]
Big ball o' meh! (not that I actually remember it) I remember the author mentioning on Twitter (in a reply; I don't follow her) that she assumes all the characters in her YA novels break up after high school, as opposed to the HEA-found-my-soulmate kind, and I just kept thinking I dodged a bullet there by not caring about any of her books.
23. With Or Without You - Brian Farrey. 368 pg/2011. [3/5]
In retrospect, I feel strongly like my new Blaine Anderson blinders/determination to cast him in this inflated my blown-away reaction. A few years later, I even donated the copy I'd bought (I think), because I couldn't see revisiting it. But I can't bedgrudge it being Past Me's favorite book of the year up to that point. Look what she was dealing with.
24. Undone - Brooke Taylor. 320 pg/2008. [3/5]
Don't remember details, but def. not one I'd reread.
25. Crunch Time - Mariah Fredericks. 336 pg/2005. [3/11]
Holy crap why was this book so long. I remember it being a story worth like, 1/3rd that length.
26. A Boy I Once Knew [NF] - Elizabeth Stone. 205 pg/2002. [3/11]
I am SO MAD at Past Me for not writing a detailed review on this one, because while this was definitely another cast-Blaine-Anderson situation, I'm not sure if that worked out. I do remember it being really moving for reasons beyond that, but I'm not quite sure why, beyond how interesting I find the idea of leaving one's journals to a former teacher. I'm also not quite sure how I came across this one -- I must have been searching something specifically, probably related to gay teens given the subject matter and because this isn't an area of the library I'd browse, but...what? and where?
27. Sing Me To Sleep - Angela Morrison. 301 pg/2010. [3/12]
All I remember is my review and I would not revisit this one.
28. Recovery Road - Blake Nelson. [3/13]
Don't remember it well, but I have the sense of it being well written. I'd like to try a few more of his novels too, I think. I didn't realize the author was a man when I read this, so that's a good sign as far as writing female main characters goes.
29. The Girl Who Became a Beatle - Greg Taylor. 2011. [3/14]
Can't improve on original review: "It makes no apologies for its cracktastic literal wish fulfillment, so I can't say I didn't know what I was getting into..."
30. Taking Off - Jenny Moss. 340 pg/2011. [3/16]
I don't remember the content well, but I liked this book enough that I actually have it on my bookshelf instead of in a box somewhere, and occasionally I take it down and page through it and think about rereading it someday.
31. Every Little Thing in the World - Nina de Gramont. 282 pg/2010. [3/17]
*feelings of punching transpire*
The ending of this made decide that
[spoiler]abortion
is the only thing I ever, and ALWAYS, want a content warning for because if I know that happens there's a 90% chance I won't read it. I don't ever want to deal with that again.
32. Bitter End - Jennifer Brown. 368 pg/2011. [3/20]
Awww, this book! My 2nd by this author, from whom I've read 3 books in total, all great, and whose back catalog I really need to finish. Anyway, I never did get around to my reread last year, but the next time my Melissa Benoist feelings need a book outlet I WILL revisit it. In paging through it when I had it checked out for 9 weeks, I was really drawn in by the writing style.
33. Dramarama - E. Lockhart. [3/26]
To quote my original review, "mix one part summer theater school program with one part straight girl/gay best friend (OH HAI THERE GLEE AU)," and you understand why I bought a copy of this, even though I've never read any of her other books, and still think fondly about it.
34. No and Me - Delphine de Vigan. 244 pg/2007. [3/26]
Most of the details have slipped, but the strong character portrait of the title homeless girl has remained lodged in my heart.
April
35. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters - Natalie Standiford. 313 pg/2010. [4/1]
2012 review: Only author cred made me pull it out, which is a shame, because its title, cover and summary make it easy to get lost amidst the vast sea of low quality Rich White Girl Problems stories, and it's really a cut above the general population.
2022 Me: holy crap I miss Rich White Girl Problems stories so much.
(That said, I see I only ever was willing to give this 3.5 stars at most, so this probably wouldn't be the ideal one to revisit. update: in fact, I just saw it's still at the library, but as soon as I started paging through it I was overwhelmed by Meh.)
36. Star in the Middle - Carole Larese Millward. 303 pg/2009. [4/2]
Original review says it all! "Was like reading a Lifetime movie. And by that I mean cheesy, melodramatic, and hard to take seriously. Even the cover photo looks fake and staged." ...and even as I read my own warnings, I'm getting sucked in by the summary like "but wouldn't it be INTERESTING to read about what teen parenting classes are like? especially for a stereotypical teen mom, who is neither very financially well supported nor very bright?" But I suspect the answer is NO, at least not in this format.
37. A Nostalgic Almanac [NF] - Edna Hong. 173 pg/1980. [4/5]
Bought this at a book sale originally, still have it. It's a slow read and probably not still 5 stars to me today, but it's a nice rumination on growing up rural in the 1920s, not unlike Gladys Taber's writing. I am a bit shocked it still has next to no presence on Goodreads, though.
38. A Little Bit Wicked [NF] - Kristin Chenoweth (w/ Joni Rodgers). 240 pg/2009. [4/7]
My very first celebrity memoir -- a great choice that opened the door for many more to come! Still own a copy.
39. After - Amy Efaw. 350 pg/2009. [4/9]
Meh. But still well written enough overall that I'm very surprised to see she only ever published two books.
40. Wild Season - Allan M. Eckhert. 154 pg/1967. [4/13]
Bought this paperback in a secondhand bookstore, still have it. It's another nice rumination on nature (well...not always nice, but realistic), and I've found it for a couple of people on lost-book forums. I didn't realize at the time that he was also the author of Incident at Hawk's Hill, which I read (and loved) for class in 7th grade and have been meaning to revisit as an adult.
41. How To Be Bad - E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski & Lauren Myracle. 325 pg/2008. [4/15]
I remember some fun things happening on the trip, but I also remember these girls being dumbasses. I have since learned that Lockhart's plots don't interest me, Mlynowski is the anti-Christ when it comes to YA content i can stand, and Myracle is 30/70 hit or miss. Would that I could have imparted this wisdom to Past Me.
42. The Implosion of Aggie Winchester - Lara Zielin. 288 pg/2011. [4/16]
I really thought You Should See Me In A Crown would be the better version of this book, but honestly? At the end of the day I have better memories of this one, despite the main character probably being worse. The cover is just so pretty it's tricking me.
43. Imaginary Girls - Nova Ren Suma. 352 pg/2011. [4/22]
I GET IRRATIONALLY ANGRY AT THE MERE SIGHT OF THIS COVER. It was just so freaking weird and incomprehensible , esp. compared to how excited I was to read about people swimming in a reservoir built over a flooded town, that it earned her an instant author blacklist she still hasn't come back from.
44. Fostergirls - Liane Shaw. 256 pg/2011. [4/29]
I don't remember the details of this at all, but I'm glad I read it and glad it exists.
May
45. All We Know of Love - Nora Raleigh Baskin. 208 pg/2008. [5/1]
I do not remember this well. I a little bit wonder if it's actually as bland/boring as I thought it was at the time, because bus trip!, but then again...probably.
46. Mountain Solo - Jeanette Ingold. 309 pg/2003. [5/5]
This was 3 stars, but favorably so; I'm sad I don't remember ANYTHING about it.
47. Rx - Tracy Lynn. 265 pg/2006. [5/6]
Can't believe I was still reading about drug abuse/addicts/dealing in 2012. The subject is just so boring to me now.
48. Clean - Amy Reed. 272 pg/2011. [5/12]
I remember nothing! Except that I found this read so bland I never read another of her books.
49. King Dork - Frank Portman. 344 pg/2006. [5/13]
I remembered this with such weird fondness that I actually recommended it to Chris, back when I was still trying to assess his taste in books, and possibly bought him a copy. That we still have.
50. Target - Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson. 175 pg/2003. [5/15]
I claimed on Goodreads I would "never be able to explain why I read this," but I actually know exactly why, it's because it's about the aftermath of a teenage boy who was violently raped by a (male) stranger, and I wanted in that headspace so I could project it onto poor Blaine Anderson. For hurt/comfort reasons. Alas, most of what I remember is how annoying I found his new friend.
51. Are You Going To Kiss Me Now? - Sloane Tanen. 2011. [5/19]
It's like the very definition of "beach read." And honestly, sometimes I want to revisit it!* I'd love to pick celebrities to mentally cast, now that I do that.
* = literally 2 weeks after writing this I found the library's last copy in the sale corner, so it's mine now oops.
52. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) [NF] - Mindy Kaling. 240 pg/2011. [5/20]
Second celebrity memoir, even better than the first and still ABSOLUTE PERFECTION 2 ME. I now own it in both hardcover and audiobook, and one day I will even listen to the latter.
*53. The Girl Next Door - Selene Castrovilla. 237 pg/2010. [5/20]
This was my second read of this perfect hurt/comfort teen cancer novel, and I did it for Kurt/Blaine reasons despite both having ample fanfic covering this territory and having to transpose from girl/boy to boy/boy, because I wanted them in a story I knew would be well written and hit me in the feels.
54. Girls Don't Fly - Kristen Chandler. 300 pg/2011. [5/21]
I think it's going to end up my 3rd favorite of her 3 because it focuses on birds over mammals, and I definitely downgraded this to 4 stars on Goodreads, but even so, a great choice for the year!
55. Love, Cajun Style - Diane Les Becquets. 400 pg/2005. [5/25]
I remember this book so fondly. I've ended up reading a surprising number of hers since, not intentionally, but just because she has so many different styles, and I've never been disappointed. I still want to reread this one.
56. Putting Makeup on Dead People - Jen Violi. 326 pg/2011. [5/27]
I think this one had sexcapades at some point that made me dock a star, but it's also such an incredibly unique premise (teen working in a mortuary) that I've never forgotten ti.
June
57. The Future of Us - Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler. 356 pg/2011. [6/1]
This book is so dumb I could never reread it, but it was dumb in a way that was super fun to read the first time around (90s teen finds a mysterious website called "Facebook" that shows her the future!), even though it was never going to be more than 3 stars.
58. Part Wild [NF] - Ceiridwen Terrill. 235 pg/2011. [6/1]
This was a letdown.
59. After You - Julie Buxbaum. 336 pg/2009. [6/4]
One of the few times I randomly browsed the adult fiction and decided one looked good, I'm pleasantly surprised it worked out (not outstanding but good), especially since I didn't know her from YA yet.
60. All My Patients Kick and Bite [NF] - Jeff Wells, D.V.M. 243 pg/2011. [6/9]
I don't honestly remember why I loved this one so much, except maybe I hadn't read a vet memoir in a while and I missed the style.
61. From Bad to Cursed - Katie Alender. 442 pg/2011. [6/10]
It's funny how much I loved these books then, but now don't remember them at all.
62. Between Here and Forever - Elizabeth Scott. 250 pg/2011. [6/10]
My underwhelming and final read from this author.
63. Finding Somewhere - Joseph Monninger. 224 pg/2011. [6/16]
Very fond memories of this one! Maybe my favorite of his?
64. Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography [NF] - Elisabeth Sladen with Jeff Hudson. 334 pg/2011. [6/17]
One of the few books I anticipated long before its publication back then, this was my first request as soon as I found out I had access to ILL. I've forgotten a lot of the detail by now, but I have never forgotten how utterly perfect and wonderful it was for me at the time.
65. Five Flavors of Dumb - Antony John. 352 pg/2010. [6/18]
A very worthwhile read with a deaf lead, though in the end, I found I didn't love it quite enough to keep my copy.
66. Don't Let Me Go - J.H. Trumble. 344 pg/2012. [6/20]
Forget Target, THIS was the Kurt/Blaine post-assault hurt/comfort story of my dreams, complete with the storyline we all feared. I'm still pissed about the cheating that ruined the last third of the book, though, specifically when she doubled down on the cheating at the last minute for no reason. Yes that's a spoiler, but it deserves to be known. ...although in retrospect, since Canon Blaine later cheated out of sadness too, maybe I can get over it? ...no.
67. Twelve Long Months - Brian Malloy. 316 pg/2008. [6/20]
I don't remember what any of the "poor decisions" I mentioned in this are, but man did this cement some dislike for that poor male cover model, who is also on the cover of some book about an anorexic teen (same photo), whom I have only ever been able to see as a thick-headed numbskull ever since.
68. The Rescue of Belle & Sundance [NF] - Bridget Stutz & Lawrence Scanlan. 221 pg/2010. [6/23]
It was fine for what it was, just not that compelling.
69. Deep in the Heart of High School - Veronica Goldbach. 202 pg/2009. [6/27]
Mehhhhhhhh! But not objectively bad, just not interesting to me, so I'm sorry to see that this author never published any other books.
70. And Then Things Fall Apart - Arlaina Tibensky. 272 pg/2011. [6/28]
I see this cover and I simultaneously go "oh, looks indie and interesting" and gnash my teeth because of the "sofa king" phrase. Otherwise, I don't remember it.
July
71. Walking Back To Happiness - Lucy Dillon. [7/1]
Second Lucy Dillon ever! And also last; damn, I really am approaching a whole decade behind on her backlog, huh.
*72. Candy Stripers - Lee Wyndham. 196 pg/1958. [7/1]
Flush with my shiny new access to Interlibrary Loan, I realized this included access to my college library (the best thing about college) with none of the drawbacks to actually being a college student, so this became my third request. It was every bit as good as I remembered, so I own a copy now.
73. Horses Never Lie About Love [NF] - Jana Harris. 277 pg/2011. [7/2]
This book got trashed on Goodreads because apparently she's not a very responsible horse breeder, but whatever, it reminded me SO MUCH of my fictional character in the sim horse club/Great Big Complex Fictional Universe that it is very dear to me, and that's why I now own a copy despite it being rather oversized.
74. The Eighty Dollar Champion [NF] - Elizabeth Letts/ 296 pg/2011. [7/4]
The book that sparked what has now been ten years of me trying to buy a copy of the stupid-rare picture book about this horse, The Story of Snowman by Tony Palazzo. Culminating in the time it turned up ON MY LOCAL CRAIGSLIST last year for a mere fifty dollars (cheapest I've ever seen it online was a little over $100; usually it's anywhere from $180 to $400), but it was way outside of my driving comfort zone, in the middle of winter to boot, and I just could not bring myself to commit.
75. Winter Town - Stephen Emond. 331 pg/2011. [7/5]
I said this book would have been better without the sillly graphic novel aspect and I stand by that. But probably not much better, because the female character sucks.
76. The Survival Kit - Donna Freitas. 355 pg/2011. [7/8]
Although I don't remember this at ALL, I need to remedy that because I read a scant handful of truly outstanding YA novels this year, and I am sure this was one of them.
77. How To Save A Life - Sara Zarr. 341 pg/2011. [7/8]
mehhhhhh! Better than her debut, but so is anything.
*78. Into The Wind - Gertrude Mallette. 295 pg/1941. [7/14]
See Candy Striper, except I don't own a copy of this. One day I'm gonna have to cave, even if it means I have to buy it under the hideously ugly and poor-representation-of-its-content cover with the title Probation Nurse.
79. Pedigree Unknown - Dorothy Lyons. 172 pg/1973. [7/17]
My least favorite of the novels of hers I've read (also by far the least horse-focused), but I'm glad I read it.
80. Becoming Chloe - Catherine Ryan Hyde. 215 pg/2006. [7/18]
Another Interlibrary Loan request, and my first by this author, because I 100% intended to mentally cast this with Glee characters Blaine and Brittany (but in practice, I found Chloe to seem even more mentally handicapped than Brittany and I just couldn't make it work. Still bummed. Still tempted to try again, especially now that there's a sequel novella)
81. The Less-Dead - April Lurie. 229 pg/2010. [7/22]
This book has some gay characters, with tragic results. GUESS WHY I READ IT.
82. Sandpiper - Ellen Wittlinger. 227 pg/2005. [7/22]
Beautiful cover, but definitely one of my least favorite Wittlingers. Title character's a BRAT.
83. Bumped - Megan McCafferty. 323 pg/2011. [7/23]
Although not amazing, I liked it a lot more than the scores of people disparaging it. Maybe because it was just so refreshing to me to have a book where being a pregnant teen was something desirable and worth celebrating (not to mention very voluntary, capitalizing on teens' general interest in having sex), instead of one of the 750 dystopias about how females are miserably pressed into sexual servitude from the moment they hit puberty.
84. Rose In A Storm - Jon Katz. 217 pg/2010. [7/25]
At the time I was so overjoyed to find an adult novel that focused on a dog I probably would have put it in my top 10-15 reads of the year, but I dunno. Now I'm just so conditioned to dislike Katz's name that it's tainting my memory.
85. Want To Go Private? - Sara Darer Littman. 332 pg/2011. [7/26]
Ughhhh, the cautionary tale that fails at being a useful tool because it's also full of gross/explicit detail. Also, no offense, but I don't feel like the majority of teens who are groomed on the internet end up losing their virginity via
[trigger warning]violent rape in a hotel room -- the deliberate kind where the girl doesn't want to participate and is actively crying -- that is also recorded on video and put online.
edit: my bad, I actually just remembered there was definitely a case exactly like that in the early 2000s. But still.
86. A Three Dog Life [NF] - Abigail Thomas. 182 pg/2006. [7/27]
This made me sad. Too sad to ever look at it again. (Because it's not really about dogs so much as a husband with permanent brain damage from an accident that requires him to be in assisted living.)
87. Animal Magnetism: My Life With Creatures Great and Small [NF] - Rita Mae Brown. 235 pg/2009. [7/28]
Still haven't read any of her fiction, don't even remember the contents of this one, except that I felt like it required an appreciation or at least knowledge of her work to really enjoy it.
88. Are U 4 Real? - Sarah Kadefors. 320 pg/2001. [7/29]
Book twins w/ #85! This one's the good twin, though still not exciting, because it's about meeting someone online who isn't a predator. I don't remember the content at all, otherwise.
August
Whoops, I got too rambly and was hit with a "post too large" error, so we'll finish it up later!
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P.S. Please warn me if anything needs to be spoiler-cut that isn't. When I split my draft post into two parts I lost some of the special formatting; I think I caught it all, but not sure.