Best Books of 2012

OwaynOTT

It's the obligatory best of something thread.
Instead of best books released in 2012, lets just to with best you read or just a few of your favourites of the year.

One flew over the Cuckoos Nest and Catch 22 are two that spring straight to mind for me. Catch 22 being possible the best book I ever read.
Flowers of Algaron is another I really enjoyed. Any piece of work that features the tear jerking event of a helpless mouse dying gets my vote, Green Mile being another.
Red Seas Under Red Skies had one of the best endings and some wonderful writing. I enjoyed more than the first book which is always nice when it happens. Do worry about the next book living up to the expectations.
King of Thorns was brilliant and again was a book that had some florid turns of phrase and it also was better than its predecessor.
Fractal Prince and Quantum Thief getting lumped together as I can't decide which I liked better. Spent most of the time utterly clueless but they had some interesting ideas and were my first tip into the sea of hard Sci-fi, if indeed I'm using the correct phrase there.
Winds of Khalakovo started the year with a bang for me. A refreshing setting and well written fantasy with a lot of promise for the next book.
Honourable mentions to Dark Eden, Red Country, The Passage, and The Dead Zone. It wouldn't be right not to have a bit of classic King in there.

Zapp Brannigan

I put it off for so long but Sanderson's The Way of Kings has me eagerly anticipating the next one.

Really well crafted world, although what's Sanderson's obsession with teenage female protagonists?

ixoy

Hurrah for goodreads helping me make this list!

Read but not released in 2012:

"An Autumn War"/"The Price of Spring", the final books in Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet was stunning. One of the best character-based fantasies I've read in years.

"The Passage" - Really enjoyed this first book in the planned trilogy. Just got Book 2 about 50 minutes ago so hope to get stuck into it soon.

"Rule 34" (released tail end of 2011) - My favourite of Stross's series and a worthy follow up to "Halting State".

Shadows of the Apt Books 1-3 : Found this a refreshing change in fantasy.

"The Third God" - The final book in Ricardo Pinto's Stone Dance of the Chameleon. Ambitious and memorable, and a world so original he doesn't even have horses in them.

Actual 2012 books:

"Red Country" - Another great instalment. Lots of great moments of dark humour and wit.

"Railsea" - Miéville's fierce imagination strikes again, doing a great re-working of "Moby Dick". Even if it's not his strongest, it's still far ahead of what most authors can produce.

OwaynOTT

Railsea is defintely in my to read list, read the sample on kindle and coupled with me finally finishing Kraken has be eager to read it. Dropped enough hints, so hopefully it's a Christmas present.

mcgovern

The only two books I read that were published this year were Blue Remembered Earth, and The Great North Road. Of the two, Blue Remembered Earth edges it.

Of what I read this year, the best would be The Wise Man's Fear, with A Dance With Dragons, House of Chains and Before They Are Hanged closely following.

AnCapaillMor

Definately way of kings and i also liked the alloy of law by sanderson(loved the evolution of the magic system).

King of thorns, it's good not great, the way he goes about telling the story is pretty good.

endacl

OwaynOTT wrote: »

It's the obligatory best of something thread.
Instead of best books released in 2012, lets just to with best you read or just a few of your favourites of the year.

One flew over the Cuckoos Nest and Catch 22 are two that spring straight to mind for me. Catch 22 being possible the best book I ever read.
Flowers of Algaron is another I really enjoyed. Any piece of work that features the tear jerking event of a helpless mouse dying gets my vote, Green Mile being another.
Red Seas Under Red Skies had one of the best endings and some wonderful writing. I enjoyed more than the first book which is always nice when it happens. Do worry about the next book living up to the expectations.
King of Thorns was brilliant and again was a book that had some florid turns of phrase and it also was better than its predecessor.
Fractal Prince and Quantum Thief getting lumped together as I can't decide which I liked better. Spent most of the time utterly clueless but they had some interesting ideas and were my first tip into the sea of hard Sci-fi, if indeed I'm using the correct phrase there.
Winds of Khalakovo started the year with a bang for me. A refreshing setting and well written fantasy with a lot of promise for the next book.
Honourable mentions to Dark Eden, Red Country, The Passage, and The Dead Zone. It wouldn't be right not to have a bit of classic King in there.

'... for Algernon', surely?

OwaynOTT

endacl wrote: »

'... for Algernon', surely?

That was good also.

pH

Really liked Great North Road - I'm surprised I thought it was better than my other 2 2012 books of the year - Bad Country and The Hydrogen Sonata.