My Favorite Books in 2012...

I read some really, really good books this year. Out of the past four years I've been on Goodreads, I have rated more five star books this year than any other. I read four less books in 2012 than in 2011, but only 62 pages less. I was going to pick five of my favorite books this year, but once I started listing them, I came up with seven that I just had to pick!

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson was by far the best romance I have read, maybe ever. I loved it because it was sweet, it was clean, it was proper, and was so romantic. I could easily read this book again which I never do! Here is my full review here.

The word that comes to mind when I think of The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani, is epic. That is probably the wrong us of the word , but it was such an amazing, thrilling, perfectly written book. Starting from the early 1900's in Italy to mid-century America, it was an incredible journey of a couples life. While I think the cover is pretty, I don't think it fits the book well. Anyway, here is my full review.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah. I still get goosebumps thinking of this story. It is haunting, it is sad, it is about the most heartsick I have ever felt reading a book. I think it is so moving because it could happen to you. Being the child or the parent, it's a worst nightmare. I loved her writing and I couldn't have suggested anything different about this story if I tried. It is perfection. Full review here.

Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris is another bit of a history lesson on Japanese Internment camps in the United States. This is the second novel I've read about this huge blemish on the United States past. I shall never be tired of hearing of it though. It amazes me and this book was told with beautiful and powerful writing. Review here.

Divergent by Veronica Roth was the first book in the Divergent series. I have read the second book but didn't like it as much. I found this dystopian themed book to be fascinating and creative. These books are all the rage now, but this one stood out the most to me. Very cool book. Full review can be found here.

I just love MaryLu Tyndall. I have had a few personal words with her via email, she is a cool and as genuine as they come. Veil of Pearls was simply amazing. I love reading early American history, especially her swashbuckling sea adventures. While this book didn't take to sea as much as her others, it was no less amazing. Tackling slavery can be tricky, but she mastered this with perfect insertions of Christianity and romance. Here is my full review. (Oops, it appears I forgot to post this review when I wrote in on Goodreads in November. On here it has a 2013 posting.)

The Fault in our Stars was very hard to read. It was such a mixed bag of literature and a mixed bag of emotions. Some describe this book as far fetched claiming the two main characters, teenagers with cancer, talk way above their maturity level. I noticed that too, but I didn't care. It was a great book with a great story and take note: have tissues handy. Full review here.

NOTE: These books weren't all published in 2012, I simply just read them in 2012. My favorite books that I read. That's all it is!

Here are the honorable mentions, all very, very good, all of these were five star books to me as well: