Here we are, nearly at the end of another year. It seems like yesterday that I was choosing my favorite books of 2011. I didn’t think I was going to do a year end post for 2012 because, to be honest, I just haven’t been interested in blogging lately. I’ve been waiting it out, hoping that my desire to blog would come roaring back. However, I realized that I just need to power through the ennui and continue posting even when I don’t feel like it. Compiling my list brought back great memories of my year in reading and reminded me how much I love the blogging community so I am happy that I decided to do it.
2012 turned out to be a wonderful reading year for me. I didn’t quite make my goal of reading 50 books this year (I am 3 short), but the books I did read were very memorable, enjoyable and enriching. I discovered Barbara Pym in 2012, and also Mary Stewart, Muriel Spark and Dorothy Whipple – four authors I truly love and hope to read more of in 2013.
Back in July I presented my top five books of the year through June. Here’s a re-cap of the first half of my list:
1. The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
3. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
4. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
And now….here is the second half of my 2012 favorite books list:
6. Greenbanks by Dorothy Whipple – “This novel is quiet and unassuming. The writing isn’t fancy and there aren’t any impressive lyrical passages. It is solid, wonderfully solid, storytelling and a very real and believable tale about families.”
7. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – “This book is all about character. Historical events are the prism through which we see the decisions and motivations of each major player but they seem fuzzy, a backdrop to a study of human behavior.”
8. The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins – “The restrained beauty of Jenkins’s writing perfectly reflects the subtle unfolding of this surprising tale.”
9. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe – “This memoir is the beautiful story of Schwalbe’s relationship with his dying mother, Mary Anne, and how books draw them together during her final months on earth.”
10. A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym – “Pym’s typical understated humor sustains this charming story and it totally melted my heart.”
Honorable Mention:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Howards End by E.M. Forster
Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart
Great books and great conversations!
I’m looking forward to 2013 and all the fantastic books that will cross my path and the opportunity to strengthen my friendships with all of you. Thank you for reading this year – here’s to a magnificent 2013 for all of us!
A Certain Fondness 
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