Book Review 2012

It feels good to have another year of reading done. Mainly because I know there is another good year ahead of me. This last year, I read 16 books. Less than 2011, but my goal was 12, so I'm satisfied with that. And two of them I read at the end in December. (They are actually books I planned to read in 2013, so next year may be a bit shy.) Christmas break was actually a nice vacation and Tyler told me to slow down in my reading, but I hardly ever have the chance to get lost in a book now days.

So, here are the books I read. (Not in any order.)

Last year I had a hard time choosing my top 5, because many of the books were just eh....But this year, I LOVED so many of them. I wish I could have a top 10, but I'll try to keep it simple.

Here are my:

TOP 5 PICKS

5. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau: I picked this book up randomly at the library and really liked the story. A girl lives with her people underground (where she has lived her whole life) but their resources are running out. And more importantly, the lights are beginning to fade. I'm really not one for book synopsis but I highly enjoyed the book. So much, that I quickly got the second book, which wasn't as thrilling, but had an excellent moral. Then book number three I didn't finish, because it got boring. Sorry. But I would highly recommend the first book, and I would read it to my children as well. Oh, and there is a movie, which I will have to go watch now.

4. The Book of Nurturing by Linda and Richard Eyre: This book was so interesting to read. The authors have written many books about family, parenting, and children. In this one they compare animal traits in nature to traits we should use with our children. It is a feel good book that makes you think about your relationship with your kids and gives you some great ideas to use now in your family life.

3. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: This book is perhaps different than any book I have read before. It seemed to take a theory and back it up with a ton of research. (Okay, maybe I have read books like that in the past, but not so cut and dry.) I thought it was fascinating. I was very impressed with the amount of research put into the book, and the examples used. I'm sure it sounds boring the way I am explaining it, but I was not bored at all through the whole book. And I think this is a book Tyler might enjoy. (He is picky about  what he reads.)

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth: This is the book I read quickly over Christmas. It was so good. It is science fiction/action/adventure and keeps you moving like the Hunger Games. But it also gets you thinking about attributes of society and where you fit in. Perhaps I enjoyed it more because I was able to read it quickly, but I think I would have loved it either way. I'll have to go find the sequel.

1. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen: This book was so inspiring to me. A track star loses her leg in an accident and deals with learning to walk and cope with a prosthetic appendage. I honestly felt that I could lose a leg after reading this and be fine. After reading it, I felt hopeful and optimistic about any kind of race we have to run in life. It wasn't the best book ever written, but it was a great book for me to read last year. (And apparently, my favorite.)

I would love to hear what your favorite book of 2012 was. I am always looking for something good to read.