Books of 2012, and looking ahead to 2013

Every year, I set myself a reading goal. For 2012, it was to read 60 books, and sadly, I didn’t make that goal – close, but no cigar. Part of that was because I was reading a lot of non-fiction, which I read more slowly than fiction. Another part was that I was reading a lot of writing craft books, and with those, I find I need time to read, digest, read, digest, make notes, go back, re-read, digest.

But, also, if I’m being real, I spent WAY too much time on the wrong things last year. I’m not a resolution maker, but I do think I’m going to make thinking about what I’m spending my time on a theme for 2013.

Now, as for the books I read last year, the following list represents the books I finished (as opposed to ones I put down midway through), and any book with an asterix (a star for those who get that!) is one I enjoyed. But, to simplify, my particular favs were:

ALAMUT – Judith Tarr

WHEN THE SEA IS RISING RED – Cat Hellisen

CHIME – Franny Billingsley

RIVER IN THE DESERT – Paul William Roberts

HALF-BREED – Maria Campbell

and, with extra stars, THE RETURNING – Christine Hinwood

This year, I’m aiming for sixty books again…so, we’ll see.

Now, onto the books I read in 2012!:

* HOW TO GROW A NOVEL – Sol Stein

THE MAID – Kimberley Cutter

* ALAMUT – Judith Tarr

ALCESTIS – Katharine Beutner

IMAGINARY GIRLS – Nova Ren Suma

SALTED: A MANIFESTO – Mark Bitterman

SAVING JUNE – Hannah Harrington

HERE LIES ARTHUR – Philip REEVE

THE APOTHECARY – Maile Meloy

WITCHLANDERS – Lena Coakley

* CHIME – Franny Billingsley

TEN CENTS A DANCE – Christine Fletcher

* THE WAND IN THE WORD – ed. Leonard Marcus

MORTAL ENGINES – Philip Reeve

THE GIRL WITH THE GLASS FEET – Ali Shaw

* A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT – Sebastian Japrisot

* WHEN THE SEA IS RISING RED – Cat Hellisen

SNAP – Alison McGhee

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK – Neil Gaiman

GEORGE’S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE – Roald Dahl

WAY TO GO – Tom Ryan

THERE IS NO DOG – Meg Rosoff

THE RIGHT AND THE REAL – Joelle Anthony

* A COALITION OF LIONS – Elizabeth Wein

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET – Brian Selznick

WOLF BLOOD – N.M. Browne

* THE WICKED AND THE JUST – J. Anderson Coats

* RIVER IN THE DESERT – Paul William Roberts

EXODUS – Julie Bertagna

* PLEASE IGNORE VERY DEITZ – A.S. King

* THE RETURNING – Chistine Hinwood (plus a couple extra **, because this was my fav of the year)

* DEALING WITH DRAGONS – Patricia Wrede

CONCEIT – Mary Novik

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS MARSH – Pauline Gedge

* HALF-BREED – Maria Campbell

HOW TO TELL A MYTH – Robert Walker

HOW TO TELL A LEGEND – Janet Stone

A REALLY GOOD BROWN GIRL – Marilyn Dumont

THE NIGHT WANDERER – Drew Hayden Taylor

WHAT’S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING YOU KNOW ABOUT HORSES? – Richard Van Camp

SPIRIT GIFIT: THE CONCEPT OF SPIRITUAL EXCHANGE – Elmer Ghostkeeper

THE NEW PEOPLE: BEING & BECOMING METIS IN NORTH AMERICA – ed. Peterson & Brown

THE LONG JOURNEY OF A FORGOTTEN PEOPLE: METIS IDENTITIES AND FAMILY HISTORIES – ed. Lishke & McNab

BONE DANCE – Martha Brooks

AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE – Kat Rosenfield

A MONSTER CALLS – Patrick Ness

* RELATIVES WITH ROOTS – Leah Maria Dorion

THE GATHERING: STONES FOR THE MEDICINE WHEEL – Gregory Scofield

THE BOOK OF THREE – Lloyd Alexander

THE CLOUD ROADS – Martha Wells

And, while I’m at it: a huge thank you to everyone out there for all your support this past year. Bringing SHADOWS CAST BY STARS into the world was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, and 2012, for me, was a year of struggle. It would have been a whole lot more struggly if it weren’t for the well wishes, kind reviews, and general support from my friends, readers, and family. Thank you so much for that.

And, before I go, today’s walk took me down to the oceanside, where I saw this beauty:

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