Happy New Year! Last year I read 55 books (or more, I think I forgot to note some of them). My resolution for this year is to read at least 45, so I can say I've read 100 in two years. I hope I can read 55 again, but too much more than that and I start to eat into my writing time and that's not something I want to happen.
Other resolutions include to quit one of my jobs in order to do more writing (already put that one in motion, I leave the book shop on the 20th of January), to finish writing a book, to send it off, to do more exercise, more gardening, more walking, find more good music to listen to, maybe find time to update this a little more often too.
Books I read in 2012 plus my own personal award ceremony for the best writers and books I personally read in 2012.
(those in bold have broken into the 80s. Only the rarest of
gems get such high scores. Scoring system based on my old University marking system where getting 90 or more was almost impossible).
1. Twilight Robbery – Francis Hardinge 65
2. Apples – Richard Milward 45
3. Love Songs For the Shy and Cynical – Robert Shearman 78
4. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God – Etgar Keret 77
5. Girl on the Fridge – Etgar Keret 72
6. It’s Kind of a Funny Story – Ned Vizzini 42
7. No One Belongs Here More Than You – Miranda July 69
8. Tiny Deaths –
Robert Shearman 80
9. Nimrod’s Flipout – Etgar Keret 73
10. Dogs 0 (Manga) 49
11. Naïve. Super – Erland Loe 73
12. The Tiny Wife – Andrew Kaufman 75
13. Legend of a Suicide – David Vann 70
14. Warm Bodies – Isaac Marion 71
15. St Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves – K.Russell 69
16. The Safety of Objects – A.M Homes 76
17. All My Friends are Superheroes – Andrew Kaufman 75
18. Palo Alto
– James Franco 67
19. 1Q84 1&2 – Haruki Murakami 78
20. McSweeney’s 30 – Various 73
21. Suddenly a Knock on the Door – Etgar Keret 60
22. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake – A. Bender 62
23. In Watermelon Sugar – Richard Brautigan 68
24. The Middle Stories – Heti 52
25. Tell Me No Lies – Malorie Blackman 39
26. 1Q84 3 – Haruki
Murakami 87
27. On Writing – Stephen King 65
28. The Waterproof
Bible – Andrew Kaufman 83
29. The White Cat – Holly Black 66
30. Pastorlia – George Saunders 67
31. Red Glove – Holly Black 64
32. Granta 119 – Various 52
33. What We Talk
About When We Talk About Love – Carver 85
34. Everything
Ravaged, Everything Burned – Wells
Tower
35. HBWOSG – Dave Eggers 76
36. Lights Out in Wonderland – DBC Pierre 71
37. King Arthur – Robin Lister 36
38. Black Heart – Holly Black 55
39. The Crimson Chalice – Victor Canning 68
40. The Circle of the Gods – Victor Canning 58
41. Writing Fiction, Critical & Creative Approaches –
Boulter 72
42. The Crystal
Cave
43. McSweeney’s 40 – Various 60
44. Civitas to Kingdom – Ken Dark 69
45. A Better Angel –
Chris Adrian 82
46. Assassins Apprentice – Robin Hobb 67
47. The Wild Things – Dave Eggers 63
48. The Great Night – Chris Adrian 58
49. The Bird Room – Chris Killen 62
50. The Little Sister – Raymond Chandler 74
51. Granta 120 – Various 70
52. The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern 61
53. Dr Who Apollo 23 – Justin Richards 15
54. A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness 79
55. AD 500 – Simon Young 45
Best and worst of the books I read in 2012
Best short story collection: Everything Ravaged, Everything
Burned – Wells Tower
Best novel: Andrew Kaufman’s Waterproof Bible.
Best children’s/ YA book: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.
Best Non fiction: Civitas to Kingdom by Ken Dark.
My favourite all-round author in 2012: Andrew Kaufman.
Top authors: Andrew Kaufman, Wells
Tower , Robert Shearman, Chris Adrian,
Murakami, Carver, Chandler .
Worst book: Dr Who Apollo 23 (I’m not sure if I should even
count this one.) I also read half of Kraken by China Mieville and couldn’t
finish it.
2 comments:
How very kind! Being on your list has brightened this dark cold January considerably, and made me want to get back to my stories. Thank you, a happy new year, and best of luck with your own - I shall pop back to your site and read 'em! :)
Rob Shearman
Please do write more stories! You're one of my all-time favourite writers. I've been saving Everyone's Just So So Special, and will read it very soon. I'm looking forward to that.
I used to dislike Dr Who (I know, crazy) but then watched your Dalek episode and thought Dr Who is pretty good actually. I'm fairly new to the Who, but I think the 11th Doctor is brilliant. It would make my day/ month/ year if you wrote an 11th doctor tv episode. Any chances? ;)
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