Favorite Books Read in 2012

FINALLY, my 2012 year-end lists. One month+ late. Here we go!


(15) Black Hole - Charles Burns (1995-2005)
Stark, depressing, messed up comic series collected in this one-off graphic novel. Cool story, surprisingly disappointing ambiguous ending (which I usually like). The artwork steals the show.


(14) The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty - Buster Olney (2004)
A very enjoyable look at the New York Yankees' dynasty in the late 1990s and their wondrous fall to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series.


(13) Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (1985)
I know I'm an idiot for taking so long in my life to getting around to read this. Didn't love it as much as I had hoped, but still, so much fun to read. Until I got to the bizarre, ambling ending that I hated.


(12) Rabbit, Run - John Updike (1960)
In retrospect, I really loved this, even if I was distracted at times, which made it hard to properly get down the details at certain points. Dark and funny insight into the disturbing nature of man, which is always a great combination. Updike's prose is pretty much untouchable.


(11) Battle Royale - Koushun Takami (1999)
Yup. Obviously disturbing and difficult to wrap one's mind around the concept of an author writing about children murdering each other. Trust me, it's not in a glorifying manner. This was fun.


(10) A Visit From the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan (2010)
A post-modern-ish story of the music industry and (much moreso) warped relationships. The unique format of this novel is a plus.


(9) Heavy Liquid - Paul Pope (1999-2000)
Awesome sci-fi graphic novel with a refreshingly original story and Pope's excellent, slightly manga-inspired artwork.


(8) Those Guys Have All the Fun - James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales (2011)
An oral history of ESPN told by those deeply involved. Sure, there are plenty of boring business/financial ramblings, but the high drama is so worth it.


(7) Tree of Smoke - Denis Johnson (2007)
Awesomely dark and funny Vietnam War tale. Johnson's prose is ridiculous in the best way. Too heavy  of a book to read at such a distracting time as I read it, so, like Rabbit, Run, I will definitely read this again.


(6) The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach (2011)
Didn't quite live up to the hype for me, but still an excellent read about baseball and coming-of-age.


(5) The Lonely Polygamist - Brady Udall (2010)
Dude is a fundamentalist Mormon with four wives and too many children, and struggles big time with this in both serious and comical ways. What's not to love about that premise?


(4) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (1962)
This didn't completely knock me out like I had hoped, but it was both much funnier and more sad than expected. Still gets a Goodreads rating of five stars out of five.


(3) Blankets - Craig Thompson (2003)
Heavy handed and overtly emotional and sensitive, but, due to my Christian upbringing, so much of this brought me back to middle school and high school. I am a complete sucker for that nostalgia, even if it's bittersweet. Best graphic novel I read in 2012.


(2) Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth (1969)
First time a book has made me laugh out loud since I read A Confederacy of Dunces at the beginning of 2011. Due to bizarre circumstances of his frustrating relationship with his mother, guy becomes addicted to masturbation as a child and sex as an adult. Hilarity ensues. Written from the perspective as if the narrator was in a therapy session. Brilliant, perverse, and the most fun I had reading a book in 2012.


(1) White Teeth - Zadie Smith (2000)
The flow and style of Zadie Smith's debut novel reminded me so much of DFW's The Broom of the System, and that is a huge compliment. This had even more memorable characters, and somehow was even funnier. While White Teeth wasn't difficult to follow, there are too many details to even begin to go further here. Trust me, you should read this. Everyone.