It's been a great year of books. We've had returns from heavyweights such as Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz and more. We've had impressive debuts from Ben Fountain, Chad Harbach and Jenni Fagan. The wealth of independent publishers like And Other Stories throwing out interesting pieces of work. We had the first book for adults from Harry Potter author J K Rowling. I don't know if you saw that. It's hard to choose your favourite books of the year. In fact, looking back at this list, all I can see is ones I missed out. But choose we did, and we even went over the allocated number. So, here are 15 of our top ten books of the year. Because to get it down to ten was impossible.
So, if you're looking for Christmas present ideas, books to read over the cold winter months or just the next one in line for your reading pile... here you go.
Best books of 2012
It's been a great year of books. We've had returns from heavyweights such as Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz and more. We've had impressive debuts from Ben Fountain, Chad Harbach and Jenni Fagan. The wealth of independent publishers like And Other Stories throwing out interesting pieces of work. We had the first book for adults from Harry Potter author J K Rowling. I don't know if you saw that. It's hard to choose your favourite books of the year. In fact, looking back at this list, all I can see is ones I missed out. But choose we did, and we even went over the allocated number. So, here are 15 of our top ten books of the year. Because to get it down to ten was impossible.
So, if you're looking for Christmas present ideas, books to read over the cold winter months or just the next one in line for your reading pile... here you go.
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Hope: A Tragedy
PicadorHilarious and gruesome by turns, Auslander's excursion into the mind of a dedicated paranoiac and self-obsessed neurotic fully merits an award for Book of the Year -
Dark Lies the Island
Jonathan CapeThe best stories here remind me of V S Pritchett. They carry a heart. There are punch in the stomach moments, laugh-out-loud moments and moments of real tenderness. Barry's ability to fluidity navigate us through the lives of others in... -
HHhH
Harvill SeckerHHhH, the debut novel from Laurent Binet, tells the story of Operation Anthropoid, two Czechoslovakian parachutists' mission to assassinate Nazi commander Reinhard Heydrich. With skill Binet guides us through Heydrich's cruel ascent to power, the Resistance fighters' preparations and the... -
This Is How You Lose Her
FaberOne of the year's best collections from one of the world's most effortlessly brilliant writers. -
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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
CanongateIn a year teeming with big novels, this is and will remain one of its best, as it does something not many books do, tells us about our time, now, here - this is the state of a nation, in... -
The Art of Fielding
Fourth EstateThe Art of Fielding is the newest heavyweight contender for Great American novel of the world. It arrives on a garlanded float of its own mythology (there’s a companion book detailing the struggles to get it published) and has garnered... -
The Elephant Keeper's Children
Harvill SeckerThe Elephant Keepers' Children is just silly enough to be clever and just mad enough to make perfect sense. -
The Snow Child
Headline ReviewThe tough existence of frontier life is detailed without sentiment by Ivey, but with a bracing beauty in the tradition of the Russian fairytale it references. -
Suddenly, A Knock At the Door
Chatto and WindusEtgar Keret's latest collection of off-kilter short stories bring a welcome sense of playful oddness to a genre that is the perfect vehicle for this sort of nimble invention. With the short form a really interesting writer like Keret can... -
The Buddha in the Attic
Fig TreeThe Buddha In The Attic is a delicate and careful treat of a book. It ebbs and flows with a sadness and the collective push-pull of human emotions, as a collective group of Japanese mail order brides immigrate to America... -
The Casual Vacancy
Little, BrownJ K Rowling's first novel after Harry Potter, for adults, is a delightful lesson in strong storytelling -
NW
Hamish HamiltonLeah, Felix and Keisha all grew up on the same estate in North West London. In different ways, they all work to escape where they've come from. They quickly realise that 'it's not where you're from, it's where you're at'... -
Narcopolis
FaberNarcopolis is dark, set in dank rooms, embued with the stench of human sweat, vomit, and desperation. Narcopolis is narrated by an opium pipe. Narcopolis will hypnotise you. -
Building Stories
Jonathan CapeBooks like this only come around rarely, and when they do, they deserve all of your attention.
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