Fortunately, 2012 was a great year for books! I was pleasantly surprised time and again and easily filled a list of the best books of 2012. It is helpful, though, to point out the duds as well. Here are the books we suggest skipping.
'Canada' by Richard Ford
Ecco
When I told our reviewer, Mike, about Canada, he was excited. Canada is about teenagers who flee the country after their parents commit robbery and murder. Mike loves literary fiction and gritty crime novels, and it seemed like Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford could not go wrong. What a disappointment, then, when we had to give this novel 1.5 of 5 stars.
- Read a complete review of Canada
- Canada Book Club Questions
- For a better book from 2012 that also deals with the ramifications of an unconventional childhood, try Arcadia by Lauren Groff
'Winter of the World' by Ken Follett
Penguin
In 2010, Ken Follett started a new trilogy that would follow five families from different countries through the major historical events of the twentieth century. The first book, Fall of Giants, focused on World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution and the Labor Movement. It was my first exposure to Follett, and I was captivated. This year, the second book in the trilogy came out in September. Winter of the World followed the next generation of these families through World War II. Perhaps I have read too much good World War II literature. Perhaps Follett had less time to write this installment. I don't know what happened, but I would not recommend diving into the 980 pages of the second book or even starting the trilogy (if you haven't already), and I'm not sure I'll read the third when it is released.
- Read a complete review of Winter of the World
- Winter of the World Book Club Questions
- For a different dramatic novel on World War II, try The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Deam
What is Your Worst Book of the Year?
Knopf Doubleday
J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults received some bad reviews, and while we loved Hologram for a King by Dave Eggers, other critics were not so warm with their reception. And while it was wildly popular, surely some of you have some strong words against Fifty Shades of Grey. Here is a recap of some of the biggest books of the year. Below there is a link where you can weigh in on the most disappointing book of the year for you and you can see what other readers think.
