If you’re like me, by this time of year your to-be-read list rivals the catalog at the Library of Congress. It’s almost 2013, and I’m still catching up on books that came out in February. Before things get even more out of hand, it may be time to cull my list just a bit.
That’s where our Best Books of 2012 list comes in handy. We’ve compiled our favorite books for adults and young readers into one helpful collection. I’ve chosen some highlights below, but you can find the full list here. So before you start making your 2013 to-be-read list, make sure you explore some of this year’s gems. And if you happen to have an avid reader on your holiday shopping list, don’t forget that you can purchase any of these titles with NOOK Instant Gifting and have them delivered via email whenever you choose.
Best Adult Fiction:
We chose R.L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans as one of this year’s B&N Recommends books, so it’s no surprise that it made our Best of 2012 list as well. In this deeply moving novel, an isolated couple—a lighthouse keeper and his wife—make a fateful decision that changes their lives in immeasurable ways.
Best Non-fiction:
Katherine Boo’s National Book Award-winning Behind the Beautiful Forevers has received plenty of accolades. Still, we can’t help but laud it once again. Her clear-eyed depiction of the lives of the Indian underclass is revealing, heartbreaking, and uplifting in equal measure.
In Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham presents Jefferson as we have never seen him before—not as a democratic theoretician or a slave-owning hypocrite, but as a skillful pragmatist who helped the nation navigate through its first difficult years.
Best Teen Reads:
I think we can all agree that ‘teen’ books are no longer just for teenagers. I count myself among the many crossover readers who have devoured plenty of ‘young adult’ fiction the past few years. Whether you’re an actual teen or not, John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars is a must-read. This insightful exploration of what it means to be young and in love has a major twist—our young protagonists meet in a cancer support group, and must contend with a lot more than just the typical teenage drama.
Best Kids Books:
Young readers have never had it so good. There are so many talented writers producing excellent children’s fiction that I almost wish I could shave a few decades off of my own increasingly-advanced age. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce, first caught my attention when the short film won an Academy Award. This book - inspired by the film - is equally as whimsical. This tale of a wondrous book collection will inspire any young bibliophile—and includes audio narration.
NOOK owners: go to shop and search by author name to download these can’t-miss books.
