Ghosting by Kirby Gann
While not about ghosts exactly, there is plenty of terror and fear and baring of truth in this novel. I’ve always been interested in the figures of outcasts who live in the peripherals in books like Boo Radley and Bertha. They are very different from characters who are outcasts but are the centers of books around whom the story evolves like Holden, Frankie and the unnamed Monster whom Frankenstein created. What would happen if a band of outcasts banded together to find one of their own? Definitely one of the best books to read this year!
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
I can’t stop thinking about this book. What would happen if the world slowed down and clock time had no meaning because during the span of 24 hours, the sun may not set at all and daylight lasted for a week of longer? How would society adapt? Find out and read this book!
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
If you love animals and are in awe of their ability to love and forgive despite the many cruelties they suffer at human hands, you have to read this book. One of my all time favorites that I pick up from time to time thinking I’ll just read a page or two but end up rereading the entire book. Ranger and Calico Cat are heroes and in my heart forever.
Tell me what books you loved this year?
My favorite three books of 2012 are
1. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – A wonderful retelling of the Illiad. I am a huge fan of the original poem and don’t often like rewrites, but this book really captures the heroic depth of the Homeric epic.
2. City of Women by Madeline Miller – Set in Berlin during WWII, with all the men consumed by the evil war machine, the capital has become a city of women. The focus of the book is a woman who longs for the past and her Jewish lover. Then a mysterious blind man arrives who can see more than is evident. Amazing symbolism!
3. The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice – More than just a horror/werewolf story, it offers a powerful commentary on personal transformation and identity.