The books of 2012...so far

I'm a little late really, considering we're well past the 'halfway through 2012' mark but as the saying goes, better late then never. That's not always strictly true, actually, because sometimes, if you can't be arsed to be on time then it's maybe better you don't bother but this is just a blog and the only person my tardiness will be bothering is me, mainly because nobody was expecting this post but me. I digress.

It always interests me, making a note of my top 5 books of the year in June, and then again at the end of December and seeing if they remain the same, and that's the point of this post: making a note of my 5 favourites of the year so far so I can make the comparison later. So here you have it and, drum roll please, the bestest books I have read so far in 2012 are.....:

1: Without a doubt the best book I've read this year is Richard Siken's Crush which I talk about here and which I love beyond words, almost. It totally got under my skin, and I've flicked back through it several times since I read it in May.

2. The Borrower By Rebecca Makkai which I don't think I ever blogged about because I've been lax this year, but which, if you're at a loss for something to read, is definitely worth picking up.

3. Annabel Pitcher's My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece - you can read my thoughts on it here but I am warning you, it will hit you right in the feels.

4. The Siege by Helen Dunmore, which I won't talk about too much as I do plan to blog about it properly at some point, but which is incredibly incredibly moving and heartbreaking and inspiring. And which you should read. It will make you cry though, so don't say I didn't warn you.

5. The Stranger Next Door, by the wonderful Amelie Nothomb. I adored this. I love Amelie Nothomb anyway, I think she's incredible but this was far and away my favourite of hers. Amazing.

Apart from Crush which is absolutely at the top of this list, the others go in no particular order, because they were all super and I'm shit at making decisions. It's a character flaw, sorry.