Top Ten: Books I read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.  

This week our list (brought to you by Becky and Randi!) is Top Ten books we read in 2012.  We cheated a little and did 20, 10 for each of us.  I'm sorry, but it had to be done.  Considering I read 500 books this year, It's really very stingy.  I had to leave out over 20 books that I would consider some of my all-time favorites.  it's most distressing.    

Becky's Top Ten Books I read in 2012

The Night Circus This is one of my favorite books of all time.  It felt more real to me than reality, and you can hardly ask for more than that in a fantasy novel.  The lush, ornate descriptions took my breath away and I loved the characters.  The romance was beautifully done and I look forward to reading this book many more times.
The Scorpio Races I read this at the beginning of the year and it rekindled my hope of finding new books I truly love.  The magical realism in this was ferocious and yet subtle.  I loved the depth of emotion in the characters and the lonely landscape.
We Need to Talk About Kevin Probably my strangest "favorite" because it was not a pleasure to read nor are there any likable characters.  This book made me think about difficult aspects of humanity.
Rotters A very dark book, not quite fantasy but certainly surreal.  The secret world of grave robbers comes to life in all of its horror.
Never Let Me Go I watched the movie version of this book first, and I love them both equally.  This is the most beautifully rendered dystopian book I've ever read, offering a bleak view of the future if cloning becomes commonplace while simultaneously showing a tragic romance. 
The Radleys This suburban paranormal story is just quirky and so realistic I could almost believe it was happening next door.
The Thirteenth Tale A glorious, layered gothic tale of literary exploration.  I already feel like I need to read this again.  The beautifully crafted language is what really stood out to me.
The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater The characters in this first installment of Stiefvater's new series are outrageously well-drawn.  Every time I listened to the audio-book I thought of her story as a verbal painting, so rich were the descriptions and atmosphere.
The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly  I was instantly enthralled by the menacing and nightmarish feeling of this story.  I've never been one for "happy" stories, and this book just delivers on the creep while pulling from fairy-tales and weaving a world I'd love to stay the heck away from.

Randi's Top Ten Books I read in 2012 In no particular order, here are my top ten reads for the year out of 150+. Many of these are new all-time favorites of mine as well. Definitely check them out! :)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I completely agree with Becky, here. One of my all-time faves. The world Morgenstern created just felt so real to me and I loved it!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Oh wow. The writing in this book. Another all-time fave. Definitely YA high fantasy, and I can't wait to crack open my copy of book 2!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book breaks my heart, but I can't help but love it. I've read it twice this year, and turns out it hurt even more the second time!

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfiled

Again, I completely agree with Becky; this requires a reread! I love that this is a contemporary gothic novel. If anyone has suggestions for similar books, I'm all ears!

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys 

This book is just too good to not make my favorites list. It was painful and heart-wrenching, but also informative; I hadn't known about the deportation of Lithuanians to Siberia during WWII. This is a do-not-miss book. I'd teach this book!

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The characters in this book, oh my goodness. I want more of the Garrett family! An all-time favorite,.

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

By the time this post is published, I'll have a three-week unit plan built around this novel! This is unlike any book I've read before, and it's even more special since Mr. Reedy wrote it for a girl he met when he was in Afghanistan. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I really hope I have the chance to teach this book someday soon.

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller 

Okay. This book is sad and hurtful, but it also has a glimmer of hope. Wow, I just realized I love some seriously sad books! :-\

Spark (#2 Elemental Series) by Brigid Kemmerer

This is now one of my favorite series, and while I loved both books, I have to say that Spark is my favorite between the two. I can't wait for the series to continue!!!

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

I do believe this was my first indie read ever. And also the book that schemed with The Fault in Our Stars to make me fall head over heels in love with the YA contemporary genre.

So which books made YOUR top ten of 2012? Link us up, we wanna know!