The Book Connection's Best Books of 2012

It's time to list my top ten favorite books of the year. My taste in books remains fairly consistent, with mysteries, Christian fiction, thrillers, and historicals being my favorites. This year, I expanded a bit to include Amish fiction to my regular reads, and branched out to read dystopian fiction, a speculative fiction book and a space western novella. I should note, this list only contains fiction.  Though I did have a few non-fiction favorites, There wasn't enough for a complete list.

The Best Books of 2012

10. Best Seller by Timothy Sagges

9. For Love of Sarah by Hazel Statham

8. Raging Water by Marilyn Meredith

7. Nicholas by Cheryl Holt

6. Act of Grace by Karen Simpson

5. Forever Young: Blessing or Curse by Morgan Mandel

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

3. Sea Change by Karen White

2. Unexpected Christmas Hero by Kathi Macias

1. Defending Jacob by William Landay

Honorable mentions in no order:

No Bells by F. M. Meredith

Special Delivery and The Deliverer by Kathi Macias

Abby Finds Her Calling by Naomi King

Executive Actions and Executive Treason by Gary Grossman

Attorney-Client Privilege by Pamela Samuels Young

Summer of Secrets by Charlotte Hubbard

The Book Connection's Top 10 Books of 2011

I think this was the hardest year for choosing my Top 10 Books. In going through my spreadsheet, I kept checking off books I knew should be on it, but then there over double what I was supposed to have. I had to go back through the list again, check out what I had to say about these books, think on it some more, and then compose a new list--a few times. I've decided to include honorable mentions because there are several books that could have made the list.

1. Falling Home by Karen White
2. A Christmas Journey Home by Kathi Macias
3. The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn
4. Born Under a Lucky Moon by Dana Precious
5. People of the Book by Kathi Macias
6. Friendship Bread by Darien Gee
7. Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil by Jerome Charyn
8. A Higher Court by John Betcher
9. Elizabeth I by Margaret George
10. In the St. Nick of Time by K.M. Daughters

Honorable Mentions:

1. Bears With Us by Marilyn Meredith
2. Love You More by Lisa Gardner
3. The Queen's Gamble by Barbara Kyle
4. My Dearest Friend by Hazel Statham
5. Murder is a Family Business by Heather Haven
6. The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
7. The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner
8. Cold Lonely Courage by Soren Paul Petrek
9. Resurrection Garden by Frank Scully
10. Murder in the Vatican by Ann Margaret Lewis

What Was Your Favorite Book of 2011?

In getting ready for my Top 10 Books of 2011, I thought it would be nice to hear from our readers what their favorite book of the year was. I rarely end up reading books that make the big lists, but I always have a difficult time selecting only 10 favorite books of my reading year.

What was your favorite read of the year? Did you have more than one?

The Book Connection's Top 10 Books of 2011 Coming Soon

I'm in the middle of reading my last book of 2011 right now. When I'm done, I'll have read 169 titles, which includes six short stories. This is slightly less than the 174 books I read among my three main blogs last year. I'm still satisfied with my tally. It was an overwhelming year filled with wicked weather, and I was busier with volunteering, business, and home life than I've ever been.

I'm looking forward to participating in reading challenges for 2012 at this blog. I'll also be running themed months over at Books, Products and More! January will be a month of product reviews; though I'm sure you'll find books there too. I can never wander far from my love of books. If you are looking to have your product reviewed, please feel free to send me an email at cg20pm00(at)gmail(dot)com.

The Book Connection will continue to focus on the many titles in  my TBR pile, so I won't be taking on any new review requests until July. I can still offer a limited amount of guest post spots. Please read  my guest blogging policy before contacting me.

Thank you for your continued support and readership.

How many books did you read this year? What goals are you setting for your blog(s) in 2012?

The Book Connection's Top 10 Favorite Books of 2009

The Book Connection and The Children's and Teens' Book Connection collectively read over 100 books last year; not too bad considering the crazy year I had with work and family life.

And although choosing only 10 favorites of 2009 is going to be very tough, here's the list from Number 10 to Number 1. I'll post a separate list at The Children's and Teen's Book Connection for my favorites in kid's books.

Feel free to share some of your favorites too!




The Book Connection's Top 10 Favorite Books of 2009


10. The Dead Guy by Doug Hewitt

9. Killer Career by Morgan Mandel


8. Dispel the Mist by Marilyn Meredith

7. Hearts of Courage by John Tippets

6. Beyond the Code of Conduct by K.M. Daughters

5. Meggie's Remains by Joanne Sundell


4. Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah

3. One Holy Night by J.M. Hochstetler

2. The Lost Hours by Karen White

1. My Son, John by Kathi Macias