The Farseer books are a slow burn, but by the end of the first book I was hooked, and by the end of the trilogy I really loved them.

What have I read this year that I loved?

All the Montmaray books (reread) Code Name Verity The Curse of Chalion, and most of the Vorkosigan novels (rereads) The entire Chronicles of Lymond (reread) Germinal by Emile Zola The Riddlemaster trilogy by Patricia McKillip (reread)

I read a lot of books this year that I enjoyed well enough (all the Paksenarrion books by Elizabeth Moon, for instance), but most of what I loved was rereads of old favorites.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a Kindle Deal today for $1.99.

Thanks, Dana!! Picked that up for Christmas reading. I was looking for something that could last a couple plane rides and a week at home.

So, let's see, best books I read in 2012? Let's pull up Goodreads 2012 and pick out some five-star books...

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, by Mary Roach
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls, by Matt Ruff
A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin
The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
Room, by Emma Donoghue
Carter Beats the Devil, by Glen David Gold
Blackout, by Mira Grant

(Also, I'm pretty sure Seanan's Velveteen vs. the Junior Super Patriots is going to be on that list when I'm done.)

FYI: The Little House books boxed set is on sale for $24: [link]

I just added sooooo many titles to my library queue! Thanks to everyone. I should add but I'm not organized enough to remember everything I read this year, thought I have been on a Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant bender the last few months, reading (or re-reading in anticipation) the entire Newsflesh trilogy as well as the entire October Daye series. And almost done with Discount Armageddon right now.

Also had a recent John Green bender with The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, and An Abundance of Katherines. Love them all. That's what I've been reading the last couple months, at least, before that is a blur.

And totally unrelated, I had a (potentially squickey) story idea last night. It always bugged me that vampire stories involving human females seem to completely ignore menstruation. Why? It's like a buffet of blood that doesn't harm the donor at all...we just gush it out for days every month. I suppose that it's compositionally different from arterial blood so maybe it wouldn't taste as good? But seems like a non-discerning vampire could have a rotating stable of ladies of fertile years. Plus, for the sexy times scenes, orgasm leads to uterine contractions so a vampire adept at cunnilingus could reasonably view menstruating women as walking treat dispensers.

edited to white font the part that folks might find squicky.

I, uh, wrote a fanfic about that years ago. No, really.

walking treat dispensers.

Yep.

I, uh, wrote a fanfic about that years ago.

And I read it.

Great minds think alike ;P Link?