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(After a popular list last year [Link]…)

…here are the 20 very best books I’ve read in 2012:

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20: JASON SHIGA, „Bookhunter“, Graphic Novel, 2007.

19: GAYLE FORMAN: „If I stay“, Young Adult Novel, 2009.

18: DAVID MARKSON: „The Last Novel“, (postmodern) Novel / Lists / Trivia Collection, 2007.

17: SHARON M. DRAPER: „Out of my Mind“, Young Adult Novel, 2010.

16: OCTAVIA BUTLER: „Kindred“, (Fantasy) Novel, 1971.

15: JOHAN HARSTAD: „Buzz Aldrin, what happened to you in all the Confusion?“, Novel (Norway), 2005.

14: KRISTEN D. RANDLE: „The only Alien on the Planet“, Young Adult Novel, 1995.

13: DANIELA KRIEN: „Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen“, Novel (German), 2011.

12: TENNESSEE WILLIAMS: „A Streetcar named Desire“, Play, 1947. […alternative / runner-up: HENRIK IBSEN: „A Doll’s House“, Play (Norway), 1879.]
and

11: ARNO GEIGER: „Der alte König in seinem Exil“ (Austrian) Alzheimer Memoir, 2011.

10: SARAH LEAVITT: „Tangles. A Story about Alzheimer’s, my Mother and me“, Graphic Novel, 2010.

09: ARNE BELLSTORF: „Baby’s in Black“, Graphic Novel (German), 2010.

08: SCOTT SNYDER: „Batman: The Court of Owls“, Graphic Novel (and good start for new „Batman“ readers):

07: STEWART O’NAN: „The Odds. A Love Story“, Novel, 2012.

06: JOACHIM HELFER, RASHID al-DAIF: „Die Verschwulung der Welt“, Essay (German / Persian), 2006.

05: ALEXIS M. SMITH: „Glaciers“, Novel, 2012.

04: JOE HILL: „Locke & Key“ series, Graphic Novels, 2008 to 2013.

03: MARLEN HAUSHOFER: „The Wall / Die Wand“, Austian novel, 1962.

02: GERBRAND BAKKER: „The Detour / Der Umweg“, Dutch novel, 2010.

01: RUTH KLÜGER: „Still alive. A Holocaust Girlhood remembered“, Memoir / Essay, 1992.

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For a complete list of books I’ve read in 2012, please go here [Link].

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In comics, I’ve also enjoyed Guy Delisle’s travelogues / non-fiction graphic novels „Burma Chronicles“ [Link], „Pyongyang“ [Link] and „Jerusalem“ [Link], the „New 52“ DC comic books featuring „Wonder Woman“ [Link], „Green Lantern“ [Link], „Swamp Thing“ [Link] and the „Birds of Prey“ [Link] – and large parts of Naoki Urasawa’s „Pluto“ [Link]…

…and „Honey & Clover“ [Link], a „Scott Pilgrim“-like, bittersweet / comedic coming-of-age manga series about five friends at an art school.

Here’s a collage of my notable graphic novel discoveries in 2012:

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Have a good 2013! More to come!

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Related Posts:

• my 20 best Books of 2011 (Link)
• Summer Reading – 60 books for the next couple of months! (Link)
• Still unread: books I plan to read (pretty soon?) (Link)
• 40 disappointing Literary Classics (Link)

and:

• Underdog Literature: December 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: November 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: October 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: September 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: August 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: July 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: June 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: May 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: April 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: March 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: February 2012 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: January 2012 (Link)

• Underdog Literature: December 2011 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: November 2011 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: October 2011 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: September 2011 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: August 2011 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: July 2011 (Link)
• Underdog Literature: June 2011 (Link)