Best of 2012: The Books! [FaN Cheers]

Wha??? How is it almost 2013 already? It’s been another crazy year here at Fierce and Nerdy and guess how we’re going to spend our holidays? That’s right, reflecting on it. Starting with my favorite category, BOOKS!

Ernessa Says: I adored many books this year, including CUTTING SEASON by Attica Locke, and GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn, both of  which had me frantically flipping pages I was so eager to find out what would happen next. But this year, my nerdy heart has to go with REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi as my favorite book of year. This novel starts off as an immediately engrossing send-up of STAR TREK from the ill-fated “redshirts” point of view, but eventually turns out to be a bigger, deeper story than originally presented. If you love any version of the Star Trek series, then you need to read this terrific standalone yesterday.

 

OUR FICTION PICKS

 

THIS BOOK IS FULL OF SPIDERS: Seriously Dude, Don’t Touch It by  David Wong. It’s the spectacular sequel to the hilarious JOHN DIES AT THE END. Wong (who is actually cracked.com writer Jason Pargin) is an amazing writer. He manages to do comedy and horror and weird blended together insanely well. It’s like if Naked Lunch met Army of Darkness and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Seriously entertaining.

Amy Robinson, Blogumnist Editor and writer of Tall Drink of Nerd

 

SKIPPY DIES by Paul Murray. I had a real teen romance with this book. At first I was all like, “Ew. Another coming of age story about misunderstood rich kids? That’s so totally gross. It’s all like ‘ohhhh, nobody loves me, I’m anorexic, who molested the dead kid?’ sooo over it.” But then, Paul Murray stood outside my window with a boom box and soulfully explained how the prep school in his book is really a microcosm for Ireland of the mid 2000s — a world of fragile, anxious prosperity where doubt and insecurity are squashed by bravado and obsessive consumerism and those who can’t go with the flow are left to drown. So that totally made me like him and now I’m seriously in love with this book. Plus, his bathos looks really cute in his jeans.

Eric Sims from California Seething

 

I confess, I tend to read more comic books than novels but this year saw me reading more than usual.  That being said, my favorite book of the year was actually Shirley Jackson’s WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN A CASTLE from 1962.  Many of you will recognize Jackson as the author of the seminal short story, “The Lottery.”  WHALITC is a kind of meloncholy tale of a two sisters who live in affluence but in doing so, garner the jealousy of their entire community not only because of their wealth but also because of the rumor that one of them committed a heinous crime for which she’s never had to pay.  I was intrigued by the cover art of the most recent edition and wasn’t disappointed.

Joshua Irish from Game On

 

THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen. I’m a serious nut for Scandinavian crime fiction. I can’t explain it, I mean I do have Swedish and Norwegian blood in me, but those have always been my least favorite blood cells. This one was different and really a stand out. Even though you know what’s happening the whole time, the suspense of what is going to happen is intense.

Madam HR from HorroR Stories

 

Amazingly enough, I was entranced with the idea of a bunch of teenagers slaughtering each other, so I picked up the HUNGER GAMES trilogy by Suzanne Collins and really enjoyed reading the books. While certainly an easy read by any standard, these books are a fun and simple way to spend an afternoon. The violence is not of horrific proportion,s so if you have pre-teens or teens it should be just fine. Hell, I was reading Stephen King’s warped novels at a younger age than suggested by the publisher of these books.

Zack Bunker from A Tall Glass of Shame and The Runway Rundown

 

 

OUR NON-FICTION PICKS

 

THE SIGNAL AND THE NOISE: Why Most Predictions Fail But Some Don’t by Nate Silver.

Charles L.Cron from Thought Chuck

 

KILIMANJARO: A Trekkers Guide by Alexander Stewart. It’s a really comprehensive book about Mt. Kilimanjaro from its history, how to climb it, flora and fauna, and wildlife. Since climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is on my “Travel To-Do List,” I wanted to get researching.

Jennifer May Nickel from Gal About Town: Fashion and Travel at Your Fingertips

 

Jimmy Fallon’s THANK YOU NOTES 2.  I gave this out as a gift last year and I couldn’t put it down.  His show is hilarious and so is this book, I even dedicated an entire blogumn to it.  I hope they go for a THANK YOU NOTES 3!

Jersey Joe from Kicking Back with Jersey Joe

 

MORTALITY by Christopher Hitchens. Written during his battle (though he wouldn’t call it that) with esophageal cancer, MORTALITY is the melancholy denouement to Hitchen’s memoir HITCH 22. It’s an eloquent, touching and melancholy exploration of the existential reality of death, penned with the eloquence and wit of a man with few peers.

Joshua Mauldin from FIERCE ANTICIPATION

 

I didn’t read any “new” books this year. But the favorite of the books I did read was PINBALL GAMES. It’s George Eber’s firsthand account of living in Hungary during WWII. The biggest thing that strikes me about it was the effort people made to find normalcy during the chaos.

Matt Udvari from Gamer by Design

 

I like the book, HEATHER ROSS PRINTS: 50+ Designs and 20 Projects to Get You Started by Heather Ross. It is a great book for inspiring a new designer to make their own custom projects with special fabric that they designed.

Missy Kulik from Dork Lifestyle