The Staff of Parents Picks 2012′s Best Books
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
Who cares what The New York Times picked as the best books of 2012? Forget what the editors at Oprah chose (their list came out today). What you really want to read are the books that the editors of Parents and American Baby magazines loved. Why? Because these people are down-to-earth, time-crunched, fun and all-around super cool. In short, these are the best books of 2012 picked by readers who are just like you.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo
“This was by far my favorite because she managed to really capture the essence of the Mumbai society she was profiling. Her characters were three-dimensional and not caricatures and the portrait of their life in the slums captured the dignity and hope as well as the challenges and disappointments they live with every day.”
–Michael Kress
Bring Up the Bodies
by Hilary Mantel
“Ah, Thomas Cromwell. This book, and the one before it, Wolf Hall, may be
about Henry VIII’s right-hand man when he was annullding his first wife and
then marrying and divorcing Anne Boleyn, but the character description
of Cromwell is so well-rounded and rich, I found myself imagining he was
walking down the street to work with me in the morning. Cromwell was a
man of the future and I think he would be proud to see what the world is
like today, especially that women have made so much progress.”
–Mindy Berry Walker
Heft
by Liz Moore
“I couldn’t put down Heft, by Liz Moore, a beautifully written book about a 550-pound former teacher who no longer leaves his home, and the relationship he develops with the teenage son of one of his students.”
–Diane Debrovner
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
“Her hilarious, biting passage about the mythical ‘Cool Girl’—the male fantasy of the woman who loves football, burping, and chili dogs, all while wearing a size 2—alone made this book worth reading!
–Gail O’Connor
*also favored by Erica Clark, Jessica Hartshorn, Taryn Mohrman, Chandra Turner, Sarah Sebastiano
How to be a Woman
by Caitlin Moran
“It claims to be an update of Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch, but its feminism is delivered with a sense humor over a good beer, with its stories in turns hilarious, heartbreaking, wise, frustrating, and utterly rabble-rousing.”
–Julie Taraska
In the Garden of Beasts
by Erik Larson
“It’s the true and compelling story of William Dodd, the U.S. Ambassador to Nazi Germany in the years before WWII, and his 20-something daughter, who had numerous affairs while the family lived there, including one with an Soviet spy.”
–Diane Debrovner
Paris in Love
by Eloisa James
“This light-hearted, authentic read is formatted from snippets of the author’s blog posts about her year abroad with her family. (Plus, the short entries and loose plot line made it a great grab-and-go book for whenever I found a few extra minutes.)”
–Maryn Liles
Tell the Wolves I’m Home
by Carol Rifka Brunt
“Tell the Wolves I’m Home hurt my heart (in a good way); it forced me to take a closer look at the relationships in my life and make sure I was giving those I care about the love they deserve.”
–April Rueb
The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
“Intelligently and carefully written, John Green weaves a delicate story of truths and young love beneath the hovering cloud of sickness and fate.”
–Ruthie Fierberg
Unbroken
by Laura Hillenbran
“As a mom of an active young boy, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand especially got to me. It’s a true story about a World War II airman who beat incredible obstacles to survive with skills—speed, resourcefulness, determination—learned from a mischievous, defiant boyhood. It showed me that the very things that sometimes drive parents crazy can, when harnessed for good purpose, help turn kids into adults who are able to overcome anything.”
–Gail O’Connor
Where’d You Go Bernadette?
by Maria Semple
“This was my favorite book of the year because of its unconventional style (the drama unfolds largely through letters and emails written between characters) and its surprising mystery element that made it unputdownable!”
–Sumana Ghosh-Witherspoon
*Also favored by Kara Corridan
Wherever I Wind Up
by R. A. Dickey,
“It’s about the Mets’ knuckleball pitcher who took an unlikely journey from failed minor leaguer to star pitcher for the Mets (he won the Cy Young Award just months after climbing Mt. Kilmanjaro to raise money to fight human trafficking. A totally entertaining and inspiring story that teaches us to never give up on our dreams.”
–David Sparrow
Categories: Best Of Lists, Best Sellers, Fiction, Memoirs, Mom Must Read, Must Read, Popular Books | Tags: Behind the Beautiful Forevers, best books 2012, Bring Up the Bodies, Gone Girl, heft, how to be a woman, in the garden of beasts, paris in love, staff picks, Tell the Wolves I’m Home, The Fault in Our Stars, Unbroken, Where'd You Go Bernadette?, Wherever I Wind Up
I love December. Sure, the presents, cookies and family time are great. But what gets me really excited? The Best Books of 2012 lists. I don’t usually agree with the (snobbish) book world’s top picks, but I relish in reading their carefully selected and politically correct choices. You know in high school when the coach would post who made the cheerleading squad? Book picks are like that for me because I’m a geek.
Bring Up the Bodies
I’m kind of confused on why NPR is rating children’s literature, but rate they did. They came out with a “scientific” list of the 
Looking for the perfect book can be like trying to find the right dress for your high school reunion. You want something that fits your taste and mood–one that doesn’t poke or jam you up. You need a read that’s ravishing and deeply personal. A good book–like a fab frock–should make you say, “Gazonga. Me likey.”