New Year, New Books

Well, I did it. I read the 50 books in 2012 that I said I would. Actually, I read over 80 books, but who's counting? And to tell the truth, if you add in all the books in the huge Dickens anthology I read, then it's more like 100 books.
The hardest part of the process was keeping track of what I read. Pinterest helped immensely...when I could remember to pin the books that I'd read. To see (most of) what I read, click here.
So now comes the fun part: I get to tell you which were my favorites, and I get to set a new goal.

Favorite Reads in 2012

You know how hard it is for me to choose just one top book, so here are a few that really made an impression this year - but in no particular order:
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. Spooky, kooky, and impossible to put down, it will make you shiver in more ways than one. Click the title to see a review.
Extra Virginity by Tom Mueller. Well thanks a lot, Mueller. Now I look at all olive oil with suspicion. But this was a fun, fact-filled read. Click the title to see a review.
Bossypants by Tina Fey. All hail the next President of the United States. Okay, maybe just the Queen of Laughter then.
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. Why did it have to end? There is a reason that Mantel has won the Man Booker Prize twice.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. A heart-wrenching book that makes you wish the story wasn't true. But it is.
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. What if the spinning Earth just ... stopped? The resulting story by Walker won't let you out of its gravitational pull.
The Black House by Peter May. If you read this blog, you know I read a lot of mysteries. Set on a remote Scottish island, this is one of the best I read this year.
Sutton by J.R. Moehringer. A fictionalized tale of a real-life bank robber in the '30s who fancied himself to be a 20th-century Robin Hood.
The Yard by Alex Grecian. A novel that imagines the earliest days at Scotland Yard. And there had better be a sequel in the works.
Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington. Full of fun drawings by the author and photos of her early modeling days, this book is a very refreshing look back at a creative and fashionable life.

Goal for 2013

Duh. I will read more books.
Let's see...this year I will set my goal at an even 100.
Wishing you many good books in 2013!

Nordic Noir

There's a chill in the air. Yes, I know it's practically spring (and some of us are enjoying 80-degree weather), but a cold wind is ushering in a fabulous new trend for mysteries. It's Nordic Noir, featuring twisty tales and freezing landscapes. Long nights and little sun seem to produce taciturn detectives and deeply disturbed villains. Here are three of my favorite dark tales.

The Keeper of Lost Causes
by Jussi Adler-Olsen
His name may not be familiar to those of us in countries other than his native Denmark, but Adler-Olsen is one of his country's top crime writers. This first installment in the Department Q series shows us why.
Carl Mørck was also at the top of his game, until a shootout with a criminal left him with a wound, and a serious case of survivor's guilt. He's shocked when he is promoted as soon as he returns to his detective post, until he finds out he's in charge of a cold-case department with few prospects for success. Saddled with an assistant he doesn't understand, in a steamy basement office with leftover goods, Mørck is prepared to sleep his way through the job. That is, until a missing person's case grabs his attention.
This engrossing mystery is as dark as any in Nordic Noir, but with a gentle sense of humor that lightens the mood, and puts you firmly behind Department Q and its lost causes. The next book from Adler-Olsen (The Absent One) will appear in August, just in time to cool us down. (Penguin Group - 2011)

Hypothermia

by Arnaldur Indridason
Blowing in from the island of Iceland is a cold tale of suicide. Or is it murder? Inspector Erlunder has a feeling that all is not as it seems, even though the coroner has deemed the death a clear suicide.
A loner by nature, Erlunder follows his hunch, quietly probing the idea that the victim did not hang herself and was helped to her death. But who did the deed? Was it the grieving husband who seems to have something to hide? Or perhaps it was one of the many psychics that the poor woman visited after her own mother's death.
At the same time, Erlunder is visited by the father of a long-ago missing person. The same intuition leads him to re-examine the details of that case, determined to find resolution in both mysteries.
This is the sixth book in what is known as the Reykjavik Thriller series, but the first I've read. After finding myself pulled into the spell of Indridason's writing, I'll be searching out the previous five. (Picador - 2011)

The Leopard

by Jo Nesbø
I first discovered Jo Nesbø with The Devil's Star and I've been hooked ever since. His taut writing and fast-paced storylines are reminiscent of Stieg Larsson, but better.
Don't get me wrong, I love Larsson's trilogy, but I do think it could have used a little editing to quicken the pace and clear out a few "dead" spots (pardon the pun). Unfortunately, at 528 pages, the only thing about this book that gave me pause, other than the unexpected turns, was the fact that it would have been much better if it had a been a bit shorter. See tomorrow's post on editing.
Meanwhile, back to The Leopard, which is still an amazing return to detective Harry Hole's strange world. As defective as the criminals he hunts, Hole has descended into his addictions and is hiding in Hong Kong. He refuses to return home, until he's enticed there by the idea that another serial killer is on the loose. Two women have died, but there is nothing at all to link them except very strange stab wounds in their mouths. Hole travels back to Norway and then to the Congo in his quest to track an elusive animal.
Nesbø is a thrilling writer who never fails to surprise – I have to say that the murder weapon in this case completely freaked me out. If you've never read his books, see my review here of The Snowman. (Knopf Doubleday - 2011)

And now for a personal note - happy birthday to my daughter, Aana! I can't wait to see how the story of your life unfolds.

It's a Mystery

The Edgar Award nominees were announced by the Mystery Writers of America on Jan. 19 (Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, of course), and the list was a bit of a conundrum for me.

There are some good books nominated, but I was more interested in what was not included. In the year of serious Nordic Noir, why isn't there one book from that genre?
Some of the best writing of 2011 could be found in those books, so I'm surprised that books like The Hypnotist, The Snowman, or The Keeper of Lost Causes are not included. It isn't that the nominees have to be American, after all Japanese writer Keigo Higashino is nominated for his terrific book The Devotion of Suspect X.
I'm also disappointed not to see A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block, an incredible story of a hard-boiled detective. There was also a return to greatness by Sue Grafton in her latest book V for Vengeance, honestly one of the best mysteries I read last year.
I think the nominees are more on-target in the category for television (the Edgars recognize mysteries and thrillers on stage, screen, and in print). I loved Whitechapel on BBC America. If you haven't seen it, try finding it on Netflix.
As with most award lists, I did find some new books that I want to read. But I think the Edgar judges might want to get a clue and investigate how some of the top mysteries of the year didn't make the cut.
The Edgar Awards will be held on April 26.