The Top 20 books of 2012 as rated by BookBrowse subscribers

Gone Girl

A Novel

by Gillian Flynn

Hardcover: Jun 2012 | Paperback: Apr 2014

Marriage can be a real killer. Gillian Flynn, takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

by Katherine Boo

Hardcover: Feb 2012 | Paperback: Apr 2014

From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the twenty-first century's great, unequal cities.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan

Hardcover: Oct 2012 | Paperback: Sep 2013

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day.

The Round House

A Novel

by Louise Erdrich

Hardcover: Oct 2012 | Paperback: Sep 2013

An exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.

Liar & Spy

by Rebecca Stead

Hardcover: Aug 2012 | Paperback: Aug 2013

Liar & Spy is an inspired, often-funny story about destiny, goofy brilliance, and courage. Like Stead's Newbery Medal-winning When You Reach Me, it will keep readers guessing until the end

The End of Your Life Book Club

by Will Schwalbe

Hardcover: Oct 2012 | Paperback: Jun 2013

The inspiring story of a son and his dying mother, who form a "book club" that brings them together as her life comes to a close.

In the Shadow of the Banyan

A Novel

by Vaddey Ratner

Hardcover: Jul 2012 | Paperback: Jun 2013

Displaying the author's extraordinary gift for language, In the Shadow of the Banyan is testament to the transcendent power of narrative and a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience.

Bring Up the Bodies

Wolf Hall Trilogy #2

by Hilary Mantel

Hardcover: May 2012 | Paperback: May 2013

The sequel to Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, Wolf Hall, delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn.

The Yellow Birds

A Novel

by Kevin Powers

Hardcover: Sep 2012 | Paperback: Apr 2013

With profound emotional insight, especially into the effects of a hidden war on mothers and families at home, The Yellow Birds is a groundbreaking novel about the costs of war that is destined to become a classic.

The Long Walk

A Story of War and the Life That Follows

by Brian Castner

Hardcover: Jul 2012 | Paperback: Apr 2013

In the tradition of Michael Herr's Dispatches and works by such masters of the memoir as Mary Karr and Tobias Wolff, a powerful account of war and homecoming that grabs readers by the throat even as it touches their hearts.

The Light Between Oceans

A Novel

by Margot L. Stedman

Hardcover: Jul 2012 | Paperback: Apr 2013

A captivating, beautiful, and stunningly accomplished debut novel that opens in 1918 Australia - the story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who make one devastating choice that forever changes two worlds.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

A Novel

by Rachel Joyce

Hardcover: Jul 2012 | Paperback: Mar 2013

A novel of unsentimental charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise - and utterly irresistible - storyteller.