Amazon.com's book editors have announced their annual
Best Books of the Year So Far list. The list highlights the best books released in 2012 between January and June.
Sara Nelson, editorial director for books at Amazon.com, says, "The variety of books on the list reflects the broad range of titles published in 2012 so far. To us,
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is a masterpiece in nonfiction writing. But we rounded out the top three with a thriller and a young adult novel - there really is something for everyone on this list. Helping customers find and discover outstanding books is an important role for us at Amazon, and we look forward to discovering new and innovative ways of bringing our customers in contact with books we think they'll love."
Amazon.com Top 10 Best Books of the Year So Far:
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo: A Pulitzer-winning author writes the true story of struggle and hope in a Mumbai slum.
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: Plot twists and revelations make this a psychological thriller of the highest order.
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Two kids with cancer deal with the big subjects—life, love, and death—in this perfect blend of levity and heart-swelling emotion.
- Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain: Questions of privilege, power, and heroism swirl in this debut novel about recently returned Iraq War veterans invited to attend a Cowboys football game.
- The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro: The fourth installment in Caro's authoritative biographical series on Lyndon Baines Johnson – a masterpiece in nonfiction.
- The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson: A superb novel about freedom, sacrifice and violence, set within the dark borders of North Korea.
- Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt: A singular portrait of a girl and her family transformed during the late-80s AIDS epidemic.
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed: A memoir of a 1,100-mile journey that nearly broke the author to pieces, before she used those pieces to rebuild her life.
- The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker: Speculative fiction and a girl’s coming-of-age story meet in this gripping debut.
- Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll: An examination of the largest, most profitable company in history by a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.
Amazon also announced Best Books of the Year So Far lists in different categories and genres. You can find the lists
here on Amazon.com.
Photo: Random House
