Blog
My Favourite Books of 2012, Chelsea Newcombe
by Chelsea
December 12, 2012
With 2012 coming to a close, it's fun to reflect back on all of the excellent books that I encountered at Raincoast in the past twelve months. Usually I can't remember what I had for breakfast, but for some reason my memories of books tend to stick around. I suppose it could be because I'm surrounded by books all day long. Hard life, isn't it?
As for my favourite books of 2012, I chose something for kids, teens, and grown-ups:
Gulf Islands Alphabet
Bronwyn Preece, illustrated by Alex Walton
I’ve been lucky enough to spend time on a few of the Gulf Islands and thought I knew quite a bit about the area, but this beautiful picture book taught me that there is still much more to discover. The illustrations truly reflect how diverse and picturesque the islands are, and make me want to start planning my next trip!
Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
While you could easily say that Shadow and Bone is similar to Harry Potter (since teens are sent off to magic school) or The Hunger Games (since a solitary heroine must overturn the evil forces that threaten her society), it is also a unique story that reads differently than either of those popular series and is just as enjoyable. Without giving too much away, this is for fans of conflicted characters and darker fantasy.
Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book
Jake Godby and Sean Vahey
My ice cream maker is the size of a large mixing bowl, is at least 25 years old, and the most complicated mechanism is a hand crank. Apparently that’s all you need to make delicious homemade ice cream in about 40 minutes with help from the Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book! Every recipe that I’ve tried has come out delicious, from the standard (Tahitian Vanilla) to the extreme (Balsamic Caramel) and the in-between (Honey Thyme). Plus, homemade ice cream is the ultimate way to cap off a dinner party; no need to tell anyone how easy it was to make.
Chelsea, Sales Associate
Comments
On December 12, 2012 at 11:53 AM, Charlene said:
Thank you for sharing! 2012 has been a wonderful year for books, especially for authors with debut novels. I can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for us. I love your choices and my curiosity is definitely piqued by ‘Shadow and Bone’.