My Top Ten of 2012 - Amy B.

Amy B. of Maplewood managed to narrow her list of adult, young adult and graphics down to her Top Ten of 2012:

After the Apocalypse [1] by Maureen F. McHugh.  A wonderful book: bleak and witty. It is sticky brain food, and I love it. Plus, zombies.

Siddon Rock [2] by Glenda Guest.  Siddon Rock combines the stark imagery of the Australian red rock outback with delicate and haunting cameos of the small town of people who have built a community there.

The Rook [3] by Daniel O'Malley.  Your year's best sci-fi/action/thriller/comedy!

I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, #1) [4] by Barry Lyga.  I don't know if it was the really appealing main character or the icky "my dad was a serial killer" aspects that I loved more.

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony.  You will need to read this twice. Really.

Every Day [5] by David Levithan.  This is a tender ode to love. Don't let the strange premise throw you off - David Levithan is deft with the magic pen, and makes you believe.

Ask The Passengers [6] by A.S. King.  A.S. King is the Queen of thoughtful young adult fiction, and a beautiful author.

The Year of the Beasts [7] by Cecil Castellucci.  Cecil Castellucci has a way with words and Nate Powell has a way with pictures. Putting them together in this short and intensely powerful story was a double whammy, reminding the reader that being 15 can bring on the wildest transformations. Year of the Beasts is a brilliant thing indeed.

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me [8] by Ellen Forney.  Ellen Forney does an excellent job of detailing the ups, downs, and rock bottoms of mental illness. Her graphic novel is sexy, sharp, reassuring, and ultimately cathartic.

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories [9] by Sherman Alexie.  Sherman Alexie continues to mixes up all kinds of emotions and then spread them around like butter. He ties up endings with a flourish. And then he writes another story that does it all over again.