2012 Booklist

Since I'd like to keep this on the blog, but not keep it as a page any longer, I'm changing it to a post and back-dating it.  Sorry if it shows up in your feed!

I'm keeping track of the books that I read in 2012 so that I can share some great reads -- or warn you off of not so great reads!  I'll give a short genre sentence and then my rating with ***** (1 being not good, 5 being great).

Dec 2011
While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austin - Christian fiction set in WWII era Brooklyn - ****
The Christmas Dog by Melody Carlson - Christian Christmas fiction set in present day - ***
Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist - Christian fiction set in turn of the century Texas - ****
Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson - fiction set in 1920's New York City - ***
Beautiful Days by Anna Godberson - sequel; fiction set in 1920's New York City - ***
Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth-Jones - present day fiction set in the Bahama's - **
The Christmas Watch by Erynn Mangum - Christian fiction set in the present day - ***
Sketchy Behavior by Erynn Mangum - Christian fiction set in the present day - **
Surrender the Heart by MaryLu Tyndall - Christian fiction set in the early 1800's America - **
BossyPants by Tina Fey - Biography (lots of language but hilarious if you can take it!) - ****

Jan 2012
Longing by Karen Kingsbury - Christian fiction set in present day; part of a series - ***
Swinging on a Star by Janice Thompson - Christian fiction set in present day Galveston, TX; part of a series - **
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander - Christian fiction set in Nashville, TN (Belmont mansion) just after the Civil War - *****
The Wedding Kiss by Hannah Alexander - Christian fiction set in 1800's Arkansas - **
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Fiction set after the destruction of North America when new country, Panem, is created; violent scenes; series - *****
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - second in Hunger Games trilogy; violent scenes - *****
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - third in Hunger Games trilogy; violent scenes - *****
The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke - Historical Christian fiction set around Jesus' death in Jerusalem; part of the "Acts of Faith" series (book 1) - ***
The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke - Historical Christian fiction set after Jesus' death in Jerusalem; part of the "Acts of Faith" series (book 2) - *****
The Damascus Way by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke - Historical Christian fiction set after Jesus' death around Jerusalem; part of the "Acts of Faith" series (book 3) - *****
The Dirt by Lori Culwell - Teen, present day, mindless fiction set in California; some language and drug references; free on Amazon - **
Annie Begins by Michelle Toth - Fiction set in the mid-90's in Boston revolving around a start up internet company; language and some risqué scenes, also a death; free on Amazon - **

Feb 2012
The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews - fiction set in present day Washington DC and rural Georgia; language and some risqué scenes - ***
Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith - Christian fiction romances set in present day Kentucky; first in the Sister-to-Sister series; free on Amazon - ***
Age Before Beauty by Virginia Smith - Christian fiction about a new Mom in present day Kentucky; second in the Sister-to-Sister series - ****
Third Time's A Charm by Virginia Smith - Christian fiction romance set in present day Kentucky; third in the Sister-to-Sister series - ***
Love in a Small Town by Betty Jo Schuler - Fiction set in Indiana; free on Amazon - **
A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth - Autobiography by Kristin Chenoweth - ****
The Narrow Path by Gail Sattler - Christian fiction set in a Mennonite community in Minnesota; free on Amazon - ***
Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride - Christian fiction set in Atlanta; sequel to Always the Baker, Never the Bride (but you could pick it up without having read the first); free on Amazon - ****

March 2012
Fancy Pants by Cathy Marie Hake - Christian fiction set in early 1900's Texas on a ranch - ****
Bond Girl by Erin Duffy - Fiction set in mid-2000's Wall Street; language and risqué references - **
Kissed in Paris by Juliette Sobanet - Fiction set in present-day Paris; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon - ***
Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart - Contemporary Christian fiction set in Charleston - ****

April 2012
How Sweet It Is by Alice Wisler - Contemporary Christian fiction set in North Carolina - ***
A Hearth in Candlewood by Delia Parr - Historical Christian fiction set in Candlewood, New York - ***
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close - Fiction set in New York and other areas; language - *
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen - Historical Christian fiction set in England - *****
Nickels by Karen Baney - Contemporary Christian fiction about a software engineer(!!) set in Arizona - ****
Loving by Karen Kingsbury - Contemporary Christian fiction set in Indiana and Hollywood; part of a series - ****
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott - Historical fiction set in and around the Titanic - ***
Save the Date by Jenny B Jones - Contemporary Christian fiction set in Charleston - *****
How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue - Fiction set in San Francisco; language - *****
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella - Fiction set in England; language - ****
The Rock Star's Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy - Teen fiction set in LA and across the country; language; free on Amazon - ***
The Last Page by Lacy Camey - Fiction set in the Hamptons; language; free on Amazon - ***
A Lady of High Regard by Tracie Peterson - Historical Christian fiction set in Philadelphia; free on Barnes and Noble and Amazon - ****

May 2012
The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble - Historical Christian fiction in the early 1900's in California - ****
More by Heidi Marshall - Contemporary Christian fiction; free on Amazon - *
The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden - Historical fiction set in Massachusetts in the late 1800's; free on Amazon - ****
Always the Designer, Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker - Contemporary Christian fiction set in Atlanta; free on Amazon and Barnes and Noble - ****
The Clash of the Bridesmaids by Vanessa Sisson - Longer novella; Contemporary Christian fiction set in Texas; free on Amazon -- but can no longer find a Kindle version and paperback has weird pricing - ***
Love Unlisted by Stephanie Haddad - Contemporary fiction set in Boston; language; free on Amazon - ***

June 2012
Identical Differences by Erynn Mangum - Contemporary fiction novella set in the Pacific Northwest - ****
Believe in Me: A Teen Mom's Story by Judith Dickerman-Nelson - Autobiography of author's life having a child at 17; I thought this was fiction when I read it so it doesn't really read like a biography; free on Amazon - **
'Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy by Leslie Langtry - Light-hearted, contemporary fiction about a family whose business is being assassins; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon - ****
Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren - Historical Christian fiction involving the Grand Tour of Europe; free on Amazon - ****
Yesterday's Flight by Martyn Ellington - Contemporary science fiction about a plane that time travels back to the Dinosaur era; dinosaur scenes can be gruesome but can also be skimmed over; requires a good dose of suspension of reality; language; free on Amazon - ***
Bridesmaid Lotto by Rachel Astor - Contemporary fiction set in NYC about a girl who wins a lottery to be a bridesmaid for a socialite; language; free on Amazon and Barnes and Noble - ***
Vada Faith by Barbara Whittington - Contemporary fiction set in West Virginia about a woman deciding to be a surrogate mother; not very uplifting and kind of weird; free on Amazon - *

July 2012
The Pitcher's Mom by Heather Choate Davis - Contemporary fiction set in California and Arizona about a Mom whose son loves baseball; language; free on Amazon - **
Happy Hour by Anne Mitchell - Contemporary fiction set in NYC and England about a girl impersonating a tv show host; a little dark; language; free on Amazon - **
Chocolate Beach by Julie Carobini - Contemporary Christian fiction set in California; free on Amazon - *****
The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ by Kelly Minter - Christian non-fiction about Colossians 3:12; free on Amazon on April 18, 2012 - *****
Truffles by the Sea by Julia Carobini - Contemporary Christian fiction set in California, sequel to Chocolate Beach (above); free on Amazon - *****
Around the World in 80 Dates by Christa Banister - Contemporary Christian fiction set around Minneapolis; a little slow; free on Amazon - **
Gamble on Engagement by Rachel Astor - Contemporary fiction set in England; sequel to Bridesmaid Lotto (above) - ***
The Wedding Wager by Rachel Astor - Contemporary fiction set in New York; third in Bridesmaid Lotto series (above) - ***
Three Girls and a Baby by Rachel Schurig - Contemporary fiction set in Detroit; language; free on Amazon - ***

August 2012
Replica by Lexi Revellian - Contemporary science fiction set in and around London; about a girl who is replicated during a science experiment; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon - **
A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck - Contemporary Christian fiction set in New Orleans; fairly predictable and not my favorite- **
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison - Contemporary fiction set in Washington, DC; language and risqué scenes - *
Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer - Historical Christian fiction - ****
Unplanned by J. Heather Leigh - Contemporary Christian fiction; free on Amazon - *
The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport - Historical fiction set in Chicago; free on Amazon - ****

September 2012
Going for Broke by Nina Howard - Contemporary fiction set in NYC and Chicago about a woman whose husband embezzles funds and then vanishes leaving her to clean up his mess; language; free on Amazon - ***
Bah, Humbug! by Heather Horrocks - Contemporary Christian fiction novella set in Salt Lake City; free on Amazon (and still free on 9/10/12) - ***
The Wedding Cake Girl by Anne Pfeffer - Contemporary young adult/coming of age fiction set in Santa Rosita Island off the coast of California; free on Amazon - ***
Do or Di by Eileen Cook - Contemporary fiction set in Seattle; language; free on Amazon - ***
Match Me by Liz Appel - Contemporary fiction set in Michigan; language; free on Amazon - **

October 2012
Chop, Chop by LN Cronk - Christian fiction that follows a trio of kids throughout their lives until post-college; includes a dramatic scenario; free on Amazon - *
Allerednic by Chautona Havig - Historical Christian fiction set in England; free on Amazon - ****
The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson - Auto-biography of the Robertson family - stars of A&E's show, Duck Dynasty, and owners of Duck Commander and Buck Commander; the family lives in Louisiana and are strong Christians - *****
The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid - British fiction set in London; language and risqué scenes; free on Amazon - **
Hope for the Weary Mom by Brooke McGlothlin and Stacey Thacker - Christian non-fiction written by two Mom's with young kids to Mom's of young kids; phenomenal book -- in depth review coming on blog soon; free on Amazon on 10/23/12 - *****

November 2012
Stirring Up Trouble by Juli Alexander - Fiction about a high school girl with magical powers; free on Amazon - ***
Reinventing Mona by Jennifer Coburn - Fiction set in present-day San Diego about a woman leaving her job and discovering who she is; language, risque scenes; free on Amazon - ***

December 2012
The Wishing Cake by Ellen Meister - Contemporary fiction short story set in NYC; magical undertones; free on Amazon - **
Laura's Big Break by Janet Elizabeth Henderson - Contemporary fiction set in England/Scotland about the misadventures of childhood frenemies reconnecting later in life; language; risque scenes; free on Amazon - ***
The Frog Prince by Elle Lothlorien - Contemporary fiction set in Denver and Europe; language; risque scenes; free on Amazon - ****
The Scent of Rain by Kristin Billerbeck - Contemporary Christian fiction set in Dayton, OH - ****
31 Kisses
 by Chautona Havig - Contemporary Christian fiction; free on Amazon - ****
My Revised Christmas List
 by Erynn Mangum - Contemporary Christian fiction novella - ****
The Wedding Dress
 by Rachel Hauck - Mix of contemporary and historical Christian fiction set in Birmingham, AL; a little bit of mystery but not in a dangerous way - *****

Previously Read Books
True Devotion by Dee Henderson - Christian suspenseful fiction surrounding SEAL's; free on Amazon on March 25 - *****
Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson - Christian fiction set in present-day Texas; first in the Weddings By Bella series (book #2 was read in January 2012); free on Amazon on March 25 - ****
The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen - Christian historical fiction; free on Amazon on April 6 - ****
Cool Beans by Erynn Mangum - Contemporary Christian fiction; first in a series; free on Amazon on June 5 - *****
Secrets by Kristen Heitzmann - Contemporary Christian fiction; first in a series; free on Amazon on August 7 - *****
No Other Gods by Kelly Minter - Christian non-fiction that will radically change your life; free on Amazon on August 28 - *****
Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra Bricker - reviews about others in series in previous months; Christian fiction; free on Amazon on October 9 - *****
April 2011 Book Recommendations
Cosmic Christmas by Max Lucado - Christian - *****
January 2010 Book Recs
May 2010 Book Recs
Parenting Books

*Some links are affiliate links.  Please see my review/link disclosures for more information.
*If I downloaded the book when it was free on Amazon I will note that.  The link to the book on Amazon's site might not have the book for free anymore, but it might become free again at a later date.  Usually books are only free for a certain amount of time.