My 2012 In Review | Stainless Steel Droppings

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As December rolls around every year the annual Best Of lists start cropping up all over the internet, and I for one love them. Inevitably they mean adding books and movies and television shows and video games and music to my ever-growing list of entertainment of which I would like to partake, but that is a hazard I am willing to fully embrace as I wade into these posts, be they from professional outlets, from authors, or from passionate bloggers like yourself.

I get giddy every time I see one of these lists crop up via email or other blog links.

I generally wait until I see the year?s dying embers before posting my list because experience has shown that I end up reading something late in the year that will make it on to my list. This year was no exception. In fact my favorite book of the year was read a scant few weeks ago.

This promises to be a lengthy post, per usual, so I apologize in advance. At the end of the post is a Mr. Linky for you to post links to your various Year End posts and I do so hope you?ll provide links so that we can all blog hop and see what stories grabbed hold of you this year and wouldn?t let go, regardless of what format those stories were in. Please share your opinions, not just about my choices, in the comments as well.

My 12 Favorite Reading Experiences of 2012

Unfortunately I find myself in the position yet again where I have books that made this list that I did not review, much to my shame and disappointment. If a book title is highlighted then the link will take you to my review, if not I will try to do a brief summary.

In reverse order from when I read them (as I took them off of my 2012 Books Read list):

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows ~Alan Bradley

Bradley?s fourth offering in the Flavia de Luce mystery series finds the de Luce family snowed in at their family estate, Buckshaw, with cast and crew of a film unit using the house as backdrop for their latest picture. Bradley breaks ever so slightly with form to give us a touching Yuletide story that is so well realized that it wouldn?t have surprised me if snowflakes had fallen from the pages as I was reading it. The word ?delight? frequently crops up in my reviews for the Flavia books as it the most apt one-word description for what Bradely?s stories do and what they make me feel.

Ready Player One ~Ernest Cline

I came quite late to the party on this one and when I finally decided to see what all the buzz was about I chose to have Wil Wheaton read it to me. It was an excellent choice. My admiration for Wheaton has grown tremendously over this past year and his audio book narration is just a small part of that. Had I read this book myself I may have complained more over the need for further editing. As it stands I am the target audience for this loving homage to video games and 1980?s culture and I felt enveloped in wave after wave of nostalgia as I experienced the adventures of Wade Watts, aka Parzival. Cline married an exhaustive knowledge of the 1980?s to highly plausible speculation regarding near future technological capabilities to tell a highly creative, innovative story. It is a story written for a niche audience and yet the inclusion of the 80?s pop culture references helps it bridge a gap between genre fiction enthusiasts and those who generally stay away from science fiction and fantasy. This one is a real winner and I highly recommend the audio version.

Apollo?s Outcasts ~Allen Steele

It has been a long time since I have been this thankful for a review copy of a book. Had I not gotten the email requesting a review I might have missed out completely on hearing about this gem of a book. Written in a style that is an affectionate tribute to Robert A. Heinlein?s juvenile fiction, Apollo?s Outcasts is one of these best sense of wonder books I have read in a long time. Allen Steele utilizes current scientific speculation to tell a story of a lunar colony that feels so plausible that you cannot help but have a melancholy ache that it isn?t a reality. It is a book featuring young adult protagonists that reads genuine without resorting to a host of teenage cliches. Irregardless of whether or not a person reads or enjoys science fiction, this is a book with broad appeal that I just know you will enjoy. If you care about characters and like a thrilling tale, pick up this book. This one very nearly came in as my favorite overall read of the year.

The End of Eternity ~Isaac Asimov

Arguably my favorite Asimov novel to date, and I am a self-proclaimed avid fan of the man?s work. If you already like Asimov?s work, this is a must read. If you read the Foundation books and don?t see what all the fuss is about, read this book. The End of Eternity is a fascinating tale of time travel and manipulation that gave me the same thrills as more recent ?stories? in a similar vein in films like Dark City and Gattaca. Andrew Harlan is an insular character whose career path ostracizes him from the bulk of his society and that colors his narration in a way that adds a layer of suspense to an already suspenseful adventure/romance story. I could not put this one down once I started in on it.

The Night Circus ~Erin Morgenstern

And so we come to the first book I did not review, a great travesty because I adored this novel. I bought it when it first came out and then foolishly sat it aside, missing out on being able to gush about the book with the many others who were simultaneously doing so. The Night Circus is a love story with characters that I cared about deeply, magic that permeated the story in creative ways, and language that conjured up all manner of fantastic scenes in my imagination. I want so desperately to step outside one night to see the lights of Le Cirque des R?ves in the distance. I was, and remain, so enamored of Morgenstern?s story that it is all I can do to not walk around all day with a red scarf wrapped round my next. I am a R?veurs.

The Brutal Telling ~Louise Penny

Bury Your Dead ~Louise Penny

I discovered the fictional town of Three Pines and Lousie Penny?s wonderful Chief Inspector Armand Gamache in mid-August and quickly binge read through the first seven of her eight novels. Penny?s Three Pines mysteries contain a cast of memorable characters and Penny seems to have the unique gift of making each book better than the one before. Story arcs cross various books before being wrapped up and yet each book is a part of a large whole centered on Armand Gamache, who has quickly become a favorite literary character for many reasons, not the least of which is his romance with is wife. To say I fell in love with these books would be putting it mildy. I am including these two books as one entry because a major story thread travels between the two and even though Bury Your Dead is my true favorite of the series thus far, because of its interesting historical story line, the full impact of the book can not be appreciated without first reading the equally gripping The Brutal Telling. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, be they in book or television/film form, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Still Life and allow yourself to get immersed in Penny?s small Canadian village.

The Freedom Maze ~Delia Sherman

Sherman?s win of the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy coupled with Kathleen Jennings? cover illustration lead me to seek out this book despite its subject matter. While I have a great sadness and respect for stories written about slavery, they generally are not the kind of books I seek out for reading enjoyment. Something about this one spoke to me though and a quick visit to the library was followed by a complete and total immersion into Sherman?s world. Subtle folklore mixed with real-world inspiration gives this young adult story a special magic that permeates every page. I was swept up in the story and found myself emotionally engaged in the adventure of thirteen year old Sophie Fairchild Martineau. I have yet to add this book to my collection but it is a given that I will be doing so at some point.

Mistborn: The Final Empire ~Brandon Sanderson

I read my first Brandon Sanderson novel, The Way of Kings, in 2011 as part of a group read and decided this past Spring to make my next foray into Sanderson?s imagination in the same way with a read-a-long of the first book in the Mistborn trilogy. The Final Empire pales slightly in comparison to TWOK only because it was written much earlier and shows the occasional lack of polish, but when I say ?slightly? I mean just that because Mistborn:The Final Empire is a gripping, character-rich novel with an imaginative magic system that sucks you in from the very beginning and keeps the suspense building until the very end. It was a great pleasure to be reading and discussing this with others who were equally passionate about the story. I had a more deep and rich reading experience because of that interaction and when I think back to the time we were reading this I get that warm glow that comes from good memories. Sanderson is a top-notch author and that is very evident in this novel.

Dead End in Norvelt ~Jack Gantos

I heard author Jack Gantos on NPR speaking about his Newbery Medal win for Dead End in Norvelt and he cracked me up. Laughing that much during his brief interview had me convinced that this semi-autobiographical coming of age tale was one I just had to check out, and it was an easy decision to go with the audio version of the book once I discovered that it was read by the author. Having grown up in a small town myself, I gravitate towards young adult books and memoirs with a similar theme, irregardless of whether or not the era they were written in coincides with my own childhood years. There is a kinship in experiences in small town/rural life that crosses generations and I felt that kinship strongly while listening to Gantos? recount his tales of adventure and woe in the summer of 1962. This story is equally funny and heart-warming and is one I would recommend highly for listening to on a family trip. The characters are easy to relate to and the story is very entertaining.

Hunt the Space-Witch! ~Robert Silverberg

I bought this collection of Silverberg 50?s era pulp stories because the cover was one of my favorites of 2011 and although I had not read any of his fiction, I was (and remain) a big fan of Silverberg?s monthly columns in Asimov?s Science Fiction magazine. The seven stories in this collection took me back to my early reading experiences of stories by Harry Harrison, stories that cemented my love of science fiction. These are pulp-era stories, replete with the cliches that are so well-worn now and are thus, unfairly at times, dismissed as unworthy of reading. Beyond the interest of these stories as pieces of the history of science fiction, the skill for which Silverberg has been praised over the years is quite evident in these space yarns, stories filled with action, adventure and the sense of wonder that makes classic science fiction such a pleasure to visit all these decades later. Although there are books that I rated higher than Hunt the Space-Witch that are not on this list, the experience of reading this collection has stood out strongly in my memory all year long.

The Planet Buyer ~Cordwainer Smith and The Underpeople ~Cordwainer Smith

Another regret over reviews not written. These two novels are also being included as one entry, only this case it is because they are both halves of a Cordwainer Smith novel titled Norstrilia. And were you to read these as I did in their separate novels, you would be advised to have the second book lined up and ready to go because the first simply ends and the story continues in the next. I am a fan of the short fiction of Dr. Paul M. A. Linebarger, aka Cordwainer Smith, and was excited to read this, his only novel. That excitement meant I had high hopes for this novel and those hopes were met with an emotionally satisfying reading experience. I would be the first to admit that Smith?s unique writing style is not for everyone and yet he remains an author that I strongly encourage readers to try. Norstrilia is a novel filled with romance in the grand sense of the word. It is a novel made more special because it is built upon the foundations of many of Smith?s short stories, thus I recommend reading the collection Space Lords and You Will Never Be the Same first. It would take a long post to explain exactly why this was such a special read, one that I will need to do at some point after a re-read of these books. Suffice it to say that this is one of the best visits to the classics I have made.

And Now, My Favorite Read of 2012

Wool, Omnibus ~Hugh Howey

My inaugural experience with a self-published ebook was an unqualified success. Hugh Howey?s short story Wool, which spawned reader-demanded sequels also hooked this reader, demanding that I buy all 5 ?books? that make up the overall story. I spent precious little time rushing through them as the story, the characters, and the setting captured my imagination fully. Wool won me over in stunning fashion, it was one of those books where the review practically wrote itself. Wool is an easily accessible book not only for fans of science fiction but for those who tend to shy away from the genre. Readers of all kinds will relate to the characters that inhabit Howey?s universe and those who sit down with a book longing to have an ?experience? will find ample fuel for the imagination within its pages.

And there you have it. I completed 55 books this year, nearly half of which were science fiction. That percentage is much higher than it has been for many years. My goal was to finish 65 books, a goal I fell short of in large part because I spend a great deal of the summer reading magazines and websites related to running. It has been a very satisfying reading year and one I enjoyed sharing with you.
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My 5 Favorite Films Viewed in 2012

I may be one of the few bloggers willing to admit it, but John Carter remains my one of my favorite films of the year. I saw it multiple times in the theater and have enjoyed it on blu ray as well. It is far from a perfect film and numerous articles have been written about how the movie?s reception suffered in part because of its poor marketing strategies. I won?t go into that here. What I will say is that it is rare for a science fiction film to inspire in me the kind of enthusiastic response that I had when I was a kid watching the Star Wars films and John Carter gave me a glimmer of that feeling. The film makers set out with a passion to bring Burroughs? now-dated classic to the screen with as much faithfulness to its spirit as could be had and I believe they succeeded marvelously in doing so. This is pulp-era storytelling with contemporary techniques and I am sad more movie-goers did not take advantage of the opportunity to see this on the big screen.

Castaway on the Moon is a Korean film that starts with a man attempting suicide while an agoraphobic young girl hides out in a darkened room on an upper floor in her apartment complex. Sounds delightful doesn?t it? Truth be told, that is exactly what this is. It is a quirky comedy populated by two protagonists who have very real pain in their lives. The triumph of the movie begins early as each character is forced by circumstances to begin to take control of their lives in small, seemingly insignificant ways. The two begin to share an unlikely, and comical, bond that does not shy away from their problems but instead embraces the humanity that we all share. In my review I wrote: ?The smile on my face at the end of the movie was so bright I swear you must have all seen it and been momentarily blinded? and thinking about it now I cannot help but smile again. Available on Netflix streaming. Well worth a viewing.

Romantics Anonymous (Les Emotifs Anonymes) is yet another quirky foreign romantic comedy featuring flawed characters that I fell hard for this year. This French film also features two main protagonists, each so painfully shy that it inhibits their ability to successfully navigate the romantic relationships they so desperately want. I couldn?t help but think of one of my all-time favorite films, Amelie, as I watched this. Like that film, Romantics Anonymous is rich in color and texture and it has such a sweet heart that you cannot help but want to grab hold of both characters and give them each a warm hug. The film is very funny while at the same time being surprisingly touching. Both main actors are pitch-perfect in their performances. I was so thrilled when I opened my Christmas presents to find a copy of this movie from my darling wife. This film is also available on Netflix streaming.

It took far too long for Daniel Craig to return to the big screen as James Bond, but Skyfall proved to be well worth the wait. Surprisingly enough the film was even a hit with the critics, who emphasized the maturity and growth of the character. I liked the film very much. I do not believe it tops Casino Royale as the best Bond film ever, due in large part because of that film?s faithful adaptation to the source material. But Skyfall was very, very good. The film eschews the opportunity to be yet another action film by infusing it with a worthy story element and well-timed emotional beats. I thought the rest of the cast was well chosen. If you have not seen the film and have managed to miss any spoilers to this point I strongly suggest you try to maintain that ignorance and see the film as soon as you can.

And Now, My Favorite Film Viewed in 2012

This can surely be no surprise to anyone. I am an avowed fan of both Tolkien?s work and Peter Jackson?s interpretation of that work and I was thrilled when circumstances changed and Jackson took over the helm of this project. I went in with expectations of disappointment on some level and came out thrilled with the results. I don?t pretend to be totally objective when it comes to these films, yet I would have no trouble voicing complaints if I had any. Perhaps the knowledge, and even the hope, that these films would not be as good as the Lord of the Rings films had an effect on how I viewed this. At any rate I enjoyed it immensely despite its length and the liberties taken with the story. The Hobbit is a worthy addition to the film legacy of both Peter Jackson and the adaptation legacy that is being built for Tolkien?s work on film (figuratively speaking). It was light-hearted as befitted the source material while also having an air of seriousness that both underlies Tolkien?s work and ties it in with the greater history of Middle-earth. The scenes with Bilbo and Gollum were alone worth sitting through the film.
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Those are my feelings as we sit here at the close of 2012. These are the books and movies that have stuck with me and/or I suspect will stick with me long after 2012 is but a memory. These are the stories I engaged with rather than merely reading or viewing them.

This post has gotten too long or I would spend more time talking about the first part of Dr. Who Season 7 and the recent Christmas special (I LOVED Asylum of the Daleks and the Christmas Special, the rest was okay but not as good as Season Six) and also about the enjoyable hours spent traveling in Skyrim and sneaking around in Dishonored.

From an entertainment standpoint it was a good year.

Now I want to know about you. What did you like? What failed to impress? Please share links below to any Best Of posts that you have written, be they one or many, and please feel free to let me know your thoughts of disagreement or agreement with my choices. I look forward to seeing what you have to say about the year in review.

Source: http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/2012-in-review

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