Each year, I dread selecting my favorite books of the year. I read quite a bit and narrowing that list down to my “top” favorites is oftentimes impossible. This year, when I contemplated how I was going to accomplish this task I perused my blog, hoping for a solution. It wasn’t long before it hit me; wouldn’t it make sense for the books I nominate as my monthly favorites populate this dreadful favorite books of the year list?  So, ladies and gentlemen, that is what I have done. How is it possible to reduce a list of over 100 books down to just ten? How is that fair to all the books I loved and appreciated this year? So instead, I present to you a rather lengthy list of books I adored this year:

Apocalyptic Fiction

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
White Horse by Alex Adams

General Fiction

American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar
A Good American by Alex George
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
A Simple Thing by Kathleen McCleary
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
The Trial of Fallen Angels by James Kimmel, Jr.

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
The Far Side of the Sky by Daniel Kalla
Hemingway’s Girl by Erika Robuck
The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich
The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

Horror

Assassin’s Code by Jonathan Maberry
Bloodman by Robert Pobi
Dead Harvest by Chris F. Holm
Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar

Suspense/Thriller

Broken Harbor by Tana French
Dare Me by Megan Abbott
Defending Jacob by William Landay
Edge of Dark Water by Joe R. Lansdale
Freak by Jennifer Hillier
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Helsinki White by James Thompson
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain
The Next One to Fall by Hilary Davidson

Love Stories

Overseas by Beatriz Williams
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

That about wraps it up! What are some of your favorite books from 2012?  Don’t forget to check out my “Best of 2012: Nonfiction” post from last week!