Top-Five Reads of 2012: #1 Jeff Lemire's SWEET TOOTH

I love this series so much that it’s not even right. But considering that I’ve already ranted and raved about it, instead of spewing even more fanboy nonsense, I offer a short list of books that barely missed the top five.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

• Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
• I loved, loved, loved the writing in this book. It is simply too beautiful and haunting. This is, most definitely, how someone should build a setting/general location and bring it wholly and fully to life.
• Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
• The film entertained me well enough, but it didn’t blow me away. So I was more than a bit surprised that the novel is nothing short of amazing. The writing is so solid, it moves at a perfect fast-pace, and it’s so full of energy and insight that it’s almost impossible to put the damn thing down.
• Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
• More than anything, the language and writing itself is what made me like this book so much. Story-wise, it works on a basic level and kept me reading, but the writing is so gorgeous that it’s more than a bit enviable.
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 & 2 by Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill (Illustrator)
• Many in the comics’ world consider Moore the God of Comics, and it’s not surprising. So far, everything I’ve read of his is simply mind-blowing. These two books are most excellent reads on so many different levels that I can’t even begin to discuss them in such a short spot. Also, if you want the perfect example of an anti-hero, Moore has done WAY too good a job with his rendition of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde than should have been allowed. (The art, too, is all sorts of joy and joyness.)

• I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly, J. M. Ken Nimura, (Illustrator)

o This is how magical realism should be done. The metaphor works beautifully, and it really ends up being a very heart-wrenching read. One that takes a long time to leave the ol’ noggin.

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• There is just enough about this book that bothers me to keep it from the top-five, but it is close. It is super entertaining. And, really, if you’re into MMORPGs, the 80s, or videogames at all, you MUST read this thing. In the end, I think the plot trumps the theme, but it’s such a fun and enjoyable read that it’s hard not to love every page.

Top-Five Reads of 2012: #3 Daniel Handler's WHY WE BROKE UP

Illustrated by Maira Kalman

I can see why some folks have—or will have—an issue with this book, as some of it can be a bit of a stretch in terms of how the events unfold. Even the naïveté of our narrator might need that Mary Poppins’ remedy to swallow. Plus, you know simply from the title where this book is going and what’s going to happen, so there are no surprises for the ending here. It’s definitely more of a story for the journey than a story for the ending. Plus, the writing isn't quite the norm for most YA books. But that's what makes this one so good to me.

The writing is gorgeous. I love Min’s voice. It’s insightful, spiteful, and full of wit. As she paints every scene, we witness a new heartbreak unfold, one more of those “insignificant” moments that when we reflect on them, we see where everything was going wrong, and we can’t help but wonder, “Why in the world did it take me so long to figure this shit out?” To me, that’s what makes this book so real, because of its focus on the power of hindsight and how we tend to assign such meaning to the smallest of things, which are illustrated in simple and wonderful paintings.

It’s easy to think that this book could’ve worked just as well without the illustrations. I honestly don’t think I would’ve liked it any less, but the visual anchors work quite well, too. Besides, can you really argue with some beautiful artwork?

The last thing I loved about this book was all of the film references. They were so obscure and bizarre that even the film nerd in me had to google more than a few of them. And that’s saying something, seeing as I not only have a film degree, but I also have watched a crapton of films in my life—including many “oldies” and foreign films. So it’s nice to know that there are folks out there with even more film-nerdom within them than even I have. I tip my “useless knowledge” hat to you, Daniel.

Even taking his writings as Lemony Snickett on their own, Mr. Handler is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and this book's original voice and success in telling a love story that's doomed from the beginning but still keeps a reader invested lifts his rank even higher in my world of Christopher.

Like Ida B., this one won't be for everyone, but I loved it. A lot. It hit all the right “quirk” notes that I need in a story, and it hit them as cleanly as a shot from either Katniss or Merida’s bows.