Overview
2012 was a year of some serious ups and downs in the plight of the English language.
The concept of 'literature' took a serious blow thanks to the likes of E.L. James and the growth of what has been aptly described as "mummy porn". The astronomical success of the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy has meant that such terrifying turns of phrase as "he's my very own Christian Grey-flavoured popsicle" was read by over 60 million people worldwide in 2012. Yet it wasn't all bad news for literary-lovers. Two-time Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel continued to make the well-worn story of Henry VIII eminently readable and enthralling, publishing a sequel to the universally acclaimed Renaissance thriller Wolf Hall.
While such highly esteemed sources as The New York Times and The Guardian have had their say on what they saw as the best books of 2012, the Goodreads Choice Awards offers readers the closest thing the literary world has to a People's Choice Award. A phenomenal 1,156,852 votes were cast in over 20 different categories ranging from Fiction to Romance to Memoir to Cookbook, and without the discerning and supercilious eye of critics to dilute the vote, many of the year's most commercially successful books were also unsurprisingly amongst the biggest winners.
The Goodreads' unofficial 'Book of the Year' award for best work of fiction went this year to a woman who is no stranger to literary success: J.K. Rowling. For those of us who grew up cheering on the adventures of Harry Potter and his motley crew of magical pals, the publishing of Rowling's first adult novel The Casual Vacancy is perhaps the clearest proof that Gen Y'ers are now all grown-up.
So if you are in search of a little summer reading or you want to see if your vote counted have a look at the complete list of categories and winners below. You can also check out Concrete Playground's Summer Reading Guide for our picks.
Fiction
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Mystery and Thriller
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Historical Fiction
The Line Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Fantasy
The Wind Through The Keyhole by Stephen King
Paranormal Fantasy
Shadow Of Night by Deborah Harkness
Science Fiction
The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett
Romance
Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
Horror
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Memoir & Autobiography
Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
History & Biography
Elizabeth The Queen: The Life Of A Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
Nonfiction
Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Food & Cookbooks
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond
Humor
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
Graphic Novel & Comic
The Walking Dead, Vol 16: A Larger World by Robert Kirkman, Illustrated by Charlie Adlard
Poetry
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
Goodreads Author
Veronica Roth
Young Adult Fiction
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Middle Grade & Children's
The Mark Of Athena by Rick Riordan
Picture Books
Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer