Here are the books I read in 2012, with links to reviews (here on this blog or on Goodreads) where I have them. As I’ve done in previous years, this is an exhaustive, “all of” list, not a “best of” list.

In addition to the interesting and often challenging complement of books I enjoyed this year, 2012 was the year I committed to a daily devotion to at least one poem … and usually more, as more and more friends on Twitter began to generously share their poem choices and reflections via the #todayspoem hashtag. It’s been a truly revelatory experience. In a little over a year, I’ve pondered the works of over 260 unique poets, writers, songsmiths and wordsmiths I’ve revisited or unearthed myself, and countless more via others wielding that often surprising hashtag. I’m continuing with my #todayspoem habit every day heading into 2013, and I hope many will continue or join anew.

I also celebrated some beautifully built books, including:

• Charles Bukowski’s Black Sparrow Press books
• A Saving Grace, by Lorna Crozier
• Bottle, by Margaret Atwood
• At Marsport Drugstore, by Al Purdy

That list, then …

1. The Game
   by Ken Dryden (reread)
2. The Money Tree
   by Sarah Stewart and David Small
3. The Antagonist
   by Lynn Coady (reread)
4. The Marriage Plot
   by Jeffrey Eugenides
5. Something Fierce – Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter
   by Carmen Aguirre
6. Expressway
   by Sina Queyras
7. Algoma
   by Dani Couture
8. Autobiography of Childhood
   by Sina Queyras
9. I’m Starved For You
   by Margaret Atwood
10. Inside of a Dog – What Dogs See, Smell and Know
    by Alexandra Horowitz (read aloud)
11. On a Cold Road
    by Dave Bidini (reread)
12. Believing Cedric
    by Mark Lavorato
13. Audio Obscura
    by Lavinia Greenlaw, photographs by Julian Abrams
14. Why Men Lie
    by Linden MacIntyre
15. Methodist Hatchet
    by Ken Babstock
16. The Love Monster
    by Missy Marston
17. Detroit Disassembled
    by Andrew Moore, essay by Philip Levine
18. The Sisters Brothers
    by Patrick DeWitt
    (guest review by Barbara McVeigh)
19. Night Street
    by Kristel Thornell
20. The Juliet Stories
    by Carrie Snyder
21. Killdeer
    by Phil Hall
22. The Blue Book
    by A.L. Kennedy
23. Whiteout
    by George Murray
24. The Forrests
    by Emily Perkins
25. Seen Reading
    by Julie Wilson
26. Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend
    by Larry Tye (read aloud)
27. Personals
    by Ian Williams
28. The Art of Fielding
    by Chad Harbach
29. The Yips
    by Nicola Barker
30. Swallow
    by Theanna Bischoff
31. Everything, now
    by Jessica Moore
32. A Ride in the Sun, or Gasoline Gypsy
    by Peggy Iris Thomas (read aloud)
33. The Deleted World
    by Tomas Transtromer, versions by Robin Robertson
34. Swimming Home
    by Deborah Levy
35. The Essential Tom Marshall
    selected by David Helwig and Michael Ondaatje
36. Autobiography of Red
    by Anne Carson
37. The Little Shadows
    by Marina Endicott
38. Inside
    by Alix Ohlin
39. NW
    by Zadie Smith
40. Dear Life
    by Alice Munro
41. Copernicus Avenue
    by Andrew J. Borkowski
42. Two Solitudes
    by Hugh MacLennan (reread)
43. Indian Horse
    by Richard Wagamese

Currently in progress, heading into 2013:

• The Collected Short Stories of Lydia Davis
• Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock, by Jesse Jarnow (read aloud)
• The Age of Hope, by David Bergen

Looking back fondly on my 2012 reading, looking forward eagerly to my 2013 reading, I’ll simply conclude …

It’s not how many you read that counts. It’s that you read that counts.