Best Books of 2012: Friends of LitReactor Edition with Irvine Welsh, Jack Ketchum, Douglas Coupland, and Stephen Graham Jones

We've already given you our staff picks for the Best Books of 2012, as well as a supplemental Genre Edition for the geeks, but who the hell cares what a bunch of nobodies have to say when some real, live authors are willing to tell us what to read?

Seriously, though, we've had the privilege of making friends with some amazing writers, and we figured what better way to close out the year than with a special Friends of LitReactor best of list. So we reached out like a grubby urchin begging for alms and they were kind enough to share their favorite reads of 2012 with us.

Irvine Welsh

'Sweet Jesus' by Christine Pountney

This is a very beautifully observed road trip book about two sisters and their adopted kid brother in search of spiritual enlightenment in modern America. Nice to read a book about faith that is neither ranting propaganda or derisive sneer.

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'The Panopticon' by Jenni Fagan

A poetic, heart-breaking book about a fifteen year old girl in care of the state. What literature should be: angry, subversive, beautiful and unique. Best book of the year.

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'Tales From the Mall' by Ewan Morrison

A genre bursting collection of stories, genuinely innovative in content and form. Is a bird or a plane? Who cares - it's excellent.

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'Cold Hands' by John Niven

I'm quite sparing in my consumption of genre fiction, which is often reactionary, signposted pish written to satisfy a market -- the X Factor of literature. Sometimes though, one comes along that is so good, you are happy to surrender to the beat. I could feel the tension ripping through me reading this thriller.

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'In One Person' by John Irving

John Irving is one of my favorite writers. He produces sprawling epics with all the loose ends tied up. He's an incredible storyteller. His latest book is a bold celebration of sexual difference, replete with his customary compassion and vision.

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Jack Ketchum

'Talk Talk' by T. C. Boyle

Boyle's sole "thriller" was considered minor by the critics but I beg to disagree -- it's thoroughly accomplished and peopled with wonderfully original characters  -- so screw the critics.

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'Psychos' edited by John Skipp

An absolutely rock-solid collection, and with a lot of great competition, to my mind easily the best of the year.

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'Wake Up Dead' by Roger Smith

It doesn't come more hard-boiled than this, and Smith's Cape Town setting is fresh, vivid, and damn scary.

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'Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes' by Stephen Sondheim

The most brilliant lyricist ever is also a brilliant prose-writer, plus it's a great crash-course in lyric-writing.

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'11/22/63' by Stephen King

Because I could never have done this in a million, million years.

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Douglas Coupland

'Gods Without Men' by Hari Kunzru

I read this to do a review of it and loved it — it made me feel as though I was in the near future in an exciting Christmas morning kind of way.

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'The Sugar Frosted Nutsack' by Mark Leyner

This made my brain turn inside out — others I've asked had the same reaction. It's an endurance read, and once it's over, you really feel as if you've been on a voyage. I pity its translators.

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'Washington: A Life' by Ron Chernow

I read this because it has no technology in it — that made my head feel good, too.

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I'm appalled by how little I read this year. I'm going to read more in 2013. Cheers from Vancouver!
-Doug

Stephen Graham Jones

'The Weird' edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer

Which is on everybody's list, of course. As it should be. The book's supposed to be a survey, a sampler plate, but I think in ten years or so we're going to look back at it as much more. Like, Dangerous Visions kind of more.

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'Locke and Key: Clockworks' by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Not only is this the best comic happening, it's the best series in a long, long while. Since Y: the Last Man, I'd say. And it's almost over.

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'Edge of Dark Water' by Joe Lansdale

Lansdale's got more speeds and modes and gears than anybody else writing today. This one's his The Bottoms speed. So good you'll be jealous. Lansdale's been at the top of his game for a while, now. We can all learn from him.

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'The Shadowed Sun' by N.K. Jemisin

Her follow-up to The Killing Moon. These Dreamblood books destroyed me. They took me apart and put me back together, and left me all intimidated. In the best way. Fantasy doesn't get any better than this.

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'11/22/63' by Stephen King

This engrossed me. It made 'engrossed' a verb, not an adjective. And then it ends so well. When I was done with it, I wanted to erase it from my head, just so I could read it all over again.

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Agree? Disagree? Agree to disagree? That's what the comments are for. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion just because these guys are more successful than you are. And don't agree with them just to look cool. Here's to another year of great reads in 2013!

About the author

Joshua Chaplinsky is the Managing Editor of LitReactor. He is the author of The Paradox Twins (CLASH Books), the story collection Whispers in the Ear of A Dreaming Ape, and the parody Kanye West—Reanimator. His short fiction has been published by Vice, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Thuglit, Severed Press, Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing, Broken River Books, and more. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @jaceycockrobin. More info at joshuachaplinsky.com and unravelingtheparadox.com.

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