Vote for Books! 2012

What was your favorite book of 2012 so far? Choose from the most popular books at Carnegie-Stout*, or write in your own candidate. Pickup a ballot at the Recommendations Desk or vote online at http://tinyurl.com/vote4books or leave your choice in the comments below. Winners will be announced November 7th.

Meet the Candidates:

The Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James - Set in Portland and Seattle, this erotic trilogy was conceived as Twilight fan-fiction and traces the turbulent relationship between an inexperienced, and romantic young woman and a sexually experienced but emotionally stunted man. What they lack in outright compatibility is compensated for by their mutual attraction and the willingness to repeatedly indulge one another.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - When a woman goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, her diary reveals hidden turmoil in her marriage, while her husband, desperate to clear himself of suspicion, realizes that something more disturbing than murder may have occurred.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - The early death of a small town councilman reveals deep-rooted conflicts in the seemingly idyllic community of Pagford, which rapidly deteriorates in the face of cultural disputes, generation clashes, and a volatile election.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum finds herself in trouble when her seatmate on her Hawaii to Newark flight winds up dead and a motley collection of thugs, as well as the FBI, search for a photo the man was reportedly carrying - a photo that only Stephanie has seen.

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf - As an unknown gunman walks into an elementary school in Broken Branch, the townspeople race to discover the identity of the man holding their children hostage. The author is a Dubuque native.

Guilty Wives by James Patterson - The vacation of a lifetime in Monte Carlo turns into a hellish nightmare when best friends Abbie, Winnie, Serena and Bryah are arrested aboard an unfamiliar yacht and accused of an unthinkable crime.

Defending Jacob by William Landay - Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: his fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult - When his father and sister are injured in an accident that has rendered his father comatose, estranged son Edward decides to stop his father's life support so that his organs can be donated, a choice his sister urges him to reconsider.

A Wanted Man by Lee Child -Hitching a ride to Virginia in a car with three strangers, Jack Reacher finds himself unwittingly involved in a massive conspiracy that makes him a threat. The seventeenth installment in the Jack reacher series.

Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen - Visiting sixteen-year-old "Rat" Perkins at isolated Evensong boarding school, Maura Isles is astonished to learn that all of his classmates are survivors of violence and are being instructed in scientific detective skills, a discovery that coincides with Jane Rizzoli's investigation into the murder of a boy's foster family.


Make reading count, and Vote for Books!

* Based on combined number of checkouts and hold requests beginning January 1st, 2012.