2012’s notable books

As we draw near the end of the year, the inevitable "best of" lists begin to arrive on every news site.

Yesterday, The New York Times released its annual 100 Notable Books list. Here on The Daily Circuit, we were excited to see that a number of amazing authors Kerri and Tom interviewed over the past year were represented.

Over the next two months we'll re-air some of our interviews with authors on the lists - and we'll speak with some of the authors we missed earlier in the year.

I was thrilled to see Manbooker Prize winner Hilary Mantel on the list for her latest novel, "Bring Up the Bodies," a wonderfully engaging look at Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII. After finishing "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies" I've spent the past weeks trying to get my hands on all of Mantel's books, which are shockingly different from one to the next. Most recently, I finished her memoir, "Giving Up the Ghost," which, although it was published in 2004, was absolutely one of the best books I've read all year. The story follows her from a bizarre impoverished childhood in small town England to a life abroad and a mysterious disease that plagues Mantel for decades - claiming both her marriage and her body. It's the only memoir I've read that spends the majority of its time on the author's elementary school years and Mantel's attention to detail is perfect.

I was disappointed that Gillian Flynn's fun page-turning thriller "Gone Girl" hadn't made the list, as well as Megan Mayhew Bergman's "Birds of a Lesser Paradise," a collection of stories about the often-tumultuous relationship between people and nature.

So - what do you think of this year's selections? Tell us what books you wish would have made it on the list. What gems did The New York Times look over this year? And what made the list but didn't deserve to?

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