5 star books for 2012

First I'll explain how a book gets 5 stars from me. My criteria will likely differ from yours.

• It has to interest me from the first page. 
• If it's a mystery, I can't guess the bad guy.
• I don't read the end to see if I should keep reading.
• I have to enjoy the way the book is written.
• Nothing irritates me. And believe me, after 56 years of reading I'm easily irritated. 

So here they are, from the first to last.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford - an absolutely lyrical book, it pulled me in right away. A story of lost love, Japanese internment, family tradition and kindness when unexpected.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton - Bee's sister has gone missing and she's determined to find her. Absolutely unexpected ending.

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley - Myfawny Thomas wakes up in a body that is not hers and without her memory. She only has a note in the pocket of her coat to guide her. That's the beginning of a very unusual fantasy/mystery. Everything is revealed to the reader as Myfawny discovers it. Loved it, very different.

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer - a married couple is going through a crisis: her wig has fallen off in a car wreck, revealing her baldness and her husband is on his way to the moon to colonize it. Another very unusual book. And despite the moon part I wouldn't classify it as sci-fi. There is some sex. Written by a homeschool mom.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton - a 16 year old girl witnesses her mother commit a crime and 50 years later tries to discover the reason. I thought the writing was beautiful.

The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal - a search into the past about a families loss and regaining of a collection of netsuke. I really liked the way this was written and found it fascinating. I thought it was as much about anti-Semitism as lost treasure.