We Have a Love-Hate Relationship with Lists

This is the only time of the year that it's acceptable for us to shove our reading lists in your face without you saying: "how dare you. how dare you tell me what i should be reading. like i don't have lists and lists of my own, piling up like uneaten pancakes. don't you see how many delicious pancakes i have to eat already? get yours out of my face."

Well it's 2012 now, and its time to eat some new lists. Here's some books the ALR staff devoured last year:

Inferno by Eileen Myles - Caitlin Cowan

Owning It All by Bill Kittredge - Ryan Flanagan

The Kids Are All Right by the Welch siblings - Jessica Hindman

Either Way I'm Celebrating by Sommer Browning - Nate Logan

Horse, Flower, Bird by Kate Bernheimer - Kara Dorris

The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia - Tim Boswell

Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon - Hillary Stringer

The Facts by Philip Roth - Matt Davis

Songs of Unreason by Jim Harrison - Justin Bigos

The View from the Seventh Layer by Kevin Brockmeier - Laura Miller