10 books worth reading

Every year, our books editor, Brian Lynch, asks the critics to list our three favourites of the year.

Some deserving choices always get missed.

Below, I've highlighted 10 very enjoyable books I read this year that weren't included in the Georgia Straight's 2012 list. They're in no particular order.

The Tale of Two Nazanins: A Teenager on Death Row in Iran and the Canadian Who Vowed to Save Her (by Nazanin Afshin-Jam and Susan McClelland, HarperCollins)

Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of America, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (by Ahmed Rashid, Viking)

The Art of the Impossible: Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power 1972-1975 (by Geoff Meggs and Rod Mickleburgh, Harbour Publishing)

Escape to Gold Mountain (by David H.T. Wong, Arsenal Pulp Press)

Seeking Sickness: Medical Screening and the Misguided Hunt for Disease (by Alan Cassels, Douglas & McIntyre)

The End of Growth (by Jeff Rubin, Random House Canada)

The Carb Sensitivity Program: Discover Which Carbs Will Curb Your Cravings, Control Your Appetite and Banish Belly Fat (by Natasha Turner, Random House Canada)

Deadlines: Obits of Memorable British Columbians (by Tom Hawthorn, Harbour Publishing)

Everything Under the Sun: Toward a Brighter Future on a Small Blue Planet (by David Suzuki and Ian Hanington, Greystone)

Beyond Outrage: What Has Gone Wrong With Our Economy and Our Democracy, and How to Fix It (by Robert Reich, Random House)