I'd have to say that Jack Of Diamonds by Bryce Courtenay was my number one 2012 release / new read. It's almost a door-stopper, and not in the sort of genre that I'd usually pursue -- but I had promised myself to step out of my literary comfort zone this year, and it resulted in discovering this, which was several leagues ahead of everything else that I read. I highly recommend it. It follows the life of a depression-era boy who loves jazz.