Another year of reading draws to a close, it is time to winnow the stacks to choose outstanding books from the past year.

Here are my favorite fiction titles from 2012:

“Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 288 pages, $25)

My friend Steve has a perceptive read on books that I might like. When we were teenagers Steve got a job as a clerk at a bookstore. Over the years we have enjoyed many of the same volumes. He gave me “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan. He knew I would like it.

Appropriately the story takes place mostly in a bookstore. Penumbra’s establishment in San Francisco is an odd place. Clay Jannon, the narrator of this tale, is a web designer who gets a job working the night shift. Business is slow. He notices that the clientele such as it is and the books in this place are peculiar indeed. This mystery about books is a true book lover’s delight.

“Battleborn” by Claire Vaye Watkins (Riverhead Books, 283 pages, $25.95)

It was a good year for story collections. “Battleborn” is the auspicious debut of Claire Vaye Watkins. The author is a native of the desert region along the border between California and Nevada. Most of these stories are set in that area.

The first story “Ghosts, Cowboys” sets the tone for the entire collection. Here we meet “Razor Blade Baby,” a character linked with the Manson family. Watkins makes us wonder what is real and what is imagined here. These stories are haunting, atmospheric and unforgettable.

“This is How You Lose Her” by Junot Diaz (Riverhead Books, 213 pages, $26.95)

This collection is appearing on many best of the year lists. Junot Diaz wrote a novel called “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” That extraordinary story was related by a guy known as Junior.

Junior’s stories continue in “This is How You Lose Her.” He is up to his usual games as a player who cannot remain faithful. He’s a liar. A scamp. And he’s a writer. This genuinely flawed human being gets himself into some wild situations.

“Sharp and Dangerous Virtues” by Martha Moody (Swallow Press, 391 pages, $26.95)

I didn’t choose this futuristic fantasy just because it takes place in Dayton. I picked it because it is good. Martha Moody has written a captivating, chilling thriller about an America that has been invaded. In this page-turner her characters are dealing with their fear. Don’t think that it can’t happen here.

“An American Spy” by Olen Steinhauer (Minotaur Books, 386 pages, $25.99)

This year was also a good year for espionage novels. In “An American Spy” Olen Steinhauer expands his series featuring the reluctant spy Milo Weaver. Milo was an agent with the CIA’s top secret Department of Tourism. A Chinese spy master has apparently wiped out most of the other Tourist operatives. In this one Milo vanishes for an extended period. This story is so powerful that you probably won’t even miss him.

“The Lord God Bird” by Tom Gallant (Quantuck Lane Press, 218 pages, $24.95)

This is my sleeper, a book that merits greater notice. “The Lord God Bird” was the extinct ivory billed woodpecker. In this one an unnamed character, the man, lives in the “Big Woods.” One day he spots what he believes to be the legendary ivory bill. This news soon reaches the outside world. Scientists arrive and start scouring the forest in pursuit of this totemic creature. This innocently sly novel contains a subtle critique of our increasing disconnection from the natural world. And a woodpecker is one of the main characters.

Next week: Vick’s six picks for 2012 nonfiction.