Like any other year, 2011 was a mixed bag of sorts for me. I read about 85 books this year (15 short of my original target) - but many were books that I enjoyed at so many levels that I'm not too fussed by the number. There were a few I could have done without, but overall, it's been a good year in reading.
Of the 85 books I read, 36 were 2011 releases. I'm quite impressed with that because I imagined I read far less 2011 books. Depending on which side of the bed I wake up from each day, I either like reading more current books or not. It's a fluctuating thing - sometimes I wish I read more classics, but the very next day, I'm all into the new releases.
Still, 36 isn't a huge number, so I'm going to list the books that made an impression on me, without looking at their publication dates. I read a total of 62 fiction titles, so I'm listing 10 titles that I would gladly recommend to you.
Favorite fiction reads
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Good Neighbors by Ryan David Jahn
- Miss Entropia and the Adam Bomb by George Rabasa
- The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
- Far to go by Alison Pick
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
- The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton
- Repeat it Today with Tears by Anne Peile
Favorite nonfiction reads
- A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres
- Bringing Adam Home by Les Standiford
- The Good Daughter by Jasmin Darznik
- The Long Goodbye by Meghan O'Rourke
- The Freedom Writers' Diary by Erin Gruwell
The first four titles above were all ARCs. I was intrigued that most of the nonfiction titles I read are those offered as review copies. Lately though, I've been looking out for more nonfiction titles, so I hope the stats change next year.
- Maus 1 & 2 by Art Speigelman
- Anne Frank by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
- Green River Killer by Jonathan Case and Jeff Jensen
- Vietnamerica by GB Tran
- Lucille by Ludovic Debeurme
Some of the books I loved when I first read them no longer seem to hold me in the same awe now, so I did change a few ratings today, but on the whole, I remember most of the books to be just as good as I first wrote about them. Have you read any of these?
38 comments:
Great list of books! It is interesting to see which books live to be favorites by the end of the year. My favorites from your list are: MAUS and Bel Canto. I haven't read any of your non-fiction books, which I will have to remedy!
I want to read more nonfiction titles next year. I've been reading a lot lately, so hopefully I'll have a lot more in my kitty next year.
I loved the Night Circus and really want to read Ready Player One- great list!
The only one of those books I've read is Ready Player One and it made my list for the year too. You've had a busy year. I hope 2012 is your best year yet!
So many people have Night Circus on their lists! And Murakami! I really want to get to Ready Player One this year! Great list!
Happy New Year!
You had a much better reading year than I did, that's for sure! I'm glad to see The Night Circus on your list because I just bought that book a few days ago. Can't wait to get started!
I have read a few of these, and a few others are going to be reads that I tackle in the upcoming year, so I am glad to hear that they were so good! I also had to shave down my list a little bit, and change some entries, because while I initially thought that I didn't have a good reading year, when I did some investigating, it turns out that I really did! Great post today, Aths!
Happy New Year!!
The only book on your list I've read is The Night Circus - which I did love (although it did not make my top books list this year because of the other competition! LOL) I have several of the other books in my stacks (man, there are just too many great books to read!!!) - and a couple you listed I am thinking of purchasing. Thanks for sharing!!! I love this time of year for all these fantastic recommendations :)
I really want to read Repeat it with Tears and Buddha Attic after reading your reviews, great to see them on your fav list also. Happy New Year Aths :-)
Great picks!
I read Bel Canto this month and absolutely LOVED it! I've heard really mixed reviews of Buddha in the Attic but it is one I plan on trying out. I'm also curious about the Freedom Writer's Diary!
Thanks! I hope you get to both books! :)
I can't wait for the 2012 reads to kick in! There are so many books I'm looking forward to.
So glad to see you, Emidy! I've been missing your posts! I loved Night Circus, so I hope you like it!
Night Circus and Murakami made my year! You should check them both out!
I really struggled to shorten my favorites list! It was so hard trying to figure out which book was better than the other. But it was fun to do, and I can't wait to get started with 2012!
I think I could easily take these books to a desert island and be happy for a while. I read Far to Go recently and liked it, but didn't love it. The Night Circus is great, as is Kafka on the Shore. I haven't read any of the others but heard good things about it (through your blog & others).
I had so much fun checking out everyone's lists, but it is so hard figuring out which ones to read soon. There are just so many choices! These lists are just awesome!
Thank you! Happy New Year to you, Marce! I hope you have a great years in books.
Thanks! :)
I'm so glad that you loved Bel Canto! It was one of the first books I loved in 2011!
I wish I could go to the desert island myself. I just came across a ton of recommendations from everyone's year-end posts, that I have no idea where to start.
I have been bugging my library to get A Thousand Lives ever since you reviewed it. I just now gave up being "tight" and bought it. Still have Good Neighbors, Buddha, and Ready Player One in my TBR pile.
Really need to stop reading these wrap up posts, my virtual piles are getting huge!
Happy New Year!
Miss Entropia seems to be doing the rounds of 2011 Favorites *adds to wish-list*. Bel Canto made my list the year i read it. I've also enjoyed The patron Saint of Liars by her. Happy 2012!
I absolutely loved The Good Daughter. And you listed a bunch of books that I wanted to read in 2011 but didn't get a chance to (The Buddha in the Attic, Ready Player One, The Night Circus, The Long Goodbye). I will definitely get to them this year.
Ooh we had some of the same favorites! I read Bel Canto a while ago and really liked it except I didn't care for the ending... but now that I'm older and feel like my reading taste has matured a little, I'm thinking I would like it that much more!
So glad to see The Night Circus and Far to Go on your list, too! I just finished a graphic non-fiction book, but I'm going to have to read some graphic novels, too. Maus is high on my list!
I loved THE NIGHT CIRCUS, too. I think it's one book that actually lives up to all the hype!
Great year of reading you had. Night Circus is at the top of my list too. You have some gems in 2011.
I can't wait to hear what you think of the books! I hope you enjoy them all. I have ended up with a huge list of books to read as well from all the wrap-up posts! Sigh...
I need to read more of Ann Patchett's books - I've enjoyed two of her so far. So glad that you liked Patron Saint.
I hope you enjoy them all! I can't even choose one book over another.
The ending wasn't perfect for me either, but I was so swept by the book otherwise that I couldn't give it any less than 5 stars. The ending of State of Wonder bugged me greatly though.
Maus is definitely amazing - I hope you enjoy it!
That's what I loved about it. I went in expecting not to like it because of the hype but it managed to impress me.
Thanks! I hope you get to try some of them!
I am SO glad I found a book blog not just about YA novels! Great book recommendations. My Wish List is filling up fast!
Thanks! :) I hope you find a few good books!
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