As promised, here are my ten favorite books of 2011. To make the list, I had to have read the book for the first time in 2011 - otherwise the list would be crowded with old favorites I re-read. Links are to my Goodreads reviews. Sorry for the huge spacing. I have no idea why it came out that way. Just pretend it increases the drama.
Columbine by Dave Cullen
The best kind of books make you feel like they were written personally for you. Columbine is one of those, and I think it has special worth to anyone who was a high schooler in 1999.
The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb
This is another book that was just my style. I could hardly stand the suspense, even though I already knew the eventual ending. The journey was just so dang fun. Warning: you WILL find yourself on YouTube after reading this book, looking up all the races.
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Yet another deeply personal book. If you have spent more than a few years in grad school, or are married to someone who has, then this book might be worth a read. If you are looking for grand, dramatic plots...not so much.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
This was probably my favorite (first-time) YA read of the year. The good news is, I hear there's a second book coming out in 2012.
Baghdad without a Map and Other Misadventures in Arabia by Tony Horwitz
Jolly, endearing, and informative. There's nothing not to like.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
It's about time I joined the rest of the human race and read this book. Even though I had heard so much hype about it, it lived up to all the praise.
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
A flawless account of, well, Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11. Even if you've already read the 9/11 Commission Report, this book has more to say and does it better.
What to Eat by Marion Nestle
Who knew a book about food and nutrition could be so riveting and easy to read?
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
I hesitated including this one because it was really hard to read at times. But it really was an amazing story, well told.
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
No one is more surprised than me that I liked this book. I stand by my original review: "Hush doesn't take itself seriously. It knows exactly what it is. It is very self-aware and hits all its marks. It reminded me so much of those Hardy Boys books where the mystery is kind of cheesy and obvious and the bad guys are always bursting into monologue before killing anyone and the hero/ine makes foolish, unrealistic decisions in order to advance the plot, but it's done in kind of a "wink, wink" way so all is forgiven."
Now for some other distinctions.
Most unexpectedly good book: Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick. See above.
Most unexpectedly bad book: The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie, by Wendy McClure. So promising. SO AWFUL.
Longest book: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1276 pages).
Shortest book: Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way by Jon Krakauer (77 pages).
Most-read book: 2011 marked my third reading of The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas), A Pair of Blue Eyes (Thomas Hardy), and Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte).
Best bad book: Probably The Luxe (Anna Godbersen) or Shadow Hills (Anastasia Hopcus). Because I enjoyed them even as I mocked them.
Worst good book: By the formula established above, Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand; see above) has to be the worst good book I read all year. It was brilliant, and yet exhausting to read.
Worst book I didn't finish: The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett). Unfortunately in this case, "didn't finish" still means "I read 200 pages." Ugh.
Worst book I did finish: To avoid mentioning The Wilder Life twice, I'll give Life: An Exploded Diagram (Mal Peet) the honors here.
Worst cover: If by "worst" I mean "most embarrassing," then it's Abandon (Meg Cabot), a hundred times over. But I actually think the Hush, Hush and Crescendo covers are the most visually unappealing.
Best covers: Columbine and Spoiled (Heather Cocks). Aaaaand that's probably the only time ever that those two books will be placed next to each other in any kind of space.
Columbine by Dave CullenThe best kind of books make you feel like they were written personally for you. Columbine is one of those, and I think it has special worth to anyone who was a high schooler in 1999.
The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal BascombThis is another book that was just my style. I could hardly stand the suspense, even though I already knew the eventual ending. The journey was just so dang fun. Warning: you WILL find yourself on YouTube after reading this book, looking up all the races.
Crossing to Safety by Wallace StegnerYet another deeply personal book. If you have spent more than a few years in grad school, or are married to someone who has, then this book might be worth a read. If you are looking for grand, dramatic plots...not so much.
Divergent by Veronica RothThis was probably my favorite (first-time) YA read of the year. The good news is, I hear there's a second book coming out in 2012.
Baghdad without a Map and Other Misadventures in Arabia by Tony HorwitzJolly, endearing, and informative. There's nothing not to like.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott CardIt's about time I joined the rest of the human race and read this book. Even though I had heard so much hype about it, it lived up to all the praise.
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence WrightA flawless account of, well, Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11. Even if you've already read the 9/11 Commission Report, this book has more to say and does it better.
What to Eat by Marion NestleWho knew a book about food and nutrition could be so riveting and easy to read?
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura HillenbrandI hesitated including this one because it was really hard to read at times. But it really was an amazing story, well told.
Hush, Hush by Becca FitzpatrickNo one is more surprised than me that I liked this book. I stand by my original review: "Hush doesn't take itself seriously. It knows exactly what it is. It is very self-aware and hits all its marks. It reminded me so much of those Hardy Boys books where the mystery is kind of cheesy and obvious and the bad guys are always bursting into monologue before killing anyone and the hero/ine makes foolish, unrealistic decisions in order to advance the plot, but it's done in kind of a "wink, wink" way so all is forgiven."
Now for some other distinctions.
Most unexpectedly good book: Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick. See above.
Most unexpectedly bad book: The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie, by Wendy McClure. So promising. SO AWFUL.
Longest book: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1276 pages).
Shortest book: Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way by Jon Krakauer (77 pages).
Most-read book: 2011 marked my third reading of The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas), A Pair of Blue Eyes (Thomas Hardy), and Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte).
Best bad book: Probably The Luxe (Anna Godbersen) or Shadow Hills (Anastasia Hopcus). Because I enjoyed them even as I mocked them.
Worst good book: By the formula established above, Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand; see above) has to be the worst good book I read all year. It was brilliant, and yet exhausting to read.
Worst book I didn't finish: The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett). Unfortunately in this case, "didn't finish" still means "I read 200 pages." Ugh.
Worst book I did finish: To avoid mentioning The Wilder Life twice, I'll give Life: An Exploded Diagram (Mal Peet) the honors here.