Top 15 Books of 2011
As is becoming a yearly tradition (this will be the fourth one!) below the cut, you can find my top 15 reads of 2011.
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (historical fiction/science fiction/contemporary fiction)- A genre bending novel that weaves together three different tales to create one impressive story about a pair of sisters. I read this as part of the #1book140 twitter book club and found the book to be just as strong as The Handmaid’s Tale.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (fantasy)- An engrossing fantasy novel with a great cast. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the main character, Cazaril, was not your typical fantasy hero, and the religious system based on the four gods. I also read the two sequels this year: Paladin of Souls, which was also strong, and The Hallowed Hunt, which was not.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (mystery)- I think the best thing about Christie novels is she seems to know how her readers think. Just when you think you have it all figured out, she pulls the rug out from under you. This is a great example of that, despite the fact that this murder mystery does not feature either of her famous detectives (Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple). This way you have no idea who you can trust.
The Guild by Felicia Day (graphic novel/contemporary fiction)- A prequel to my favorite webseries, The Guild. I thought Day did a fantastic job of melding humor with more serious elements, and was impressed with how well the tone of the series came off in this collection of comics. This should appeal to fans of the webseries, as well as new readers as well.
Room by Emma Donoghue (contemporary fiction)- This is the type of book you either love or hate. Fortunately, I loved it. Inspired by real events, Room tells the story of a young boy and his mother who are held captured by a dangerous man. The boy grows up only knowing the room that he is held captive in, and considered everything outside to be a fantasy. This is a fascinating story.
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything bu Joshua Foer (non-fiction)- I don’t read too much non-fiction, but this one, about a journalist who decides to enter the National Memory Competitions, really grabbed me. It's filled with fascinating information on the subject of memory, and also succeeds at just being a really good story.
Deadline by Mira Grant (science fiction)- The sequel to Feed (which really should be read first), Deadline continues one of the best zombie series I’ve ever encountered, if not the best. I was impressed at how well Grant was able to follow up Feed, given some of the shocking moments found in the previous book.
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress (science fiction)- A science fiction novel about a future where a select number of babies are genetically altered to no longer need sleep, and the tense relationship that springs up between the “sleepers” and “sleepless.” I was really surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this thought provoking novel.
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (young adult/science fiction)- Usually middle books are the weakest in trilogies, but this is certainly not the case with The Ask and the Answer, the second book in Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy. Ness really holds nothing back in this daring young adult novel and it really pays off. The first book in the trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go, really must be read first.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (young adult/fantasy)- Although much simpler (shorter) that Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy, A Monster Calls is just as emotionally effective. I appreciated how Ness sidestepped all of the typical cliches that can be found in a story about a child who’s mother has cancer, and instead tells us a beautiful fantasy-tingled story set in Ireland.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (young adult/contemporary fiction)- I normally shy away from stories with a heavy romantic angle, but Anna and the French Kiss, a story about a teenage girl who finds love in a French boarding school, changed my mind. I plan on reading the follow up novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door, in 2012.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (fantasy)- Every now and then you just want to read a good, fat, fantasy book, and Mistborn had everything you typically go looking for in that type of novel: great characters, engrossing worldbuilding, and plenty of action and excitement. I especially found the combat system to be really interesting. I am planning on continuing this series in 2012.
Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud (young adult/fantasy)- The final book in the Bartimaeus trilogy goes out with a bang. Stroud took a lot of risks, character wise, this book, and I think they paid off quite well. The character of Bartimaeus himself remains one of the most likable characters I've encountered in young adult fantasy.
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (young adult/fantasy)- A great fantasy novel staring an likable protagnoist, fantastic worldbuilding, and one hell of an ending. I look forward to reading the rest of this series in 2012.
The Girl with Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (middle grade/fantasy)- A middle grade fantasy that draws it’s inspriation from classic children’s literature such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. I was once again impressed by Valenete’s beautiful writing style as well as her strong female characters.
xposted to
temporaryworlds, and 
bookish,
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (historical fiction/science fiction/contemporary fiction)- A genre bending novel that weaves together three different tales to create one impressive story about a pair of sisters. I read this as part of the #1book140 twitter book club and found the book to be just as strong as The Handmaid’s Tale.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (fantasy)- An engrossing fantasy novel with a great cast. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the main character, Cazaril, was not your typical fantasy hero, and the religious system based on the four gods. I also read the two sequels this year: Paladin of Souls, which was also strong, and The Hallowed Hunt, which was not.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (mystery)- I think the best thing about Christie novels is she seems to know how her readers think. Just when you think you have it all figured out, she pulls the rug out from under you. This is a great example of that, despite the fact that this murder mystery does not feature either of her famous detectives (Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple). This way you have no idea who you can trust.
The Guild by Felicia Day (graphic novel/contemporary fiction)- A prequel to my favorite webseries, The Guild. I thought Day did a fantastic job of melding humor with more serious elements, and was impressed with how well the tone of the series came off in this collection of comics. This should appeal to fans of the webseries, as well as new readers as well.
Room by Emma Donoghue (contemporary fiction)- This is the type of book you either love or hate. Fortunately, I loved it. Inspired by real events, Room tells the story of a young boy and his mother who are held captured by a dangerous man. The boy grows up only knowing the room that he is held captive in, and considered everything outside to be a fantasy. This is a fascinating story.
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything bu Joshua Foer (non-fiction)- I don’t read too much non-fiction, but this one, about a journalist who decides to enter the National Memory Competitions, really grabbed me. It's filled with fascinating information on the subject of memory, and also succeeds at just being a really good story.
Deadline by Mira Grant (science fiction)- The sequel to Feed (which really should be read first), Deadline continues one of the best zombie series I’ve ever encountered, if not the best. I was impressed at how well Grant was able to follow up Feed, given some of the shocking moments found in the previous book.
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress (science fiction)- A science fiction novel about a future where a select number of babies are genetically altered to no longer need sleep, and the tense relationship that springs up between the “sleepers” and “sleepless.” I was really surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this thought provoking novel.
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (young adult/science fiction)- Usually middle books are the weakest in trilogies, but this is certainly not the case with The Ask and the Answer, the second book in Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy. Ness really holds nothing back in this daring young adult novel and it really pays off. The first book in the trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go, really must be read first.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (young adult/fantasy)- Although much simpler (shorter) that Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy, A Monster Calls is just as emotionally effective. I appreciated how Ness sidestepped all of the typical cliches that can be found in a story about a child who’s mother has cancer, and instead tells us a beautiful fantasy-tingled story set in Ireland.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (young adult/contemporary fiction)- I normally shy away from stories with a heavy romantic angle, but Anna and the French Kiss, a story about a teenage girl who finds love in a French boarding school, changed my mind. I plan on reading the follow up novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door, in 2012.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (fantasy)- Every now and then you just want to read a good, fat, fantasy book, and Mistborn had everything you typically go looking for in that type of novel: great characters, engrossing worldbuilding, and plenty of action and excitement. I especially found the combat system to be really interesting. I am planning on continuing this series in 2012.
Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud (young adult/fantasy)- The final book in the Bartimaeus trilogy goes out with a bang. Stroud took a lot of risks, character wise, this book, and I think they paid off quite well. The character of Bartimaeus himself remains one of the most likable characters I've encountered in young adult fantasy.
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (young adult/fantasy)- A great fantasy novel staring an likable protagnoist, fantastic worldbuilding, and one hell of an ending. I look forward to reading the rest of this series in 2012.
The Girl with Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (middle grade/fantasy)- A middle grade fantasy that draws it’s inspriation from classic children’s literature such as Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. I was once again impressed by Valenete’s beautiful writing style as well as her strong female characters.
xposted to
temporaryworlds, and bookish,