Books read in 2011
I read 142 books in 2011. I didn't really have a goal, but I wound up reading a lot more non-fiction this year except toward the end. The list is
**: I liked it.
XX: I didn't like it.
Half Life by Roopa Farooki
** The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (translated by Elizabeth Massie?)
Amexica: War Along the Borderline by Ed Vulliamy
** A Woman Soldier's Own Story: The Autobiography of Xie Bingying by Xie Bingying (translated by Lily Chia Brissman and Barry Brissman)
XX Gifted by Nikita Lalwani
Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever by Walter Kirn
** My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover if Not Being a Dumb Ass is the New Black; Or, A Culture-Up Manifesto by Jen Lancaster
Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
Second Sight by Amanda Quick
White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz
The New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson
What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
** Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
** AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India
** From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East by William Dalrymple
Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn
Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa
The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
** The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas
XX Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
** The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
In Xanadu: A Quest by William Dalrymple
** Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr
** Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson
** Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson
Darkspell by Katharine Kerr
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge
The Bristling Wood by Katharine Kerr
XX Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts
Face the Fire by Nora Roberts
** Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America by Helen Thorpe
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Third Circle by Amanda Quick
** The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander
The Dragon Revenant by Katharine Kerr
Blame It on the Rain: How the Weather Has Changed History by Laura Lee
** Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
** The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick
Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence
A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
The Sorcerer's Plague by David B. Coe
The Horsemen's Gambit by David B. Coe
A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
Miral by Rula Jebreal
The Dark-Eyes' War by David B. Coe
An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham
The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham
** Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky
The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen by Kevin O'Keefe
A Hard Day's Knight by Simon R. Green
When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits by Mary Ann Winkowski
The Hollow by Jessica Verday
The Haunted by Jessica Verday
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick
How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them by Daniel Wolff
** Baudolino by Umberto Eco
** Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran
Last Call by Tim Powers
Expiration Date by Tim Powers
** Bernard Foy's Third Castling by Lars Gustafsson, translated by Yvonne L. Sandstroem
Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex edited by David Henry Sterry and R.J. Martin, Jr.
** The Magicians by Lev Grossman
India Calling: An Intimate Portrayal of a Nation's Remaking by Anand Giridharadas
The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers
The Goddess and the Bull: Çatalhöyük: An Archaeological Journey to the Dawn of Civilization by Michael Balter
The World is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman
Epic by Conor Kostick
Saga by Conor Kostick
XX Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn
** India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy by Ramachandra Guha
** Secrets of the Talking Jaguar by Martín Prechtel
** Will Storr vs. the Supernatural: One Man's Search for the Truth About Ghosts by Will Storr
** Long Life, Honey in the Heart by Martín Prechtel
The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss
Beyond Star Trek: From Alien Invasions to the End of Time by Lawrence M. Krauss
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Turkish Lover by Esmeralda Santiago
Kitty's Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
A Time of Exile by Katharine Kerr
XX Earthquake Weather by Tim Powers
A Time of Omens by Katharine Kerr
** The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong
The Computers of Star Trek by Lois H. Gresh and Robert E. Weinberg
** Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights by Kenji Yoshino
The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines
** Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
** Dark Days by Derek Landy
The Radleys by Matt Haig
The Way Things Look to Me by Roopa Farooki
Pinched: How the Great Recession Has Narrowed Our Futures and What We Can Do About It by Don Peck
Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings
If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster
** The Magician King by Lev Grossman
** Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything by Stephen Baker
The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines
Kiss Me, Judas by Will Christopher Baer
The Jeopardy! Book: The Answers, the Questions, the Facts, and the Stories of the Greatest Game Show in History by Alex Trebek
Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! by Bob Harris
Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
** Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson
XX Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen
Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
XX Undead and Unpopular by MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
XX Undead and Unworthy by MaryJanice Davidson
** Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson
** Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
The Snow Queen's Shadow by Jim C. Hines
Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next by John D. Kasarda and Greg Lindsay
** The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
** A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare's Plays Teach Us About Justice by Kenji Yoshino
The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
** Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America by Juan Gonzalez
** Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew by Zak Bagans and Kelly Crigger
XX A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
My Passage from India: A Filmmaker's Journey from Bombay to Hollywood by Ismail Merchant
For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison
** The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward
XX Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
** Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle
In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz
Best books of the year: A tie between The Magicians and The End of Mr. Y.
Worst book of the year: Never Let Me Go. I hated all of the characters and I still have no idea why all the reviews kept saying it was important to read it without knowing anything about it in advance--nothing seemed particularly surprising to me except that I actually finished it.
**: I liked it.
XX: I didn't like it.
Half Life by Roopa Farooki
** The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (translated by Elizabeth Massie?)
Amexica: War Along the Borderline by Ed Vulliamy
** A Woman Soldier's Own Story: The Autobiography of Xie Bingying by Xie Bingying (translated by Lily Chia Brissman and Barry Brissman)
XX Gifted by Nikita Lalwani
Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever by Walter Kirn
** My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover if Not Being a Dumb Ass is the New Black; Or, A Culture-Up Manifesto by Jen Lancaster
Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
Second Sight by Amanda Quick
White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz
The New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson
What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
** Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
** AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India
** From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East by William Dalrymple
Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn
Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa
The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson
** The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas
XX Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
** The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
In Xanadu: A Quest by William Dalrymple
** Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr
** Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson
** Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson
Darkspell by Katharine Kerr
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge
The Bristling Wood by Katharine Kerr
XX Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts
Face the Fire by Nora Roberts
** Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America by Helen Thorpe
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Third Circle by Amanda Quick
** The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander
The Dragon Revenant by Katharine Kerr
Blame It on the Rain: How the Weather Has Changed History by Laura Lee
** Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
** The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick
Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence
A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
The Sorcerer's Plague by David B. Coe
The Horsemen's Gambit by David B. Coe
A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
Miral by Rula Jebreal
The Dark-Eyes' War by David B. Coe
An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham
The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham
** Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky
The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen by Kevin O'Keefe
A Hard Day's Knight by Simon R. Green
When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits by Mary Ann Winkowski
The Hollow by Jessica Verday
The Haunted by Jessica Verday
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick
How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them by Daniel Wolff
** Baudolino by Umberto Eco
** Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran
Last Call by Tim Powers
Expiration Date by Tim Powers
** Bernard Foy's Third Castling by Lars Gustafsson, translated by Yvonne L. Sandstroem
Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex edited by David Henry Sterry and R.J. Martin, Jr.
** The Magicians by Lev Grossman
India Calling: An Intimate Portrayal of a Nation's Remaking by Anand Giridharadas
The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers
The Goddess and the Bull: Çatalhöyük: An Archaeological Journey to the Dawn of Civilization by Michael Balter
The World is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman
Epic by Conor Kostick
Saga by Conor Kostick
XX Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn
** India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy by Ramachandra Guha
** Secrets of the Talking Jaguar by Martín Prechtel
** Will Storr vs. the Supernatural: One Man's Search for the Truth About Ghosts by Will Storr
** Long Life, Honey in the Heart by Martín Prechtel
The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss
Beyond Star Trek: From Alien Invasions to the End of Time by Lawrence M. Krauss
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Turkish Lover by Esmeralda Santiago
Kitty's Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
A Time of Exile by Katharine Kerr
XX Earthquake Weather by Tim Powers
A Time of Omens by Katharine Kerr
** The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong
The Computers of Star Trek by Lois H. Gresh and Robert E. Weinberg
** Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights by Kenji Yoshino
The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines
** Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
** Dark Days by Derek Landy
The Radleys by Matt Haig
The Way Things Look to Me by Roopa Farooki
Pinched: How the Great Recession Has Narrowed Our Futures and What We Can Do About It by Don Peck
Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings
If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster
** The Magician King by Lev Grossman
** Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything by Stephen Baker
The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines
Kiss Me, Judas by Will Christopher Baer
The Jeopardy! Book: The Answers, the Questions, the Facts, and the Stories of the Greatest Game Show in History by Alex Trebek
Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! by Bob Harris
Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
** Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson
XX Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen
Undead and Unreturnable by MaryJanice Davidson
XX Undead and Unpopular by MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
XX Undead and Unworthy by MaryJanice Davidson
** Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson
** Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
The Snow Queen's Shadow by Jim C. Hines
Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next by John D. Kasarda and Greg Lindsay
** The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
** A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare's Plays Teach Us About Justice by Kenji Yoshino
The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
** Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America by Juan Gonzalez
** Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of the Ghost Adventures Crew by Zak Bagans and Kelly Crigger
XX A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
My Passage from India: A Filmmaker's Journey from Bombay to Hollywood by Ismail Merchant
For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison
** The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward
XX Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
** Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle
In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz
Best books of the year: A tie between The Magicians and The End of Mr. Y.
Worst book of the year: Never Let Me Go. I hated all of the characters and I still have no idea why all the reviews kept saying it was important to read it without knowing anything about it in advance--nothing seemed particularly surprising to me except that I actually finished it.