The best books I read in 2011
This year I read 53 book. I have narrowed them down to pick my five favorites. These are the books that I most enjoyed reading, this list doesn't necessarily factor in artistic merit or lack there of.
Here are my favorites in no particular order:
Josephine: A Life of the Empress -- Carolly Erickson [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 28) -- This is the book that started my Josephine craze. Although, I've now read several others books on Josephine that are more scholarly (there are a couple things in this book which fall into the more rumor than fact category) this book is written in a style that pulls you in quickly and I found the book to read almost like fiction at times. The life story of Empress Josephine is compelling even if you already know how it all ends. I'm almost done reading Napoleon and Josephine: An Improbable Marriage by Evangeline Bruce which is a more scholarly but still very readable account of their lives. But since I didn't finish the Bruce's book in 2011 I'm picking Erickson's book for this list.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows [AB] (June 20) -- This was my fun book of the year. But it's not without sadness. It shows how the Guernsey residents found the strength to live through the Nazi occupation and yet keep up their spirits and faith in each other.
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea -- Barbara Demick [Non-Fiction] (Aug. 29) -- Before Kim Jong-il's death last month I read this book. Demick, an American journalist living in South Korea, compiled the stories of people who've defected from the north. This is an incredible book that needs to be more widely read. The personal stories are harrowing and make this work of non-fiction a page turner. I couldn't put it down! Innocent people are trapped in what may be the worst dictatorship on earth.
Little Dorrit -- Charles Dickens [AB] (Oct. 15) -- I love 19th century literature. And this one I read at just the right time. It seemed to pull together many of the thoughts I've been having. Dickens' social criticism seems to become stronger in his later books -- I think the same is true for his theme development. He has a lot to say and he says it very well here. And of course the love story helps the "medicine" go down.
Hattie Big Sky -- Kirby Larson [AB] [Young Adult] (July 21) -- This is one of the best young adult books I've read in ages! It was a Newbery Honor book but I think it should have won. It's a wonderful coming of age story. Which has a lot of surprises. The ending is very very beautiful.
What I read in 2011
JANUARY
01. A Brief History of Montmaray (The Montmaray Journals, Book I) -- Michelle Cooper [AB] [Young Adult]
02. The Whistling Season -- Ivan Doig (Jan 13)
03. We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals -- Gillian Gill [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Jan 26)
04. Igraine the Brave -- Cornelia Funke [AB] [Children] (Jan. 28)
FEBRUARY
05. An Irish Country Girl (Irish Country Books) -- Patrick Taylor [AB] (Feb. 6)
06. American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood -- Marie Arana [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 8)
07. Beauvallet -- Georgette Heyer [AB] (Feb. 12)
08. The Toll-Gate -- Georgette Heyer (Feb. 14)
09. The Duchess (Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire) -- Amanda Foreman [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 21)
10. Josephine: A Life of the Empress -- Carolly Erickson [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 28)
MARCH
11. The Forest Lover -- Susan Vreeland [AB] (March 8)
12. Sapphique -- Catherine Fisher [AB] [Young Adult] (March 14)
13. Napoleon: His Wives and Women -- Christopher Hibbert [Non-Fiction] (March 18)
14. Sharpe's Eagle -- Bernard Cornwell [AB] (March 21)
15. Joseph Haydn -- Jeremy Siepmann [AB] [Non-Fiction] (March 30)
16. The Reluctant Widow -- Georgette Heyer (March 31)
APRIL
17. Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II -- Robert Kurson [Non-Fiction] (April 10)
18. First Family: Abigail and John Adams -- Joseph J. Ellis [AB] [Non-Fiction] (April 30)
MAY
19. The FitzOsbornes in Exile (The Montmaray Journals, Book II) -- Michelle Cooper [AB] [Young Adult] (May 18)
20. Revolution -- Jennifer Donnelly [AB] [Young Adult] (May 23)
21. The Quiet Gentleman -- Georgette Heyer [AB] reread (May 26)
22. Cold Sassy Tree -- Olive Ann Burns [AB] (May 26)
JUNE
23. Mirror, Mirror -- Gregory Maguire [AB] (June 6)
24. Tears of the Giraffe (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency II) -- Alexander McCall Smith [AB] (some time in June; I don't even remember for certain what I read before and after it)
25. Playing for Pizza -- John Grisham [AB] (June 13)
26. Entwined -- Heather Dixon [AB] [Young Adult] (June 17)
27. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows [AB] (June 20)
JULY
28. The House of the Seven Gables -- Nathaniel Hawthorne [AB] (July 5)
29. Morality for Beautiful Girls (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency III) -- Alexander McCall Smith [AB] (July 11)
30. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future -- Daniel H. Pink [Non-Fiction] (July 12)
31. The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain I) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 15)
32. Hattie Big Sky -- Kirby Larson [AB] [Young Adult] (July 21)
33. The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain II) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 23?)
34. The Castle of Llyr (The Chronicles of Prydain III) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 26)
35. Taran Wanderer (The Chronicles of Prydain IV) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 28)
AUGUST
36. The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain V) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (Aug. 1)
37. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression -- Mildred Armstrong Kalish [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Aug. 8)
38. With Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain -- Michael Korda [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Aug 17)
39. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency IV) -- Alexander McCall Smith [AB] (Aug 22)
40. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea -- Barbara Demick [Non-Fiction] (Aug. 29)
SEPTEMBER
41. The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis -- Alan Jacobs [AB] (abridgement approved and read by the author) [Non-Fiction] (Sept. 7)
42. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) -- George R. R. Martin [AB] (Sept 16)
43. The Hobbit -- J.R.R. Tolkien [AB] (Sept 25?)
44. Enchantment -- Orson Scott Card [AB] (Sept. 28)
OCTOBER
45. The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis (The Dear America) -- Kirby Larson [AB] [Children] (Oct. 1)
47. Fly By Night -- Frances Hardinge Page [AB] [Children] (Oct. 5)
48. Little Dorrit -- Charles Dickens [AB] (Oct. 15)
NOVEMBER
49. Letters from Rifka -- Karen Hesse [AB] [Children] (Nov. 2)
50. Out Stealing Horses -- Per Petterson [AB] (Nov. 14)
DECEMBER
51. Wolf Hall -- Hilary Mantel [AB] (Dec. 12)
52. The Distant Hours -- Kate Morton (Dec. 20?)
-----
53. Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey -- Alison Gernsheim [Non-Fiction] (I finished this book in June, but never got through all the extra notes so I didn't include it on the above list. But since I finished the book itself I'm counting it in my total for the year. The text portion of the book is 74 pages long, the notes take up 13 pages, neither of those numbers count the pages that are just photos)
TOTAL: 53 (10 books, 43 audiobooks)
KEY
AB = Audiobook
(Date) = date finished
Reviews of the above books can be found under my "books" tag
Coming soon: The worst books I read in 2011
Here are my favorites in no particular order:
Josephine: A Life of the Empress -- Carolly Erickson [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 28) -- This is the book that started my Josephine craze. Although, I've now read several others books on Josephine that are more scholarly (there are a couple things in this book which fall into the more rumor than fact category) this book is written in a style that pulls you in quickly and I found the book to read almost like fiction at times. The life story of Empress Josephine is compelling even if you already know how it all ends. I'm almost done reading Napoleon and Josephine: An Improbable Marriage by Evangeline Bruce which is a more scholarly but still very readable account of their lives. But since I didn't finish the Bruce's book in 2011 I'm picking Erickson's book for this list.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows [AB] (June 20) -- This was my fun book of the year. But it's not without sadness. It shows how the Guernsey residents found the strength to live through the Nazi occupation and yet keep up their spirits and faith in each other.
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea -- Barbara Demick [Non-Fiction] (Aug. 29) -- Before Kim Jong-il's death last month I read this book. Demick, an American journalist living in South Korea, compiled the stories of people who've defected from the north. This is an incredible book that needs to be more widely read. The personal stories are harrowing and make this work of non-fiction a page turner. I couldn't put it down! Innocent people are trapped in what may be the worst dictatorship on earth.
Little Dorrit -- Charles Dickens [AB] (Oct. 15) -- I love 19th century literature. And this one I read at just the right time. It seemed to pull together many of the thoughts I've been having. Dickens' social criticism seems to become stronger in his later books -- I think the same is true for his theme development. He has a lot to say and he says it very well here. And of course the love story helps the "medicine" go down.
Hattie Big Sky -- Kirby Larson [AB] [Young Adult] (July 21) -- This is one of the best young adult books I've read in ages! It was a Newbery Honor book but I think it should have won. It's a wonderful coming of age story. Which has a lot of surprises. The ending is very very beautiful.
What I read in 2011
JANUARY
01. A Brief History of Montmaray (The Montmaray Journals, Book I) -- Michelle Cooper [AB] [Young Adult]
02. The Whistling Season -- Ivan Doig (Jan 13)
03. We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals -- Gillian Gill [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Jan 26)
04. Igraine the Brave -- Cornelia Funke [AB] [Children] (Jan. 28)
FEBRUARY
05. An Irish Country Girl (Irish Country Books) -- Patrick Taylor [AB] (Feb. 6)
06. American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood -- Marie Arana [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 8)
07. Beauvallet -- Georgette Heyer [AB] (Feb. 12)
08. The Toll-Gate -- Georgette Heyer (Feb. 14)
09. The Duchess (Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire) -- Amanda Foreman [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 21)
10. Josephine: A Life of the Empress -- Carolly Erickson [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Feb. 28)
MARCH
11. The Forest Lover -- Susan Vreeland [AB] (March 8)
12. Sapphique -- Catherine Fisher [AB] [Young Adult] (March 14)
13. Napoleon: His Wives and Women -- Christopher Hibbert [Non-Fiction] (March 18)
14. Sharpe's Eagle -- Bernard Cornwell [AB] (March 21)
15. Joseph Haydn -- Jeremy Siepmann [AB] [Non-Fiction] (March 30)
16. The Reluctant Widow -- Georgette Heyer (March 31)
APRIL
17. Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II -- Robert Kurson [Non-Fiction] (April 10)
18. First Family: Abigail and John Adams -- Joseph J. Ellis [AB] [Non-Fiction] (April 30)
MAY
19. The FitzOsbornes in Exile (The Montmaray Journals, Book II) -- Michelle Cooper [AB] [Young Adult] (May 18)
20. Revolution -- Jennifer Donnelly [AB] [Young Adult] (May 23)
21. The Quiet Gentleman -- Georgette Heyer [AB] reread (May 26)
22. Cold Sassy Tree -- Olive Ann Burns [AB] (May 26)
JUNE
23. Mirror, Mirror -- Gregory Maguire [AB] (June 6)
24. Tears of the Giraffe (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency II) -- Alexander McCall Smith [AB] (some time in June; I don't even remember for certain what I read before and after it)
25. Playing for Pizza -- John Grisham [AB] (June 13)
26. Entwined -- Heather Dixon [AB] [Young Adult] (June 17)
27. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows [AB] (June 20)
JULY
28. The House of the Seven Gables -- Nathaniel Hawthorne [AB] (July 5)
29. Morality for Beautiful Girls (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency III) -- Alexander McCall Smith [AB] (July 11)
30. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future -- Daniel H. Pink [Non-Fiction] (July 12)
31. The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain I) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 15)
32. Hattie Big Sky -- Kirby Larson [AB] [Young Adult] (July 21)
33. The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain II) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 23?)
34. The Castle of Llyr (The Chronicles of Prydain III) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 26)
35. Taran Wanderer (The Chronicles of Prydain IV) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (July 28)
AUGUST
36. The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain V) -- Lloyd Alexander [AB] [Young Adult] reread (Aug. 1)
37. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression -- Mildred Armstrong Kalish [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Aug. 8)
38. With Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain -- Michael Korda [AB] [Non-Fiction] (Aug 17)
39. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency IV) -- Alexander McCall Smith [AB] (Aug 22)
40. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea -- Barbara Demick [Non-Fiction] (Aug. 29)
SEPTEMBER
41. The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis -- Alan Jacobs [AB] (abridgement approved and read by the author) [Non-Fiction] (Sept. 7)
42. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) -- George R. R. Martin [AB] (Sept 16)
43. The Hobbit -- J.R.R. Tolkien [AB] (Sept 25?)
44. Enchantment -- Orson Scott Card [AB] (Sept. 28)
OCTOBER
45. The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis (The Dear America) -- Kirby Larson [AB] [Children] (Oct. 1)
47. Fly By Night -- Frances Hardinge Page [AB] [Children] (Oct. 5)
48. Little Dorrit -- Charles Dickens [AB] (Oct. 15)
NOVEMBER
49. Letters from Rifka -- Karen Hesse [AB] [Children] (Nov. 2)
50. Out Stealing Horses -- Per Petterson [AB] (Nov. 14)
DECEMBER
51. Wolf Hall -- Hilary Mantel [AB] (Dec. 12)
52. The Distant Hours -- Kate Morton (Dec. 20?)
-----
53. Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey -- Alison Gernsheim [Non-Fiction] (I finished this book in June, but never got through all the extra notes so I didn't include it on the above list. But since I finished the book itself I'm counting it in my total for the year. The text portion of the book is 74 pages long, the notes take up 13 pages, neither of those numbers count the pages that are just photos)
TOTAL: 53 (10 books, 43 audiobooks)
KEY
AB = Audiobook
(Date) = date finished
Reviews of the above books can be found under my "books" tag
Coming soon: The worst books I read in 2011