2011 in books
It's that time again, book list of the year! Tick the ones you've read so I can be nosy. I read 125 books this year, so comfortably went over my 100 book target. There is an obvious downturn towards the end, but that's because I was knitting like a demon to get my nephew's Christmas present done so I didn't have a lot of time for reading. I shall step it up again now.
To see previous years, click the tag.
Poll 2011 in books
Favourites of the year, in no particular order:
* The Wilma Tenderfoot series by Emma Kennedy. They're for 9 year olds, but as anyone with sense knows, kids books can be amazing too. Wilma is a plucky orphan who fights crime! The little world that's been created is amazing and everyone should read them.
* Sweet Valley Confidential. While not the highest quality read of the year it was smashing fun and worth the lolz.
* Marcelo in the Real World - Francisco X Stork. Marcelo is an autistic teenager who is forced by his father to live in the real world for one summer, working at his dad's company. Seeing how he copes and forms relationships is really interesting. A great story.
* Thirteen reasons why - Jay Asher. Not a cheery one, this, but one I enjoyed nonetheless. Clay finds a package on his porch and in it are seven cassettes recorded by a girl at school who has recently committed suicide. At her bidding they are being passed between people she has decided were implicated in her death and give 13 reasons why she took her own life. The book is Clay's journey through listening to them, and Hannah's journey to her death.
* The hundred thousand kingdoms - NK Jemisin. I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting, not usually being a fantasy sort of girl. Gods and warriors and ancient feuds. Amazing - and I just got the second one in the trilogy for Christmas from dozydormouse and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
* The girl with glass feet - Ali Shaw. Magical realism ftw. Midas meets Ida, who is slowly turning to glass and has returned to the place she believes the transformation started to find an answer. I'm really looking forward to reading his second novel too.
* The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern. Magicians and an ancient competition and a love story. It really is a magical book, not to overuse that word. I was entirely captivated by it.
* Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovich. A trainee policeman discovers that London is full of magic and meets some rivers. If you liked Neverwhere, read this. Not that it's the same, just... yeah. I don't know how to best rec it!
* The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz. I had been meaning to read this for the longest time and I just got around to it before the end of the year. If you don't know any Spanish you might be put off, but give it a try anyway. Oscar is a fat, nerdy Dominican kid living in New York. This is the story of his life and his ancestry.
And at the risk of leaping on the biggest bandwagons of the year: I really enjoyed One Day, despite being spoiled for The Event, and How to be a woman was amazing.
Well, that was more than I meant to rec, and I could have done even more! Talk to me about books you've read too.
To see previous years, click the tag.
Poll 2011 in books
Favourites of the year, in no particular order:
* The Wilma Tenderfoot series by Emma Kennedy. They're for 9 year olds, but as anyone with sense knows, kids books can be amazing too. Wilma is a plucky orphan who fights crime! The little world that's been created is amazing and everyone should read them.
* Sweet Valley Confidential. While not the highest quality read of the year it was smashing fun and worth the lolz.
* Marcelo in the Real World - Francisco X Stork. Marcelo is an autistic teenager who is forced by his father to live in the real world for one summer, working at his dad's company. Seeing how he copes and forms relationships is really interesting. A great story.
* Thirteen reasons why - Jay Asher. Not a cheery one, this, but one I enjoyed nonetheless. Clay finds a package on his porch and in it are seven cassettes recorded by a girl at school who has recently committed suicide. At her bidding they are being passed between people she has decided were implicated in her death and give 13 reasons why she took her own life. The book is Clay's journey through listening to them, and Hannah's journey to her death.
* The hundred thousand kingdoms - NK Jemisin. I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting, not usually being a fantasy sort of girl. Gods and warriors and ancient feuds. Amazing - and I just got the second one in the trilogy for Christmas from dozydormouse and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
* The girl with glass feet - Ali Shaw. Magical realism ftw. Midas meets Ida, who is slowly turning to glass and has returned to the place she believes the transformation started to find an answer. I'm really looking forward to reading his second novel too.
* The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern. Magicians and an ancient competition and a love story. It really is a magical book, not to overuse that word. I was entirely captivated by it.
* Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovich. A trainee policeman discovers that London is full of magic and meets some rivers. If you liked Neverwhere, read this. Not that it's the same, just... yeah. I don't know how to best rec it!
* The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz. I had been meaning to read this for the longest time and I just got around to it before the end of the year. If you don't know any Spanish you might be put off, but give it a try anyway. Oscar is a fat, nerdy Dominican kid living in New York. This is the story of his life and his ancestry.
And at the risk of leaping on the biggest bandwagons of the year: I really enjoyed One Day, despite being spoiled for The Event, and How to be a woman was amazing.
Well, that was more than I meant to rec, and I could have done even more! Talk to me about books you've read too.