2011 Read Books Booklist - My Top 5
So I've just about read 40 books in 2011-10 shy of that elusive goal of 50, but still not a shabby representation, considering I spent a lot of 2011 in total life-upheaval and/or glued to my television and/or glued to my computer. But of the 40 books I read this year, only 24 of them were new books to me (the rest were all comfort-driven re-reads) AND, of those 24, perhaps only 10 were ones I considered decent or above-average books. I don't know if this means that my standards are getting higher or the general quality of published works is getting lower: either way, it makes for a frustrating experience, trying to find things to read that are (A) living up to the hype, or (B) hidden gems.
Anyway, all that being said, here are my Top 5 Reads of 2011 (along with their actual publishing date)
2 0 1 1 - TOP 5 B O O K L I S T
05 Pegasus - Robin McKinley
04 A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
03 Feed - M.T. Anderson
02 Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
01 Matched - Ally Condie
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Feed by M.T. Anderson (2004)
This is a really excellent futuristic dystopian novel. The themes are thoughtful on more than one topic, the writing is note-perfect, the main characters are deeply flawed and almost as despicable as they are fascinating. I don't want to give away any of the savory details or plot twists: suffice it to say that everything about this novel is really well done.
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Matched by Ally Condie (2010)
Another futuristic "dystopia" novel, but of a totally different breed than Feed; rather than being harsh and jangling, Matched is really at its heart a love story, highlighting the star-crossed romance between the main character and her two beaus. The author's design for the Society reminded me in a lot of ways of The Giver (one of my favorite books of all time), so that probably pre-disposed me to like this book where normally I might have felt skeptical towards it. But honestly, I thought the book was overall very lyrical and pretty. I just hope the second in the series can live up to my expectations.
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Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (2007)
Just the premise of this book is awesome: worlds within worlds, and layers upon layers upon layers, but the real beauty of Incarceron-for me at least-comes from the cast of intriguing, three-dimensional characters, all of whom are flawed in some way without totally losing their likeability. Again, it's another book that I don't want to give much away or spoil the details (since they're what make it so cool), but this book is a really great adventure yarn with a great voice and I 100% recommend it.
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Pegasus by Robin McKinley (2010)
McKinley is certainly well-known for her attention to detail when world-building, and Pegasus is no exception. The writing is lucious as well as charming, two of my favorite kinds, so it's no small wonder that I was hooked on this book from beginning to end. I did, however, have some problems with it, especially with regards to the methods of communication and supposed language-barriers between the two species (humans and pegasi). Which, you know, might not be so good, considering that's pretty much the premise of the entire story. A lot of the times, the way McKinley did things just didn't jive with logic (how can someone teach someone else an oral, spoken language through intrinsically understood telepathy?? That part of the book got a huge 'Huh?' from me). But I overcame my skeptical moments and never truly got thrown out of the groove to the point where I stopped enjoying myself. It's a wonderful book (that ends with a huge cliffhanger-just warning you) and 2014 can't come soon enough!
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A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (1996)
Yeah, I'll admit it, for this, I'm one of THOSE: a reader who came to something via its counterpart television and/or movie series. This is rarely the case for me, though, so in this one instance I hope I can be forgiven. Anyway, I was so intrigued by the first few episodes of the HBO series that I decided to give the book a go. And one of the most surpirisingly enjoyable things about the book for me (aside from the multiple switching POV's, because normally I hate that) was that the cast of narrators had a great deal of kids and teens (does that makes this a YA book? I wondered to myself. 'No way!' people say. 'It's so dark! It's dark epic fantasy!' Yeah, so? You can't deny that half the main characters are under eighteen years of age. I'm just sayin'!) Anyway, while I did like this first book, I have to admit my progress through the rest of the series has been severely stymied by my foreknowledge of the fact that terrible things (up to and including death) happen to most of the best characters, so, yeah. I don't know that George R.R. Martin will ever have a place on my shelves as a favorite author, but A Game of Thrones was undeniably among one of the better-written things I've read in 2011.
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Anyway, all that being said, here are my Top 5 Reads of 2011 (along with their actual publishing date)
2 0 1 1 - TOP 5 B O O K L I S T
05 Pegasus - Robin McKinley
04 A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
03 Feed - M.T. Anderson
02 Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
01 Matched - Ally Condie
& & & & & & &
Feed by M.T. Anderson (2004)
This is a really excellent futuristic dystopian novel. The themes are thoughtful on more than one topic, the writing is note-perfect, the main characters are deeply flawed and almost as despicable as they are fascinating. I don't want to give away any of the savory details or plot twists: suffice it to say that everything about this novel is really well done.
#
Matched by Ally Condie (2010)
Another futuristic "dystopia" novel, but of a totally different breed than Feed; rather than being harsh and jangling, Matched is really at its heart a love story, highlighting the star-crossed romance between the main character and her two beaus. The author's design for the Society reminded me in a lot of ways of The Giver (one of my favorite books of all time), so that probably pre-disposed me to like this book where normally I might have felt skeptical towards it. But honestly, I thought the book was overall very lyrical and pretty. I just hope the second in the series can live up to my expectations.
#
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (2007)
Just the premise of this book is awesome: worlds within worlds, and layers upon layers upon layers, but the real beauty of Incarceron-for me at least-comes from the cast of intriguing, three-dimensional characters, all of whom are flawed in some way without totally losing their likeability. Again, it's another book that I don't want to give much away or spoil the details (since they're what make it so cool), but this book is a really great adventure yarn with a great voice and I 100% recommend it.
#
Pegasus by Robin McKinley (2010)
McKinley is certainly well-known for her attention to detail when world-building, and Pegasus is no exception. The writing is lucious as well as charming, two of my favorite kinds, so it's no small wonder that I was hooked on this book from beginning to end. I did, however, have some problems with it, especially with regards to the methods of communication and supposed language-barriers between the two species (humans and pegasi). Which, you know, might not be so good, considering that's pretty much the premise of the entire story. A lot of the times, the way McKinley did things just didn't jive with logic (how can someone teach someone else an oral, spoken language through intrinsically understood telepathy?? That part of the book got a huge 'Huh?' from me). But I overcame my skeptical moments and never truly got thrown out of the groove to the point where I stopped enjoying myself. It's a wonderful book (that ends with a huge cliffhanger-just warning you) and 2014 can't come soon enough!
#
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (1996)
Yeah, I'll admit it, for this, I'm one of THOSE: a reader who came to something via its counterpart television and/or movie series. This is rarely the case for me, though, so in this one instance I hope I can be forgiven. Anyway, I was so intrigued by the first few episodes of the HBO series that I decided to give the book a go. And one of the most surpirisingly enjoyable things about the book for me (aside from the multiple switching POV's, because normally I hate that) was that the cast of narrators had a great deal of kids and teens (does that makes this a YA book? I wondered to myself. 'No way!' people say. 'It's so dark! It's dark epic fantasy!' Yeah, so? You can't deny that half the main characters are under eighteen years of age. I'm just sayin'!) Anyway, while I did like this first book, I have to admit my progress through the rest of the series has been severely stymied by my foreknowledge of the fact that terrible things (up to and including death) happen to most of the best characters, so, yeah. I don't know that George R.R. Martin will ever have a place on my shelves as a favorite author, but A Game of Thrones was undeniably among one of the better-written things I've read in 2011.
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