Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Well, you know what time of year it is. The best of 2011 lists abound. So let's have yours.

What are your top reads from 2011?

(They don't have to be books published in 2011.)

From memory (thinking back on what I've read this year, and how I feel about it now), I think my favorite from 2011 is Uncle Tom's Cabin (profound but accessible). Runner-up is Frankenstein (classic monster story).

According to my stats page, my "favorite" reads from this year are:
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Help (Definitely a good book, but I liked Uncle Tom's Cabin more.)
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Washington's First World's Fair: A Timeline History (Indeed. Good Seattle history and great pictures.)
Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition (WA) (Ditto.)
Little Men: Life at Plumfield With Jo's Boys (I was going to say that one above. It's definitely a good story, and I ate it up.)
The Buddha in the Attic (Like The Help, it's definitely a good story, but I liked Uncle Tom's Cabin better.)
Seattle's Fremont (More Seattle history and pictures.)
(For what it's worth, I rated Frankenstein 4 stars.)

My favorites of 2011:

The Sandman comic series, especially The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists and The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
Jane Eyre - first time read for me
A Game of Thrones (currently reading A Clash of Kings and loving it as well)
The Hunger Games - liked this book best out of the three, but enjoyed the whole trilogy
Ghost Story - just love Harry Dresden
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - great story, great artwork

My favourites have been:


I'd say the best was probably A Wise Man's Fear - it was incredibly well written, kept my interest consistently, had characters to die for and was just all round fantastic
Most surprising was Double Cross - I was not expecting it to be as good as it was!

Can't say I've had as good a year as last (which has some of my favourites reads ever) but I've definitely found some amazing books :-)

MY favorites so far has been The Hunger Games, Left Behind by Tim LaHaye, and Native Son by Richard Wright

'hard to say which of these I liked most. They all had something different to offer:

The Sparrow
Void Trilogy
Snow Crash
Wise Man's Fear
Mistborn Trilogy
Bloody Jack
Endurance
Hyperion Trilogy

I'd have to say the "To Kill a Mockingbird" reread was a high point.
For new reads...
Thea Harrison's "Dragon Bound" was a really nice surprise.
Meljean Brook's latest Guardian installment is always a highlight.
If the bags under my eyes from reading too late are an indication that Alice Hoffman's "The Dovekeepers" is probably going to be on the list as well.

Since I read my favorite books every year, I'll go with my favorite books of 2011 that were just published (in 2010 or 2011). They are . . .
-Across the Universe, Beth Revis. This book is beautifully written, haunting and life changing. I would recommend it to anyone.
-Bossypants, Tina Fey. Hilarious. I laughed out loud most of the time I was reading it.
-The Last Little Blue Envelope, Maureen Johnson. I have enjoyed all of Johnson's books, but this one is currently my favourite.
-Lola and the Boy Next Door, Stephanie Perkins. She writes chick lit for smart girls. Her stories fill me with warm fluffies, and this one also gave me fashion inspiration.
-Divergent, Veronica Roth. My favourite of this year's crop of YA dystopia tales. It made me think and gave me nightmares, so I consider it a wild success.

My favorites this year include:
A Game of Thrones
Stones from the River
M. Butterfly
The Name of the Wind
The Constant Wife
Pavilion of Women
The Slynx
84, Charing Cross Road
Possession
The Secret History
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

The (positively) memorable books I read in 2011 were:

Changeless
The Year of the Flood
To Kill a Mockingbird
Ready Player One

Ready Player One, next up on the pile so it may make the list as well!

Auggie Wren's Christmas Story
The Old Man and the Sea
Brokeback Mountain
To the Lighthouse

I’ll mention four excellent stories read in the last month all with related themes of loneliness, abandonment and mortality. "Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story" is a tale of compassion and companionship toward an elderly lonely abandoned blind woman, and of friendship in general. "The Old Man and the Sea" details how an old fisherman is abandoned by his friend and fishing partner and has to struggle alone, and perhaps to the death, to catch the biggest fish at the tail end of his life. "Brokeback Mountain" is also about alienation and loneliness, two people starving for companionship and intimacy. And "To the Lighthouse", a non-traditional story, details all the above similar feelings and psychological states (and more) even amongst a large group of people, much of them family. All of these stories are highly recommended.

These are the books to which I gave 5 stars in 2011. I loved them all, for many different reasons.


Classics:
Science Fiction:
Fantasy:
Historical Fiction:
Graphic Novel:

I have had a couple great reads this year (in no particular order):

Sarah's Key

The Love Goddess' Cooking School

The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset

The Gathering, The Awakening, The Reckoning

The Hangman's Daughter

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire

VWrulesChick wrote: "I have had a couple great reads this year (in no particular order):

Sarah's Key

[book:The L..."

Dragon Tattoo = my life. The 2nd is the best in the triology!