Books on the Nightstand discussion

So... the best books we've read in 2011 - does it have to be books that were published in 2011?
I must admit I only read a handful of books that were actually published this year... And the good ones aren't published in English.

Of course Ann and Michael read a lot of new books - but how about the rest of you? Do you mainly read new stuff?
For me it depends on my bookclub reads, but with a few exceptions I try to read books I've had for years.

However you'd like to interpret it is fine!!

Okay :-)
My best reads this year was:

(in Danish, but it will probably be translated soon "Message in a bottle from P.")



And this - which was my son's favourite for months!

Louise wrote: "Okay :-)
My best reads this year was:


YAY 253!!!

Wow. What a deceptively easy question!

I read 111 books so far this year. Of those, I thought 17 were worth 5 stars. I didn't want to list ALL of them, so here is my best effort at narrowing the list to 10 (in no particular order). I tried to narrow to 5, but that proved impossible.

In no particular order - , , , , , , , , , and

I have been working on my list to be ready for this posting! I love seeing everyone's top reads of the year! These are my top ten books that I read during 2011. It was hard narrowing down my read in 2011 list to these finalist!

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Alice I Have Been

Seabiscuit: An American Legend

Ready Player One

The Hunger Games

A Red Herring Without Mustard

Cutting for Stone

Let the Great World Spin

I'll stick to books published in 2011:

The Last Werewolf,
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin,
Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate,
Just My Type: A Book about Fonts,
State of Wonder

I owe my discovery of two of these to BOTNS!

The glued book display story was amusing. In the 70's, a bookseller displayed Steal This Book at the cash register by nailing it to the counter to prevent shoplifting! You had to ask for a copy.

I work in furniture showrooms selling wholesale to retailers. The showrooms are elaborately furnished. The designers buy boxes of books purchased for their spines, for display purposes. I found a first edition of The Old Man and the Sea on a shelf which they were happy to give me, since it wasn't leather.

I didn't read too many books that were published this year (around 20 or so) but I think the best fiction I did read from 2011 was The Sense of an Ending. However, Swamplandia! was a close second. The best nonfiction I read was The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. It's one of the best books I've read in a while.

Of the non-2011 books I read, How to Live was the best nonfiction (I wouldn't have known about this but for Ann's recommendation last year--it was SO good. I was even inspired to try and finish reading The Essays.) And A Visit from the Goon Squad was the best fiction.

i haven't compiled a list, but i am definitely going to put We the Animals: A novel near the top.

I haven't found a new five-star book for a long time, but a few of this year's titles deserve a fractionally higher rating than four stars. My favorite was probably Backward Ran Sentences: The Best of Wolcott Gibbs from The New Yorker. (See my review dated Oct. 23.) The runners-up: A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley, I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini by Ruth Brandon, The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai, and Writing Lives Is the Devil!: Essays of a Biographer at Work by Gale E. Christianson.

These are my two favorite books of 2011
and

My favorite book that I read in 2011 was
by Bobbie Ann Mason
others I liked were:
by Kevin Brockmeier
by Sarah Blake
by Ernest Cline
by Eleanor Brown

My top five books I've read this year are:

by Stephen Sondheim

by Margaret Atwood

by Margaret Atwood

by Stephen King, and

by Jeffrey Eugenides

I have read some great books this year; in no particular order:

I'll give , , and mentions too, since I haven't finished them yet, but they're all excellent.

Most of my 2011 published books will be read in the years to come, but here are some fabulous books that I did get to:

And I'm only 50% through , but I'm 100% confident it's going on my best of list.

Eric, I bought Arguably this week, but haven't started it yet. RIP Hitch.

PS: After reading the above posts, I now have a used copy of coming my way (I hope it's the edition with the map on it.) I need to buy a bigger nightstand for 2012!

I've wanted to read some Matt Taibbi, based on the odd piece in Rolling Stone. Good, huh? Is he the modern day Hunter S. Thompson? Or a P.J. O'Rourke with a social conscience? Or something else?

Eric wrote: "I've wanted to read some Matt Taibbi, based on the odd piece in Rolling Stone. Good, huh? Is he the modern day Hunter S. Thompson? Or a P.J. O'Rourke with a social conscience? Or something else?"

I think his style is definitely of the gonzo journalism/Thompson tradition. The book has a lot of sharp barbs and wit, but it is overwhelmingly based on a healthy degree of outrage at the rigging of the financial and governmental system. It will leave you pitchfork mad! Not for everyone (I tried to get my brother-in-law to read it and he was totally offended), but I bought my own copy to mark up. Excellent.

Shruti wrote: "Wow. What a deceptively easy question!

I read 111 books so far this year. Of those, I thought 17 were worth 5 stars. I didn't want to list ALL of them, so here is my best effort at narrowing the ..."

you have great taste Shruti!

I have read 61 books so far this year. It's going to be more but the book I'm currently reading won't make my favorite list. The following are in no particular order

Hi! I just joined but I'm loving the discussion and the podcasts. Some standout books for me this year:

Room by Emma Donoghue
Kings of Colorado by David Hilton
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward
At the End of the Road by Grant Jerkins

Looking forward to more great books in 2012!

Hi Mary Beth,
Welcome! I'm really looking forward to reading Sleep Toward Heaven. Thanks for the reminder.

Ann

I forgot one more book I really loved this year:

I didn't keep track of how many books I read this year but I'm sure it was at least 50. Looking at other posters best reads, I see that I did read quite a few recommends from Ann and Michael, including The Last Werewolfand Ready Player One. I've told quite a few people that Ready Player One was my favorite read of the year but I think that was because it surprised me so much that I liked it...I don't exactly fit the demographic. As far as books published in prior years, I just finished The Bronze Horsemanwhich was a page turner and I read the entire Outlanderseries this year (7 books). I think historical romance is quickly becoming my favorite genre.

I am new as well and just finished catching up on all of the old podcasts. I feel like I can now begin making comments. I look forward to each weeks episode like I do my favorite TV shows.

Favorites of 2011
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Greater Journey by David McCullough
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I have to throw in a couple of honorable mentions-
The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

I also thought it might be fun to do another word cloud with this like the Mount Rushmore episodes.

Thanks for all you guys do for the show!

I only read 28 this year, so that's a smaller pool to pick from. But I will pick a few, not all published in 2011:

I've only given 5 stars to three books this year, although there were several that I rated 4 stars. Based on my ratings, my favorite books of the year were Such A Pretty Face, The Book Thief, and Room.

I have two top 5 lists for 2011 - one for fiction and one for non-fiction:

Fiction:
The Night Circus
The Bells
Only Time Will Tell
The Night Strangers
Room

Non-Fiction/Memoir:
Unbroken
Lost in Shangri La
Half a Life
The Pioneer Woman (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels)
Stories I Only Tell My Friends (Rob Lowe)

It took me until December, but I finally found my favorite in 2011, and I feel like it could fall into the overlooked category, but it is absolutely one that should not be overlooked.

When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman may end up being on my all time favorite list.

I gave 5 books 5 stars each this year:



We the Animals (by Justin Torres; novella published in 2011)


Columbine (by Dave Cullen; Narrated by Don Leslie; non-fiction audiobook published in 2009)


Isis (by Douglas Clegg; illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne; illustrated novel published in 2009)


The Arrival (by Shaun Tan; graphic novel published in 2007)


Candide (by Voltaire; Classic originally published in 1759; translation by Henry Morley in 1922; B&N Classics Edition published in 2003)

I added and to my wishlist. It's great to have you all as a resource for books I would never otherwise find. Thanks!

@ Rita; The Corrections was a hard read and not enjoyable. I had to get the companion for it; because I refused to give up and throw it against the wall! I did get through it, but I didn't really enjoy it. Les Miserables is a hard read on some parts, and is daunting, but I do actually like it. mmmmm :/

I flew right through The Corrections. I remember being very absorbed by it.

Eric wrote: "I flew right through The Corrections. I remember being very absorbed by it."

kudos to you; just wasn't my cup of tea, i guess.

Janet wrote: "I've told quite a few people that Ready Player One was my favorite read of the year but I think that was because it surprised me so much that I liked it...I don't exactly fit the demographic."

Thanks for writing in Janet and mentioning Ready Player One. It's true that it's not for everyone, but you're right in that it's for a wider range of people than you might think.

Reading these lists is so gratifying, everyone. I can't tell you how much it means to Ann and me that you read the books we recommend, and, so often, connect with them the way we do.

I am so proud of this community we've all created. Thank you!

Alondra wrote: "Eric wrote: "I flew right through The Corrections. I remember being very absorbed by it."

kudos to you; just wasn't my cup of tea, i guess."

yea, wasn't my cup of tea either. I think I mentioned throwing it against the wall after finishing it.

Rita wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Eric wrote: "I flew right through The Corrections. I remember being very absorbed by it."

kudos to you; just wasn't my cup of tea, i guess."

yea, wasn't my cup of tea either. I th..."

300 pages in, I hated the characters and threw The Corrections over the side of my bed which stunned my husband. He is a read to the bitter end kind of guy. I recommended Freedom to one of my book groups for our February selsction; I hope I don't regret it!!

Kate wrote: "Rita wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Eric wrote: "I flew right through The Corrections. I remember being very absorbed by it."

kudos to you; just wasn't my cup of tea, i guess."

yea, wasn't my cup of tea..."

Kate, that is exactly how I felt. I finished hoping that there was some turn around. Eh, oh well. Onto the next book. Thankfully, there's always another book to look forward to.

Half of my book club reacted as though I'd ruined their lives by nominating Freedom. Why is Franzen so polarizing? I don't get it it. I find him very similar to Jeffrey Eugenides (and now Chad Harbach). Yet those authors don't seem to rack up the negative vibes.

I liked Freedom and as soon as I finished wanted to start The Corrections. Alas, I haven't gotten there yet...but I am curiouser and curiouser now that I read the wide range of opinions on it.

Eric wrote: "Half of my book club reacted as though I'd ruined their lives by nominating Freedom. Why is Franzen so polarizing? I don't get it it. I find him very similar to Jeffrey Eugenides (and now Chad Harb..."

I can't comment on that as I've yet to read Eugenides or Harbach.But I've got both of them on my TBR so I'm sure I'll have an opinion. I've found that people either love or hate Franzen.

Thanx Rita and Kate, i thought i was the only one... I was irritated with it, the characters; and couldn't wait to finish it. I should have thrown it out the window, but alas it takes up space on my bookshelf. I think its there, just so i can walk past and gloat that i actually read it.... i really wanted to like it, too. :/

some of my favorites this year:

In 2010, I read 3 books that are now among my favorite books of all time. 2011 was not as successful a year. I read a few books that I really, really, really enjoyed, but none that I loved. Still, I highly recommend these books:




Also, deserves honorable mention.

Top 5 FAVS of 2011

The Last Werewolf
Ready Player One
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Leftovers
Please Look After Mom
Hard to limit to five, there are so many more.

This was hard to limit to 5 (so I didn't!), but here goes:
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
The Nobodies Album
Revolution
Ready Player One
Year of Wonders
The Last Werewolf
Room

I haven't read that many new releases, but my personal favourites of the year:

The Night Circus
Divergent
A Monster Calls
Especially these first 3 are absolutely amazing and I would recommend them to anyone.

A Discovery of Witches
The Son of Neptune
Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Best books I read this year:

1. The Art of Fieldinghands down best book I read this year. Asked for it on a whim for my birthday and had a smiliar experience to Michael. Started reading and could not put it down.

2. Ready Player One Reading should always be this fun.

3. Major Pettigrew's Last StandGood old fashioned charming.

4. Criminal - Volume 6: Last of the Innocent Brubaker continues to bring it.

5. Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine Gives you second thoughts about putting your kids in travel sports.