Best Books Read in 2011
6. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
An exquisite, unique and very old book, a story that is part truth and part skillful invention, and beautiful writing. Need I say more?
7. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
8. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
John Dies at the End by David Wong
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Warning: This Book Contains Multiple Scenes With Disgusting Huge Spiders
*ahem*
I had avoided adding John Dies at the End until a friend roped me into it through a challenge. I have to say, it was a pleasant surprise. Well, maybe not pleasant. That’s not a word that describes, well, anything in this book.
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People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
People of the Book is a stunningly beautiful book about another stunningly beautiful book. It fictionalizes the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique, 500-year old version of a book read at Jewish Passover Seders. It illustrates the story of how and why Passover came to be. People of the Book looks at the fascinating story of the Haggadah’s travels through the years and creates a story from them. All of the characters are fictional and some of the chapters are admittedly entirely fiction while others contain more factual information. While reading I did not care at all which was which and I am not certain I do now. Geraldine Brooks.ostensibly tells the story of a book, but as the title hints, what she really tells is the story of a people.