Tag Archives: you think your family has issues

Lists: Best Books Read in 2011 – # 1

Best Books Read in 2011

1. Room by Emma Donoghue

Not many authors can write well from a child’s point of view, especially when writing for an adult audience. In Room, Emma Donoghue does precisely that. She conveys a haunting tale with beauty and wonder and terror. I was skeptical when I picked up this book. After putting it down seven months ago, I still think of it regularly. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Original Review

2. The Christ-Haunted Landscape by Susan Ketchin
3. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
4. The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
5. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
6. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
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


Lists: Worst Books Read in 2011 – # 2

Worst Books Read in 2011

2. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

This is a teenage girl on zombie love story. It takes place in a neo-Victoria post-apocalyptic society. It includes the phrase “extra sparkly unicorn fart kind of special” and is from a series titled Gone with the Respiration. This is a picture of the author:

Original Review
My friend Ala’s brilliantly funny review

3. Sequence by Adrian Dawson
4. Leaving Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
5. The Man Who Couldn’t Eat by Jon Reiner
6. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
7. Stolen World by Jennie Erin Smith
8. The Black Company by Glen Cook
9. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
10. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale


Lists: Worst Books Read in 2011 – # 6

Worst Books Read in 2011

6. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

1. Airships do not seep upward.
2. Characters should be relatable, if not necessarily likeable
3. Books should have actual endings

Original Review

7. Stolen World by Jennie Erin Smith
8. The Black Company by Glen Cook
9. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
10. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale


Lists: Best Books Read in 2011 – # 9

Best Books Read in 2011

9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A Great & Terrible Beauty earned its place on this list by showing me that young adult paranormal fantasy can be enjoyable. I remain surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s genuinely good. Unfortunately, the second is kind of awful, but the third is also great.

Original Review

10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett