Here are a few of my favorite reads from 2011.

One of the great reading discoveries for me from 2011 is Debora Geary’s A Modern Witch series.  I’ve loved all of Geary’s Witch books, but you can see here how my enchantment began.  Another perk to the series is that Debora loves hearing from her readers, so I’ve had a chance to email with her some, and it’s rare that you get that kind of interaction with an author.

 

 

 

A great rediscovery for me this year was The Perks of Being a Wallflower,  my 2011 Banned Books Week selection. As I mentioned in my review, I didn’t appreciate Perks when I first read it years ago.  I’m so glad that the person I am now can appreciate this beautiful book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laurel Osterkamp’s Campaign Promises took a very interesting premise of political events and campaigns and related them to life experiences. I didn’t know quite what to expect with this one, but I’m a fan of Laurel’s and that was enough to get me reading. I got a kick out of this one.

 

 

 

 

A couple of YA books really grabbed me this year.

I called Lauren Myracle’s Shine  one of the next important books to read. I loved the characters, the plot, the writing. This was a page turner for me. It had me thinking about aspects of To Kill A Mockingbird as I read it.

 

 

 

Veronica Roth’s debut, Divergent, was the other YA selection that I just couldn’t stop reading once I started it. Our heroine, Tris, is no Bella Swan (thankfully) or Katniss Everdeen. She’s her own person, a rebel, a bit of a bad ass, and a bit scared as she navigates her chosen faction. Still, she’s spunky, brave, the kind of heroine I think our girls need more of these days.  I cannot wait to see where Roth takes us next.

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t read as much non-fiction this year as I did last year.  But, my hands-down favorite for this year is the one I just finished over Christmas: Following Atticus. Absolutely fell in love with Atticus M. Finch, an extraordinary Schnauzer.   His adventures with Tom Ryan make for great reading, and a wonderful exploration of a friendship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The runner up in my non-fiction faves is Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Funny, charming, and with surprising insights, reading this book felt like catching up with an old friend. Or someone I would want to be my friend if I knew her in real life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it, a few of my favorites from 2011. Yes, I know there are a few days left in the year. It’s highly possible I could read something that causes me to amend this list. I didn’t set a goal of reading a specific number of books this year. I didn’t even track how many I finished in 2011.  I didn’t blog them all.  There are a few I regret not talking about (The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth; In The Land of Believers) and I may tackle them later on.  I read because I love it and I blog because I love it. But sometimes things happen and I can’t get here for a few days, and then I can’t do justice to a book that I’ve read so I decide to not write about it.

I’m not setting a goal of a specific number of books in 2012, either. Although, I am participating in two challenges. I’ll still be reading a lot in 2012, but some of it will likely be focused on some other projects I am undertaking. Still, you know I’m always looking for a good book, so send on suggestions. And Happy New Year to you all!