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Top Ten (More or Less)
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Favorite Books You Read in 2011
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by
Lisarenee, your friendly neighborhood moderator
(new)
Nov 22, 2011 05:55am
Just thought I'd bring this Folder back up and see what people thought were their favorite books for 2011. You don't have to list them in order, and you can add to the list as you ponder the questions. Plus, we still have over a month left in 2011 to read more books, so hopefully the list will grow.
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Wow there is so many, I will try to keep it short...lolEvery Move She Makes by Carla Cassidy
Broken Pieces by Carla Cassidy
Last Gasp by Carla Cassidy
The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs
At the King's Command by Susan Wiggs
My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
Risk No Secrets by Cindy Gerard
Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag
Taken by Midnight by Lara Adrian
Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
Any One Last Thing by Molly Harper
Cold Room by J.T. Ellison
Blown Away by Sharon Sala (Storm Front Trilogy)
Torn Apart
Swept Away
After the Fire by Kathryn Shay
Fallen by Karen Slaughter
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent
Cottonwood Whispers (Jessilyn Lassiter series)
Catching Moondrops
Secrets of the Tudor Court by D.L. Bogdan
Envy by J.R. Ward
I've been keeping track of this... ☺ Pretty much listed in the order of my favorite genre, then with that section.~ FAVORITE READS ~ of 2011
Western/Frontier
✔ The Texan's Wager (Wife Lottery, #1), by Jodi Thomas ★★★★½ PB 4/12
✔ The Promise of Jenny Jones, by Maggie Osborne ★★★★★ HC 3/16
✔ Texas Destiny, by Lorraine Heath ★★★★★ 5/8
✔ Night in Eden, by Candice Proctor ★★★★★ PB 6/8
✔ When a Texan Gambles, by Jodi Thomas ★★★★½ PB 4/17
✔ I Do, I Do, I Do, by Maggie Osborne ★★★★½ PB 4/24
Historical Romance
✔ Surrender, by Pamela Clare ★★★★★ & a WOW! PB 5/13
✔ Wicked Intentions, by Elizabeth Hoyt ★★★★★PB 2/26
✔ Tallie's Knight, by Anne Gracie ★★★★★ PB 1/12
Romantic Action-Adventure
✔ Winter Woman, by Jenna Kernan ★★★★★ PB 2/1
✔ Across a Moonlit Sea, by Marsha Canham ★★★★★ PB 4/22 “group/buddy read”
Romantic Suspense
✔Die For Me, by Karen Rose ★★★★★ PB MiL audio 7/18
Fantasy
✔ Dragon Bound, by Thea Harrison ★★★★★ PB 7/22 “buddy read”
✔ A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin ★★★★★ PB 6/26 “buddy read”
Inspirational
✔ The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein ★★★★★ PB borrowed from Anita 7/8
Cozy Mystery
✔ Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters ★★★★★ PB 7/6
Contemporary Romance
✔ Duncan's Bride, by Linda Howard ★★★★★ PB 5/22
✔ Simply Irresistible, by Jill Shalvis ★★★★ ½ PB 6/25
✔ Welcome to Harmony, by Jodi Thomas★★★★½ PB 6/1
It’s Magic/Magical Realism/ Steampunk
✔ Warrior, by Zoe Archer ★★★★★ PB 3/9
✔ Garden Spells, by Sarah Addison Allen ★★★★★ PB 4/7
✔ Soulless, by Gail Carriger ★★★★½ PB 5/30
Harlequin Presents
✔ Not For Sale, by Sandra Marton ★★★★ ½ PB 6/16
Best Audiobook
✔ Naked in Death, by J.D. Robb ★★★★★ re-read OD audio 5/11
✔ Sugar Daddy, by Lisa Kleypas ★★★★★ OD audio 8/6
✔ A Hunger Like No Other, by Kresley Cole ★★★★★ Loupe audio 11/22
✔ Love in the Afternoon, by Lisa Kleypas ★★★★ ½ OD audio 6/30 (“re-read”)
✔ The Bride, by Julie Garwood ★★★★★ re-read MyiLibrary audio 7/30
✔ Glory in Death, by J.D. Robb ★★★★★ library CD to iPod 10/11
Actually, the whole In Death series I've listened to so far, up to #7.Fast Reads, But Exceptional
✔ The Tenderfoot Bride, by Cheryl St.John ★★★★½ PB (borrowed) 7/29
✔ Maggie's Beau, by Carolyn Davidson ★★★★½ PB 1/12
✔ The Wedding Promise, by Carolyn Davidson ★★★★★ PB 1/11
Re-reads!
✔ Smooth Talking Stranger, by Lisa Kleypas ★★★★★ HC 1/2 & 4/15
✔ Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, by Lisa Kleypas ★★★★★ HC 1/1 & 4/12
✔ A Hunger Like No Other, by Kresley Cole - re-read ★★★★★PB 4/7
✔ More Than a Mistress, by Mary Balogh ★★★★★ PB 1/17
✔ Heiress For Hire, by Erin McCarthy ★★★★½ PB 2/26 & 4/26
Best Novella
✔ Alpha & Omega: A Companion Novella to Cry Wolf, by Patricia Briggs ★★★★★ Nook for PC 8/12 "buddy read"
Urban Fantasy
✔ Hunting Ground, by Patricia Briggs ★★★★★ PC for Nook 8/27 “buddy read”
✔ Blood Bound, by Patricia Briggs ★★★★½ AD & OneClick audio 11/17; “buddy read”
Made Me Laugh
✔ Fearless Fourteen, by Janet Evanovich ★★★★½ OD audio 9/16
✔ Shit My Dad Says, by Justin Halpern ★★★★½ OD audio 11/10 “buddy read”
Juvenile
✔ Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo ★★★★★ OD audio 9/4
message 4:
by
Lisarenee, your friendly neighborhood moderator
(last edited Nov 22, 2011 08:44am)
(new)
LOL When I first put this one up I had top 10 listed on the front and then thought better. I knew I'd probably go over 10. Looks like I'm not the only one.
Great idea to bring this one up again, Lisa. I'm compiling my list right now.Loved the way you set up yours, Lisa Kay.
@ Lisarenee **hee hee** To tell the truth, I forgot it was a Top Ten, I got so excited.@ Sashans Thanks!
YA1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
☀2. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
☀3. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
☀4. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
☀5. Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine
Romance
6. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
7. Once and Always by Judith McNaught
8. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
9. Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
PNR and UF
☀10. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (The whole sries, really, but I don't want to list them all)
☀11. Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill
☀12. Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead
----------------------------------------------------
☀Means that I love, love, love this book.
Nice, Sashana! I've read some of those. ☺I really should listen to
again. I was just so lost (UF is new to me) that it took me a while to warm to it (though I rated it high). I might really enjoy it more the second go-through. The wife/husband author team has a great web-site and the rest of the series looks great.
I subscribe to their emails (they are my favorite UF authors). UF is great but I don't read it nearly as much as I do PNR. I think it should be read in small doses. Richelle Mead has some great UF adult books so check them out if you have the time.
Here's my top 15 of 2011. The order may change based on mood. But today I'd put them like this:1.
2.
3.
4.
5-9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Here are my 15 faves so far this year, in order read. 1. The Help
2. The Book Thief
3. At Grave's End
4. Winter's Bone
5. Darkfever The whole series!
6. Still Alice
7. Catching Fire
8. Sarah's Key
9. Never Let Me Go
10. The Peach Keeper
11. Ape House
12. Lover Avenged
13. The Paris Wife
14. The Cat's Table
by Andre Agassi. I wasn't expecting much, but I love tennis. It's probably the best celebrity memoir I've read after Life by Keith Richards. 
by Hillary Jordan. I suspect we'll be reading wonderful things by this author for many years. 
by Sharon Kay Penman. Probably the best Historical Fiction novel published this year.
by Paula McLain- the second best HF novel published this year
by Erin Morgenstern. There are things this author just does not do well- pacing, plot among them. But the descriptions alone make up for it. 
by Sarah Zettel. I read a lot of mysteries. They tend to blend because mysteries are fundamentally the same no matter who writes them. This was so unique and different, it stood out. Which is rare.I'll probably list a few more. I've read almost 400 books this year so I haven't gone through them all yet.
So many good books! You all are tempting me. Eek! I dare not go out tomorrow on Black Friday. Those people are crazy.
Just a few of my faves are: 
@Lisa Kay- I'm going to B&N tomorrow for Black Friday, to get myself a Nook Touch. They're on sale tomorrow, so I must go! Wish me luck =)
Oh, Sharie, I've seen a couple of people mention
. Guess I'm going to have to check it out. Love your bookcovers, BTW. ☺
My Favorite books I've read this year:
Favorite Series/Trilogy discovered this year:
and the Sirantha Jax series
Well, I made my goal of 365 books this year, so there have to be some winners, right??I'm going to try and narrow this down to extreme favorites (starting with the most recent):
Whew! I hope you guys appreciate how hard it was to cut some of my favorites. These all just stood out to me as more than 5 star worthy!
I'm adding Anna Dressed in Blood to my list. Just finished it and loved it. Too bad the sequel isn't out until August.
Here's my list. Separated into genres, loosely....YA
1. Downsiders
2. Rot & Ruin
3. Demon Song
4. Catching Fire
5. Mockingjay - I would have included The Hunger Games, but I read it last year....
UF
1. The Better Part of Darkness
2. Magic Bites - actually the whole series......they are fabulous!
3. Black Heart Loa - must read Black Dust Mambo first - also wonderful!
4. First Grave on the Right
Erotica
1. Reparation in Blood - M/M - last of series, must read in order. WOW!!!
2. Facade - M/M
3. Indulgent - PnR
4. Caressa’s Knees - BDSM
5. A Strong Hand - M/M
6. Chiaroscuro - M/M
7. Promises - M/M
8. Something Beautiful - M/M
9. Comfort Object - BDSM
Oh my... this is hard. Most or all of mine will be young adult but many are great for older teens and adults that like YA. My 2011 Book Awards:
Best Action Packed Book/Series:
The Hunger Games
Best Realistic Fiction:
Looking for Alaska
Best Troubled Teen Book:
Crank
Best Tough Issues Book:
Wintergirls
Best Light Read:
Anna and the French Kiss
Best Paranormal Romance:
Forever
Best Supporting Character:
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Best Audiobook:
Fairest
Best Tearjerker:
Glimpse
Best "Modern" Classic: (not in public domain)
Go Ask Alice
I think that is 10 exactly. I did it awards style. I may have more than 10 by the end of the year.
I love how you broke your categories down, Jen. I'll definitely check out some of your books because I've been eyeing them for a while (Wintergirls, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Crank)
Top Ten Books Read in 2011(in no particular order)~The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
Sashana wrote: "Reeeeeaaaadddddd!!!!!! lol"Haha I do... but not nearly enough. I love to read though and I got a lot of recommendations from this thread. :)
So, I really Don't think you want to know this...I read ALOT!!! These were my favorite this year, it may seem like a long list, but I can tell you it really isn't compared to how much I read it is less than 1/5th of what I read so here goes...Black Jack
Dangerous Pleasure
Lone Star Christmas
Split Second
Murder List
Killjoy #3
All I Want for Christmas
Darkest at Dawn
Rising Tides
Sea Swept
Infamous
Chasing Fire
All Night Long
Led Astray
Texas! Sage
A Kiss Remembered
Seduction by Design
Tell Me Lies
Manhunting
Reckless Love
Dream Man
Kiss an Angel
Black Rose
The Bride
Honest Illusions
Blue Dahlia: In the Garden Trilogy
Blue Smoke
Key of Valor
Otherwise Engaged
City of Bones
Love Me Forever
Say You Love Me
A Man to Call My Own
Ain't She Sweet?
Open Season
Remember Summer
The Only One
After Twilight
Beautiful Dreamer
Angel Creek
Nauti Nights
Nauti Dreams
Nauti Boy
A Treasure Worth Seeking
Marriage Most Scandalous
A Man of MeansLionhearted
Summer Moon
A Woman Without Lies
Wild Card
What I Did for Love
Nauti Deceptions
Nauti Intentions
Maverick
A Rogue of My Own
Shiver
Bed of Roses
Fired Up
Hot Rocks
Sizzle: A Novel
Savor the Moment
This Side of the Grave
A Secret Affair
Ten Things I Love About You
Happy Ever AfterCalifornia Man
The Tycoon Takes a Wife
One Grave at a Time: A Night Huntress Novel
Call Me Mrs. Miracle
The Viking's Captive Princess
Lover Unleashed
The Secret Child & The Cowboy CEO
What a Westmoreland Wants
Dark Predator
The Unquiet
Chaos in Death
Yeah! Someone posted more than me. Now I don't feels so bad.GREAT list, Dana. I'm going to check some of those out.
Dana wrote: "So, I really Don't think you want to know this...I read ALOT!!! These were my favorite this year, it may seem like a long list, but I can tell you it really isn't compared to how much I read it is..."same here
My favorites so far this year, in no particular order:The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
Keeping Time by Stacey McGlynn
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England by Daniel Pool
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
Matched by Ally Condie
Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Blackout by Connie Willis
All Clear by Connie Willis
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
Starburst: A Novel by Robin Pilcher
Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen
The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (this is the best book I've read all year)
Spirits in the Wires by Charles de Lint
The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
Its so cute Lisa Kay! I am a huge sucker for animal books and if you like libraries and cats, its so good!
It is set in Iowa too - a state setting I need. I'm in the "Animals and Books-Man’s Best Friends" challenge too - and I'm woefully behind. Now to decide: paperback or audiobook?
Ooh I don't know! If the author, Vicki Myron, narrates the audio book that might be fun! I had it in hardback and it was a quick read, which shouldn't matter for you since you're miss amazing speed reader!
Everyone's got some great reads here! I think my TBR shelf will have another growth spurt.Historical Romance:
Contemporary Romance:
Paranormal Romance:
Erotica:
Fantasy/Urban Fantasy:
Young Adult:
Nothing but Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
More Than a Mistress (other topics)The Art of Racing in the Rain (other topics)
Hunting Ground (other topics)
Night in Eden (other topics)
The Texan's Wager (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kresley Cole (other topics)Janet Evanovich (other topics)
Lisa Kleypas (other topics)
Zoe Archer (other topics)
Lorraine Heath (other topics)
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