Book Lists : Your best & worst reads of 2011

[Amy]

Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: The other series features Claire Malloy, a small town bookseller. Her teenaged daughter is part of the series at times, which are the ones i most enjoy. Both are set in Arkansas, btw..."

If you like the idea of a bookseller mystery, definitely try the series by John Dunning if you haven't already. I wouldn't call them cozies, but they are good anyway.


Booked to Die
The Bookman's Wake
The Bookman's Promise
The Sign of the Book
The Bookwoman's Last Fling

[Alias Reader]

Carolyn (in SC) C234D wrote: "My favorites for 2011 in no particular order:

A Pearl In the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean non-fiction
Mudbound
[book:Making Toast: A Famil..."
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Totally agree on The Postmistress.

[Alias Reader]

Ann wrote: "THE BEST OF 2011

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
"

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W&P I'm impressed! I don't think I know anyone who has actually read it.

[Toni]

Alias Reader wrote: "Ann wrote: "THE BEST OF 2011

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
"

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W&P I'm impressed! I don't think I know anyone who has actually read it."

Me either. I have tried Russian novelists and just can't get through them. I have tried Anna K several times. One of these days, I hope.

[Ann]

W&P I'm impressed! I don't think I know anyone who has actually read it.

Don't be too impressed. It took me six weeks to read it! I loved it, though. I've never had the inclination to read W & P until I read Anna Karenina, (on my third attempt or so), and suddenly fell in love with Tolstoy's writing. I don't know what made the difference, but something really clicked this time.

[madrano]

Carolyn (in SC) C234D wrote: "Stoner
..."

I remember being quite taken with the writing of John Williams and wanted to read another work by him. But didn't! Maybe i'll rectify that this year. Just this month i finally read a follow up to Margaret Oliphant's Miss Marjoribanks, which i read a decade ago. Not a promising follow-upper, am i? ANYway, thanks for the reminder, Carolyn. I'm glad you enjoyed the book, too.

deb

[madrano]

Ann wrote: "THE WORST OF 2011

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
{I really didn't like the title character at all! Not that Flaubert intended her to be likable, but ... ugh!} ..."

Ann, i agree. To this day i'm surprised that this novel is considered France's best contribution to literature (in some circles). Perhaps it was because of its notoriety when published but i just don't get it. And, as you noted, the Main Character was not that likable either, although, that too may have been part of the appeal back in the day.

deb

[madrano]

Amy wrote: "If you like the idea of a bookseller mystery, definitely try the series by John Dunning if you haven't already. I wouldn't call them cozies, but they are good anyway...."

I read the first one & liked it. Why i haven't read more, i do not know. I recall feeling as though i didn't know enough about literature & books to enjoy them as much as i wanted. Thanks for the recommendation & reminder, Amy. It's true they aren't cozies but with book lovers, they are a comfort zone of their own.

deb

[madrano]

Ann wrote: "I've never had the inclination to read W & P until I read Anna Karenina, (on my third attempt or so), and suddenly fell in love with Tolstoy's writing. I don't know what made the difference, but something really clicked this time. ..."

You give hope to us all, Ann!

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: "Amy wrote: "If you like the idea of a bookseller mystery, definitely try the series by John Dunning if you haven't already. I wouldn't call them cozies, but they are good anyway...."

I read the fi..."

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I'm not big on mysteries, but I'll put him on my list for a change of pace. Thanks for the name.

[Elaine]

madrano wrote: "To this day i'm surprised that this novel is considered France's best contribution to literature (in some circles). ..."

I always think more of Victor Hugo or Dumas when I think of the best of France. Dumas happens to be one of my favorite authors. I beleive I tried Madame Bovery more then once and can't get past page 20!

[Meredith]

Amy wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: The other series features Claire Malloy, a small town bookseller. Her teenaged daughter is part of the series at times, which are the ones i most enjoy. Both are..."

I am in total agreement with Amy. I enjoyed the bookman series

[madrano]

Elaine wrote: "I always think more of Victor Hugo or Dumas when I think of the best of France. Dumas happens to be one of my favorite authors. I beleive I tried Madame Bovery more then once and can't get past page 20! ..."

I think of others, too, Elaine, before thinking of Flaubert. In the early '80s i found a couple of articles which mentioned national favorites &/or treasures. Several of them listed Madame Bovary for France, while Don Quixote De La Mancha. Tr. by C. Jarvis for Spain. Also mentioned for Italy was a novel i'd never heard of, The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni. I don't know if the articles were about a survey or what, only that those three stuck in my head.

Prior to that i would have gone with Hugo for France, i suspect.

deb

[Alias Reader]

I looked up the series for John Dunning


#1 --Booked to Die
#2-- The Bookman's Wake
#3-- The Bookman's Promise
#4-- The Sign of the Book
#5-- The Bookwoman's Last Fling

There are more books listed for the author, but GR doesn't list them as part of the series.

[madrano]

Before we leave the book-connected mystery genre behind i wanted to add a title. Huckleberry Fiend by Julie Smith featured Paul McDonald, a detective she used in a couple of her earlier mysteries. This particular book is about, can you guess?, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. I liked Smith's lighthearted approach. Iirc, i also learned a bit about first editions and manuscripts in the process.

Julie Smith is another "cozy" author i enjoyed for awhile. Her later mysteries are too dark for me (all set in New Orleans, i believe) but the earlier ones were a pleasure to read. In addition to the McDonald works, her other "detective" was Rebecca Schwartz. I believe both series were set in San Francisco.

Titles i remember from the Schwartz series include (but not necessarily all) the following:

Sourdough Wars
Tourist Trap
Death Turns a Trick

In addition to the above-mentioned McDonald book, i remember only one other--True-Life Adventure. Just thought i'd throw those out for consideration.

deb

[Alias Reader]

Just an FYI, if an author has a series, and you click on the GR author's link in someones post, you will go to the GR author's page. That page will usually list, in order, the series.

If there is not a GR author link in someone's post to click on, go to the Add book/author feature found at the top of the box you are typing in, click the Author tab up top and type in the author name. Click on the link for the author's name and their GR page will come up.

For finding the order of a series, GR is better than Amazon.

[Bea]

Another FYI, if it's mystery series you are looking for I don't think this website can be beat. You can look up by the character or the author. They also sort by locations.

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/

[Alias Reader]

Thanks, Bea ! That is a good web site.

[Di]

So excited to be here! Especially when I noticed that so many of my old friends from the newsgroup days of BookNook and Favorite Fiction are here!

My best reads for 2011 were:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - I was 100+ on the list from the library, so I sprung for it on my Kindle with the gift card my parents gave me for Christmas. Great present!!!

Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson - Started this at 9 pm. Read until I couldn't keep my eyes open. Woke up the next morning and read the rest of the book before I got out of bed! Put it on your MUST READ list!!! Trust me!

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins - Loved reading these books, especially because my kids shared my love of the books.

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Taylor Bolte - Such incredible insight into the experience of a stroke and the miraculous ability of the brain to heal.

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann - A wide variety of characters and experiences, all with a link to the day a man walked across a tightrope between the Twin Towers. A great follow-up to reading this is watching the documentary Man on Wire.

Worst books of 2011:

The Shack by William Young - I really wanted to "get" this because I have so much respect for the friend who recommended it. But I still just don't "get" why she liked it so much!

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho - This was on my TBR list for YEARS! I finally read it in solidarity with my 16 year old son who was reading it for English. Seeing the first book on my worst list, maybe I just don't like the "allegory" type book.

Altogether not a bad year if I can only come up with two books that really seemed like a waste of time!

[Di]

Elaine wrote: "madrano wrote: "To this day i'm surprised that this novel is considered France's best contribution to literature (in some circles). ..."

I always think more of Victor Hugo or Dumas when I think ..."

Alexandre Dumas's picture comes up as the screensaver on my Kindle all the time. I can't look at it without giggling at the scene in The Shawshank Redemption where one of the inmates mispronounces his name as "dumbass!"

[madrano]

Bea wrote: "Another FYI, if it's mystery series you are looking for I don't think this website can be beat. You can look up by the character or the author. They also sort by locations.

http://www.stopyourek..."

Thank you Bea & Alias. I like the feature on both, although GR didn't list all from Julie Smith, as an example. I was, however, unaware of the YA series she's created. Neat.

My go-to list of all books by an author is Fantastic Fiction. I can use it for mystery writers, as well as classics. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

deborah

[madrano]

Di wrote: "Elaine wrote: "Alexandre Dumas's picture comes up as the screensaver on my Kindle all the time. I can't look at it without giggling at the scene in The Shawshank Redemption where one of the inmates mispronounces his name as "dumbass!" ..."

LOL--i'd forgotten that line. Thanks for the smile, Di. And it's great to see you here!

deb

[Alias Reader]

Di wrote: "So excited to be here! Especially when I noticed that so many of my old friends from the newsgroup days of BookNook and Favorite Fiction are here!

My best reads for 2011 were:
"
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Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Di ! I'm glad you found our group. :)

I agree with you on Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption it's an amazing and inspiring story.

I've have Let the Great World Spinon my crazy long To Be Read list.

Thanks for sharing your Best/worst of 2011 with us. I look forward to reading your posts.

[Elaine]

Di wrote: "The Alchemist by Paul Coelho - This was on my TBR list for YEARS! I finally read it in solidarity with my 16 year old son who was reading it for English. Seeing the first book on my worst list, maybe I just don't like the "allegory" type book.

H..."

I had the exact same reaction when I read it this summer. I was actually angry about it haha!

[Mikela]

It is funny how The Alchemist affects different people with some loving it and some not. I fall into the loving it group.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D]

Mikela wrote: "It is funny how The Alchemist affects different people with some loving it and some not. I fall into the loving it group."

Me, too. I only read it because my local book group selected it, but I enjoyed it very much. You just never know!

[Lesley]

Here are my best;

True History of the Kelly Gang
Genghis: Birth of an Empire
Inés of My Soul
Someone Knows My Name
Year of Wonders
The Secret River
Under This Unbroken Sky

and two of the worst;

A Monk Swimming
Queen of Dreams
(now I know for sure I don't like magical realism!)

[Alias Reader]

Lesley wrote: and two of the worst;

A Monk Swimming
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Oh no ! I have A Monk Swimming on my book shelf.

After I tried 3 times to read One Hundred Years of Solitude I knew magical realism is not for me either.

[Lesley]

Alias, please don't let my opinion put you off.

I have both One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love In The Time Of Cholera on my bookshelf and haven't attempted either yet... but will have to give them a go soon I suppose.

[Toni]

Lesley wrote: "Alias, please don't let my opinion put you off.

I have both One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love In The Time Of Cholera on my bookshelf and haven't attempted either yet....."

I have both these books on my TBR shelf too...perhaps this will be the year.

[Louise]

If you don't like magical realism, Love In The Time Of Cholerais definitely the better choice. I believe there's a little magical realism there, but not nearly so much.

I absolutely loved One Hundred Years of Solitude when I read it as a 17 year old, and I re-read it every spring for several years. I think as I've grown older, my tastes have changed a little.

LOL to Di about The Alchemist! That was one of those books that I finished and thought "So what was the big freaking deal?" I felt the same way about The Celestine Prophecy, except that I was possibly more disappointed in that one because it included a mystery that was never solved. (I think you're supposed to want to continue reading the series, but I was like, forget it!)

[Alias Reader]

Lesley wrote: "Alias, please don't let my opinion put you off. "
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It's been on my book shelf for a few years now. I'll get to it someday. I bought it because I so loved his brother's books.

[Lesley]

I really enjoyed Angela's Ashes when I read it years ago. IMO Frank McCourt's writing is far better than Malachy's, though I am reluctant to compare.

[Madrano]

Lesley wrote: "Here are my best;
...
Year of Wonders's books are mixed. The above is my favorite, although i kinda liked People of the Book. The others have been abandoned &/or never picked up.

Louise, i'm with you The Celestine Prophecy. I fell for the hype and can only say i'm glad it was short. That other readers stuck with it through the series surprises me every time i see there were sequels. What am i saying? I am surprised there were sequels!

deb

[Nike]

Alias Reader wrote: "Here is the thread to post about your favorite reads and the ones you detested in 2011.

The book does not have to be published in 2011, only read by you in 2011.

If you could provide a link and a..."

I read mostly crime fiction, most of it Christian themed, but some general market. I also read action/adventure and Epic novels, also most of it Christian themed.

Here are two of my best of 2011.

Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand. A Roland March detective novel

Shadowed in Silk, Christine Lindsay. Epic, set during the Raj period in India.[bookcover:bookcover:]

[Alias Reader]

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Nike !

Are the two books you posted about your best or worst of 2011 ?

[Madrano]

Greetings, Nike. Thanks for being specific about your reading, too. Welcome to the group.

deb

[Nike]

Madrano wrote: "Greetings, Nike. Thanks for being specific about your reading, too. Welcome to the group.

deb"

They're about the best I've read. I don't want to put up the worst. I hate to hurt an author's feelings. I'll note above that they're the best.

[Alias Reader]

Nike wrote:
They're about the best I've read. I don't want to put up the worst. I hate to hurt an author's feelings.
=============

I guess as an author you are sensitive to that. Though here at bnc you will read both the positive and the negative.

Anyway, nice to have you aboard. I look forward to your posts.

[Madrano]

Nike wrote: "I don't want to put up the worst. I hate to hurt an author's feelings. I'll note above that they're the best. ..."

You make a good point, Nike. Although, if a reviewer explains why it's a worst, an author might find insights worthy of consideration. Also, let's face it, readers are so varied that what one person adores, another holds in disdain. Still, if i were an author, i probably wouldn't look at it that way.

deb

[Nike]

Madrano wrote: "Nike wrote: "I don't want to put up the worst. I hate to hurt an author's feelings. I'll note above that they're the best. ..."

You make a good point, Nike. Although, if a reviewer explains why it..."

There have been novels I've seriously not enjoyed, but when honestly looking at it had to admit the writing was good. No grammar mistakes, pace was good, characterization was there. Not my cup of tea, but nothing glaring. It simply wasn't what I like to read.

Most of the novels I don't like fall into that category. There's not too much wrong w/the writing...I just don't care for it.

Then there have been a few losers. If I don't care for a novel, I don't review it.

[Madrano]

Nike wrote: "Then there have been a few losers. If I don't care for a novel, I don't review it. ..."

Nike, your comment reminds me of my senior high school English class. We had to read a classic & review it in an oral report. I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Well, i didn't like it & told the class. Our teacher was appalled that i included that opinion in my speech about the book.

Move to years later & it is one of the best books i've ever read, one i've given to family to read. From the beginning i misunderstood the book (i even thought it was set in the American South!), so i smile in your closing comment. I probably should have taken the F, rather than shared my thoughts. I surely hope no one in the class recalls my presentation!

deb