Below is a complete list of everything I read and finished in 2011. Some were better than others. If you’re looking for a recommendation, here are a few:
- Top Recommendation: The Art of Fielding – by Chad Harbach
- Best Beach Read: One Day – by Dave Nicholls
- Best Non-Fiction: Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption – by Laura Hillenbrand (A)
- Best Mystery: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter – by Tom Franklin
- Most Hyped Book That Deserved It: The Hunger Games – by Suzanne Collins
- Funniest Read: This Is Where I Leave You – by Jonathan Tropper
January
- One Day, by David Nicholls (A)
- The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (B- but would’ve gotten a B+ had it not gotten ridiculous)
- Are You There Vodka, It’s Me, Chelsea, by Chelsea Handler (C-)
- Every Last One, by Anna Quindlen (B+ but terribly, horribly sad, so not for depressed friends)
- Kiss, Kiss, by Roald Dahl (B – his twisted short stories, all grown up for an adult audience)
February
- Little Bee, by Chris Cleave (B+)
- Room, by Emma Donaghue (A-)
- Gone Away World, by Nick Harkaway (D+ — though in fairness, I couldn’t finish it. Made it 75% of the way through and abandoned it, much to Alan’s disappointment – he LOVED it)
March
- Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin (A)
- Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese (B+)
- Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett (B)
April
- Skippy Dies, Paul Murray (B)
- Rocket Men, by Craig Nelson (B)
- Bent Road, by Lori Roy (B)
- The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (A – kids lit, but so fun)
- The Big Short, by Michael Lewis (B+ – anyone who wants to understand why the market collapsed should read this)
May
- Carter Beats the Devil, by Glen David Gold (B)
- The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom (B)
- Portobello, by Ruth Rendell (C)
- Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand (A)
- Will Grayson Will Grayson, by John Green & David Levithan (B+ – young adult book)
June
- Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen (B+)
- Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins (A – second book in the Hunger Games series)
- Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins (B – third book in the Hunger Games series)
- Bossy Pants, by Tina Fey (A – love her!)
- The Passage, by Justin Cronin (C+ – too long and no real pay-off)
July
- Russian Winter, by Daphne Kalotay (C+)
- The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake (B-)
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (B+)
- Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand (A)
- The Wednesday Sisters, by Meg Waite Clayton (B – bookclub)
- Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher (B – teen book, annoying method but good message)
- The Widower’s Tale, by Julia Glass (A+ – loved this, great character development and intwined plot lines)
August
- State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett (B+ – great, gripping read until the end makes a bit of a left-turn)
- The Magicians, by Lev Grossman (B- – kind of like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe for adults)
- Rawhide Down, by Del Quinten Wilber (B+ – even though I don’t like the Gipper)
September
- The Kennedy Detail, by Gerald Blaine (C+ – a bit repetitive, but still interesting)
- Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs (B – fun teen read with a touch of sci-fi)
- A Little Bit Wicked, by Kristen Chenowith (C- – meh)
October
- The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain (B – interesting fictional look at Hemingway’s Paris years)
- The Night Circus, by Erin Morgensturn (A – but only for people who can suspend disbelief)
- The Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles (A – if you like Manhattan society stories in the 1930s)
- This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper (A – dysfunctional family at its finest)
- Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson (C- Boring! Who knew cholera could be so lame?)
November
- The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach (A – awesome debut novel for guys/girls)
December
- The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides (B+ – not his best effort, but still interesting)
- Sister, by Rosamund Luptom (C+ – page-turning psychological thriller, but it was a bit annoying)
- The Odessa File, by Frederick Forsyth (D+ – regrettable waste o’ time)
- The 2020 Workplace, by Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd (B – read this one for work)
- The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson (C – tries too hard to be The Royal Tenenbaums, and fails)
- Cards on the Table, by Agatha Christie (D – seriously? She is the QUEEN of mystery? Impeach her.)
- A Stolen Life, by Jaycee Dugard (C – – freaky polygamists depress me)
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