At the end of last year, I highlight
ed some of my favorite books from 2010 (tops were Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna and Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom) and promised to read Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help in 2011. I’m happy to report that both “Cutting for Stone” and “The Help” were excellent: I highly recommend reading them if you haven’t already.
Here are some of my other favorite books that I read in 2011:
- A Visit From the Goon Squad – Jennifer Egan. Egan’s Pulitzer-winning novel is a series of overlapping stories. Each story on its own is a gem, but read together they present a fascinating tapestry about love, regret, and the nature of time.
- Divergent – Veronica Roth. This book is the first in a trilogy (the second is due early 2012), and fans of Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” series will enjoy Roth’s dystopian world.
- The Marriage Plot – Jeffrey Eugenides. This author’s 2003 book, Middlesex, remains one of my all-time favorites, and I couldn’t wait to see what he came up with next. “The Marriage Plot,” set in the early 1980s, focuses on three recent graduates of Brown University and explores love in a postmodern society.
- “Rules of Civility” – Amor Towles. Joan already reviewed this wonderful debut novel, but I wanted to add to the chorus shouting “Read this book!” It reminded me of what a novel can be, captivating from beginning to end.
What are some of your favorite books from 2011? I’m looking for titles to add to my list for 2012!
“It’s All Greek To Me” by John Mole. Love it! Set in Greece, it’s travelogue/memoir about a man who, in a moment where he is blinded by a beautiful view, buys a dilapidated house on a hillside in Greece, then has to convince his family it’s a good thing. It follows his efforts at building a home for them and living “the simple life”. Wonderful, humorous read.