song without words: Books of 2011

I've been wanting to write for awhile about my Books of 2011 list (which used to be in the sidebar but I've now moved to a separate page that you can find above where it says "Read Read Read"). I guess I read more than I write, and I'm ok with that :) I decided early in 2011 to try to keep track of what I read that year here on my blog for a couple of reasons: it helps me remember what I've read, and then I can recommend books to you, too :) Most of what I read is fiction, but there are a few biographies/christian living/devotionals/children's chapter books thrown in there as well. Also, there were several books that I read or started to read throughout the year that I did not list here simply because the content was not something I would feel comfortable recommending. I think it's safe to say that anything that is on the list as it stands now is something that I enjoyed and that I think you might enjoy as well.

So here are my favorite books of 2011, in case you are looking for something good to pick up in 2012 :)

1. Favorite New Author: Kate Morton

I had never read any of Kate Morton's books before but I read all three of them this year and loved each one: The Distant Hours, The Forgotten Garden, and The House at Riverton. They are satisfyingly thick, with intriguing characters and not-too-predictable storylines. Each of them includes a bit of mystery although the overall genre of the books is more gothic than suspense. All three of her stories do jump back and forth in time which, once you get used to it, adds to the story, but it can be a bit distracting/annoying (I don't think that I ever skipped ahead to find where the story continued but I was tempted, yes...) so that would be my only sort of criticism of her books. Can't wait for the next one!

2. Favorite Biography: The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

This was gripping, intense, horrible, and very good all at the same time. I know a movie of the book was made this past year (the movie is called "The Way Back") and I don't think I'd want to watch it because some of the scenes are would be too disturbing, but I definitely recommend reading the book. It tells the story of a Polish man who was arrested, sent to a Siberian prison camp, and then escaped and managed to trek all the way from Siberia to India. I have read reviews that question the veracity of the story, and I can see their point, but either way I think it's a good read. You'll have to read it to decide for yourself :)

3. Favorite Christian Fiction: Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs

I love Liz Curtis Higgs :) This book is the follow-up to Here Burns My Candle, and together these books retell the story of Ruth from the Bible, except they are set in 18th century Scotland - you have to use your imagination a bit ... :) I had read the first book a while ago and was actually kind of disappointed with it, and so because of that the second one really exceeded my expectations and I thought it was excellent!

4. Favorite Christian Non-Fiction: The Waiting Place by Eileen Button

I wrote a review of this book for BookSneeze in a previous post so I won't write a lot about it here, save to say that it's a collection of personal essays about waiting based on the author's life experiences as a daughter, wife, mom, and pastor's wife. Very relevant, insightful, and sometimes funny.

5. Favorite Book of All: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This was a hard choice, let me tell you. I will give you my runner-ups (or runners-up?) in a minute, but let's talk about this book first. When I was trying to decide which book was my favorite I kept thinking, 'Which one would I really want to read again?' And this is the one that kept sticking out. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a unique book because it is written entirely in the form of letters. That takes some getting used to and actually was difficult to follow at first, but once I got into it I really loved it. The story was wonderful, the characters interesting, and the ending happy :) This novel takes place during and after World War II, mostly on the British island of Guernsey where a group of isolated townsfolk end up having to pretend they are part of a book club to fool the Nazis who have occupied the whole island. The main character is a journalist who finds out about this 'literary and potato peel pie society'. As she gets to know them through their letters she also becomes more involved with their story and ends up going to the island... It's actually a hard plot to describe because it does all take the form of letters and I don't want to give anything away :) I'll just say I agree with this review: "A jewel...Poignant and keenly observed...A small masterpiece about love, war and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends."—People You should try it!

6. The Runner-Ups (or Runners-Up?):

These are a few other novels that I really enjoyed and you might, too (not in any specific order):