Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is top ten favourite books of 2011. If I did my favourite books I read in 2011, I could probably list 100 books. Instead, I'm listing my favourite books released in the past year. Doing this made me realize how few books I read that were actually published in 2011.

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth I was originally going to not include Divergent in this list, but I had a change of heart. While I was unhappy with the pacing at the end, I was loving this book until that point. I loved the main character and the plot, and I couldn't believe that the author isn't much older than I am. This book would probably be at the top of a lot of people's list, so maybe I should eventually reread it. I'm really looking forward to the sequel, Insurgent. 

9. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison From the author of the Georgia Nicolson series, this book was just a lot of fun. While it didn't top Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, Withering Tights was full of laughs at the eccentric collection of characters attending an arts college in Yorkshire. Talulah Casey originally signed up for summer courses at Dother Hall just to find some freedom from her family, but in the end she can't imagine leaving. 

8. Shine by Lauren Myracle This book was involved in a bit of controversy this year, from Meghan Cox Gurdon’s infamous article, “Darkness Too Visible,” to the National Book Awards mixup. I was actually surprised by how much I liked this book. Shine centres around a small town in North Carolina, where seventeen-year-old Patrick was found beaten. The attack was clearly a hate crime, and Patrick's former friend Cat sets out to find out the truth about what happened. 

7. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor I loved this book for its originality and the wonderful world I was able to explore in its pages. If you think you are tired with paranormal fantasy, I would recommend reading just one more book from the genre, if it's Daughter of Smoke and Bone. While Karou might seem like an average Prague art student, she lives a double life doing errands for creatures from another world. 

6. The Night Circus  by Erin Morgenstern This book is the only non-YA novel in this list, a sure sign that I need to read a bit more adult fiction. This book has been said to be the best book of 2011, and it is certainly one of my favourite. While The Night Circus won't be loved by everyone, I found a special magic in this book, and I won't soon forget how I felt while reading it. 

5. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness This is probably the most poignant book of the year, for me. While I loved all of the books on this list, I know that they are not for everyone. However, I honestly feel that A Monster Calls is the one exception; everyone should read this book. With amazing writing, illustrations and characters and a captivating plot, I would recommend this book to all. 

4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs While this was one of my favourites of the year, I almost didn't read it. I was put off by the creepy cover and the 'horror' label at my library. I ended up loving Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which tells the story of Jacob Portman, whose grandfather was always telling him about the children he grew up with. These children could do impossible things, and his grandfather has pictures as proof. 

3. The Name of the Star  by Maureen Johnson This was nothing like the other books I've read by Maureen Johnson. Rory leaves Louisiana to attend a boarding school in London's East End, but her arrival coincides with the first murder mimicking Jack the Ripper. I really loved this book, perhaps partially because who isn't interested Jack the Ripper? In school, the teacher/prof would usually bring up the White Chapel murders just as everyone was getting bored with the course, and then we'd discuss all the ridiculous theories (the strangest being that Lewis Carroll was the murderer, and he left clues in Alice in Wonderland.) 

2. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys This book was so wonderful! In 1941, Lina is a fifteen-year old girl living in Lithuania, and her life changes forever when Soviet officers take her family from their home. Lina and her mother and brother are separated from her father, and they embark on a long journey on train to a work camp in Siberia. As Lina tries to send messages to her father through her drawings, she experiences love and loss while struggling to understand why this happened to her family. 

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver Originally I was unimpressed by the premise, but the beautiful writing captured my interest and lead me to fall in love with Delirium. Lena cannot wait until she turns eighteen so that she can receive the cure for deliria. In Lena’s world, deliria, or love, is a life threatening disease. It was deliria that killed her mother when she was a child, and Lena fears that the same disease runs through her blood as well. When American citizens turn eighteen, it is safe for them to receive the procedure that protects them from the disease. This makes them safe and content and prevents them from ever being unhappy. As her high school graduation approaches, Lena has to prepare for the evaluation that will determine who she will marry. But things begin to change when Lena meets Alex. 

What are your favourite books of 2011?