Book Picks for 2011

I admit it. I love those lists that everyone sends out at the end of the year, those "best of" lists.  I'm always interested to see what a certain organization or individual likes and often find good suggestions that way.  I'm sure the publishers like them too.  As I mentioned, I keep a log of all my books for the year and rate them on a rudimentary system.  I thought a fun way to start this blog is to recap last year's greats (in my opinion).  So here's Book Addict's list for 2011:  Ta Da!

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay - This one has made it to my all time Top 10.  It's a powerful book about boxing (yes boxing), South Africa, and Apartheid.  It follows a young boy to adulthood pre-WWII as he grows up navigating the racial and familial challenges of South African society. And yes, the boxing was really interesting!

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach - Fantastic book!  Stay tuned for an upcoming review.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - Wow, this appealed to me on all kinds of levels.  Rainforests, indigenous people, scientists and a great story.  This one is about a woman research scientist that goes deep into the rainforests of Brazil to find out what happened to her lab partner who has disappeared while studying a fungus that enables women to stay fertile throughout their lives.  Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors and she doesn't disappoint with this one. 

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin - yes, that Steve Martin.  A quiet, but lovely book about the ins and outs of the New York art gallery world.  About a young woman who is making her way as an art dealer from the auction houses to the private gallery, and her questionable ways of getting there.  Beautifully written, beautifully illustrated with color art plates, just a beautiful little book.

A Likeness by Tana French - Last year we moved so I read a lot of mysteries.  I think they kept my attention better during the crazy upheaval.  This was one of my favorites.  Its about a woman detective who goes undercover to solve a murder of a women who was using the detective's identity.  Most of the story takes place at a country estate outside of Dublin where a bunch of college kids are living communally.  The book is well plotted and full of twists and turns - made me an instant fan of French's.

Swamplandia by Karen Russell - Alligators, Swamps, weird family dynamics and a hell-themed amusement park - who could ask for anything more.  This journey into the wild world of the Bigtrees, a family who lives and runs a small alligator farm tourist destination.  I love books that take you where you never thought you'd go and this own definitely does.  Quirky, fun and poignant.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo - If you liked the Dragon Tattoo series, you'll love the work of Jo Nesbo.  Nesbo (spelled with one of those o's with a line through) is Norwegian so the book has the same Scandinavian feel as the Dragon Tattoo books, but his stories are way scarier!  I read this while my husband was traveling, and had to keep putting it down because I got so freaked out.  Its a murder mystery with a serial killer who leaves snowmen at the scenes of his crimes.  The detective is a great old curmudgeon and the plot surprised me even to the final pages. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skoot - This is truly my one and only nonfiction book for the year.  We read it for book group and I expected it to be slow going, but I was so wrong.  This story of the woman who's cells, unbeknownst to her and her family, were grown in the lab and became the foundation of worldwide medical research is fascinating. I learned so much about medical research and found her family's interaction with the medical world sad, yet full of hope. 

So there you go.  These are my picks.  I hope you'll find something good in here.  Let me know what you think... Happy reading!