Now that we’re two months into 2011, I thought I’d reflect on my favorite books from last year. I just couldn’t read through everyone else’s lists without making my own!
Super Sad True Love Story (Gary Shteyngart)
The first two books in the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, which were awesome even after seeing the movie.
The Reason for God (Tim Keller) — much better than another book I was reading with my women’s bible study group, which made it hard not to reference in lieu of the other.
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro) — one review I read for this book says that “the fact that they are clones is the least interesting thing about this novel.” So true.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz) — super witty and funny, even if you don’t know any Dominicans.
A Visit from the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan) — this actually came out in 2010 and is on many best book lists. I thought it was trite for almost the whole time I was reading it, and then the ending is just so completely awesome that I kept thinking about it for weeks afterward.
Real Food for Mother and Baby (Nina Planck) — lots of good info on baby-led weaning
What is the What (Dave Eggers) — about one of the “lost boys of Sudan.” I cried several times while reading this.
Zeitoun (also by Dave Eggers) — about a New Orleans hero during Hurricane Katrina who gets rewarded by the US government by being treated like a terrorist. Because he’s Arab and Muslim.
Pyongyang (Guy Delisle) — a nonfiction graphic novel that will confirm (if you needed any confirmation) that Kim Jong-Il is probably the craziest world leader in power right now.
The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot) — very thought-provoking; raises many questions about bioethics.
Choosing Gratitude (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)
My Empire of Dirt: How One Man Turned His Big-City Backyard into a Farm (Manny Howard) — which I felt was more about the author’s coming to terms with the value of work than urban agriculture
Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert) — should’ve read this a long time ago, but Dr. Mouklis will be proud that I finally got around to it!
Tags: books
