While I don’t like to put these lists together until the actual year has ended, I will be taking some time off around the holidays so I thought I’d break with my tradition and name my favorites of 2011.
Let me explain how I picked these books, and no, not every one of these books is a 5 star book. I thought about going that route but decided instead to look at the list and see how I feel about the books now. Honestly, if I’m still thinking about, or recommending, a book six months later, obviously it was a good book for me regardless of how I rated it at the time I wrote the review. That seems arbitrary but it’s my list and I can make it however I want. The list is done by month and my favorite(s) of the year are at the end.
So here goes:
January
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
February
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
March
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
April
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin
May
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
June
The Dark Enquiry by Deanne Raybourn
The Postmortal by Drew Magery
July
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks by Juliet Eilpern
August
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran
A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin
September
The Taker by Alma Katsu
October
A Crimson Warning by Tasha Alexander
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
November
A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan
The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss
December
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Did I have an overall favorite? Maybe. I loved several books on this list. I will re-read several books on this list. Can I say I had an absolute favorite in 2011? No, but I was able to narrow it to three books:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran
So, there you have it, my best reads of 2011. What books/authors were among your favorites this year?
Just Book Reading 
I like how you broke down your list! I have been meaning to read Rebecca for years now!
Thanks! The breakdown sort of just happened since I was going through the list by months but I liked it so went with it. Rebecca is worth the wait!
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I so love this time of year just because of all the favourite lists. I have Rebecca on my list to try next year so great to see it on your list for the year.
You’ve got a great list! I first Rebecca this year as well and loved it. I think when I put my list together next week, 11/22/63 will top my list. I couldn’t put that one down!
11/22/63 was a good one! I was torn about making that one a top three choice.