Best Books of 2011

Greetings and happy Wednesday to you all!  As I said my post a couple of weeks ago, I did quite a bit of reading in 2011 - 51 books as of today, actually!  I thought I'd share my 5 favorite books that I read in 2011!

Here they are, in no particular order!

 The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer - I discovered this book when I was perusing the Barnes & Noble "Best of 2010" list last December.  I was looking for books for my Paris trip and since part of this was set in Paris, it was an easy sell for me.  It did not disappoint.  It is a bit on a the long side, but it's such a great book.  It tells the stories of 3 Hungarian brothers whose lives were torn apart by WWII.  They are Jewish, and thus are subjected to such horrible cruelties, it was difficult to read at times.  However, I think it's important for us to read these kind of books that remind us of the horrors of WWII (and war in general).  Many WWII memorials say, 'Never Forget' - reading books like this is one way we can live out that mission.

 Secret Daughter by Shilip Somaya Gowda - Kelly recommended this book and was spot on with her recommendation.  It tells the story of an Indian couple who give up their daughter for adoption, and the mixed-race American couple who adopts the child.  The author weaves together the stories of the two families and explores the complexities of adoption.  I love books set in India as I think India is such a fascinating country, so that is part of the reason I really loved this book.  It's a super fast read - I think I read it in a matter of days as I could not put it down! 

 The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - This is another book that I read while I was in Paris.  It was neat to read about areas that I had explored. This book is difficult to read at times as it does deal with the issue of fidelity.  I usually can't handle books about infidelity, but this one was so well-written.  I recommend reading Hemingway's memoir, A Moveable Feast, before or after reading this, as Hemingway reflects on this same time period, but he writes about it at the end of his life.  He was a total and complete scoundrel in this book, but after reading A Moveable Feast, it made me wonder if, to some extent, he regretted his behavior as he writes about his Paris Wife with such tenderness - you would never have guess that he cheated on her...

 Every Last One by Anna Quindlen - Emily favorably reviewed this one, so I decided to check it out and I am so glad I did.  Wow.  At the beginning of the book, I thought I knew where the story line was going and then BAM - a tragedy that I did not see coming occurs and the book just carries you away from that point on.  Quindlen does an amazing job of writing from the perspective of a parent who has just experienced such a horrible loss.  She uses this sort of detached style of writing that makes you realize how in shock the parent is.  It's hard to describe, but it was so effective. 

The Art of Racing the Rain by Garth Stein - I did not expect to like this book.  It's about car racing and dogs.  I have zero interest in car racing and I am not a dog person.  But I ended up loving this book, which is a true testament to the author's ability to write!  This book is told from the perspective of a dog, which is such a rare narrative technique - but it works.  The owner experiences so many awful things, but the dog does a great job of explaining them and you definitely appreciate the relationship between an owner and their dog.  This book is one of the few books that made me cry in 2011. 

Have you read any of these books?  What were some of the best books you read this year?

PS - I'd like to wish a Happy Birthday to my dear dad!!  I wish I could celebrate with him, but know we will belatedly celebrate his birthday this weekend!  He's set the best example of what I should look for in a husband - he's kind hearted, hard working, devoted to his family, and he has this great quirky sense of humor.  So I wish him the happiest of birthdays!!