The Books of 2011

Nearly a year ago, in January 2011, I joined up on the goodreads.com 2011 Reading Challenge. I tried to estimate how many books I could read in a calender year and set the ambitious goal of 30.

Then, I got an e-reader.

Then, I started a book club.

Then, I discovered audiobooks.

And blew my goal of 30 books away by the early Autumn. I ended up reading 42-ish books in 2011.

The Eyre Affair, Jaspar Fforde
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
The Phyisick Book of Deliverance Dane, Katherine Howe
Angry Conversations with God, Susan Isaacs
Lost In A Good Book, Jaspar Fforde
Writing Jane Austen, Elizabeth Aston
Deadly Nightshade, Cynthia Riggs
The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Agatha Christie: A Pocket Guide, Mark Campbell
The Cranefly Orchid Murders, Cynthia Riggs
Whose Body?, Dorothy L. Sayers
Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert
So Much Pretty, Cara Hoffman
Garden Spells, Sarah Addison Allen
The Last Time I Was Me, Cathy Lamb
Clouds of Witness, Dorothy L. Sayers
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender
The Remains of The Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith
Lye In Wait, Cricket McRae
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Heaven Preserve Us, Cricket McRae
The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen
The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen
Here On Earth, Alice Hoffman
Unnatural Death, Dorothy L. Sayers
One Thousand White Women, Jim Fergus
Spin A Wicked Web, Cricket McRae
The Unpleasantness of the Bellona Club, Dorothy L. Sayers
Lord Peter Views The Body, Dorothy L. Sayers
Maisie Dobb, Jacqueline Winspar
The Attenbury Emeralds, Jill Patton Walsh
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
Death On The Air, Ngaio Marsh
Something Borrowed, Something Bleu, Cricket McRae
The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Sarah Addison Allen
Strong Poison, Dorothy L. Sayers
The Story of Beautiful Girl, Rachel Simon
Joy For Beginners, Erica Bauermeister
The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
Five Red Herrings, Dorothy L. Sayers
Wined and Died, Cricket McRae
Tales from the Yoga Studio, Rain Mitchell
The Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley

And now, for the accolades and admonishments!

Books So Bad, I Didn't Even Finish Them:
Tales From the Yoga Studio
One Thousand White Women
Angry Conversations With God

Books So Bad, I WISH I Hadn't Finished Them (Also Known As The Five Worst of 2011):
Lost In A Good Book AND The Eyre Affair
So Much Pretty
Here On Earth
Joy For Beginners

Most Enjoyable Audiobooks for 2011:
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
The Girl Who Chased The Moon

Top Five Six Reads of 2011:
The Story of Beautiful Girl
The Help
Garden Spells
Whose Body?
The Good Earth
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

I've already begun my endeavors for 2012. I'm about halfway finished with Have His Carcase, the next Lord Peter Wimsey novel from Dorothy L. Sayers. Today at the library, I picked up the second installment of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series on audio (for when I return to work next week) as well as The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Society, which may end up being our next book club selection.

What did you read in 2011? Any recommendations to make for this bookworm?