The Half-Year Mark: Best Books of 2011 (so far)

Hey folks! As it’s officially summer and we’re halfway through the year, we decided that it was high time to start keeping score – of our favorite books of the year, that is.

Without further ado, we present you with our Best of 2011 Lists – So Far.

Thea’s Best of 2011:

Compared to 2010, 2011 is about par for the course. I haven’t really read too many books that strike me as OMG BEST EVER I WANT TO HAVE BABIES WITH THIS BOOK…but at the same time, I have noticed that lately almost every book I’ve read is a solid 7. I bet if I ran some analysis of my average ratings for this year, a 7 would be my magic number. And that, dear readers, is AWESOME. I’m totally stoked that almost every book I read is entertaining (even if these books aren’t the one type of material). And, just as with last year, I’m hoping that the second half of 2011 will kick ass. There are so many titles I’m excited to read that have a high probability of making my book-baby-making list, and I cannot wait. As with last year, I’m breaking out my picks in three lists: 1. Best books read, reviewed and published in 2011; 2. Best books read & reviewed in 2011 (regardless of publication year); and 3. Honorable Mentions.

Best Books Read, Reviewed and Published in 2011

1. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, 9 (SF/Horror, Post-Apocalypse, Zombies)
2. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente, 10 (Fantasy, MG/YA)¹
3. The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier, 7 (Fantasy, YA)
4. Plague by Michael Grant, 8 (SF/Horror, Apocalypse/Dystopia, YA)

Best Books Read & Reviewed in 2011 (regardless of publication year)

1. Cold Magic by Kate Elliott, 8 (Fantasy)
2. The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier, 9 (Fantasy, YA)
3. Dark Matter by Michelle Paver, 9 (Horror)
4. Sisters of the Sword series by Maya Snow, 8 (MG/YA, Historical, Fantasy)
5. The Swan Maiden/Toads & Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson, 8/8 (Fantasy, YA)
6. Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel, 8 (Steampunk, Adventure, YA)

Honorable Mentions:

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth, 7 (SF, Dystopian, YA)
2. Eona by Alison Goodman, 8 (Fantasy, YA)
3. The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells, 7 (Fantasy)
4. Juniper Berry by M.P. Kozlowski, 7 (Horror, Fantasy, MG)
5. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens, 7 (Fantasy, MG/YA)
6. Unseen by Rachel Caine, 8 (UF)
7. Never Knew Another by J.M. McDermott, 8 (Fantasy)
8. America Pacifica by Anna North, 7 (SF, Apocalypse/Dystopia)
9. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison, 8 (UF)

As you can see, young adult and dystopian/apocalyptic novels continue to be the list toppers, with a generous dose of fantasy. I wish there were some Sci Fi titles that could get up on that list, but the year is still long – I have high hopes for the rest of 2011!

Ana’s Best of 2011:

Before writing this post I was under the impression that 2011 had not been a good reading year so far. But going through all of my reviews showed me different: in the great scheme of things, 2011 has been a good, solid reading year. I’ve read 65 books (which is the exact same amount of books I had read last year when we wrote this half-mark recap!) and I can list right now 28 that were truly GREAT although I only consider 3 as top ten material (a marked difference from last year’s list). The remaining books are a mixed bag of 6s and 7s and I, like Thea, think this is AWESOME. However, 15 of the books I’ve read – that’s over 20% – rated between DNFs and 5s and I think that accounts for the impression I had. Not to mention those ones that I am not even counting because I didn’t get around to review – like for example my most anticipated read of 2011, The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss which turned out to be a dud and I couldn’t even read past 100 pages it was so boring. I DO appreciate that not every book is going to be OMG awesome though and that’s ok.

But enough of navel gazing – let’s get to the list proper. I will follow Thea’s example:

Best Books Read, Reviewed and Published in 2011

1. Chime by Franny Billingsley, 9 (YA, SF, Historical)
2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, 10 (YA, SF, Contemporary)
3. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente, 10 (YA, Fantasy)

Best Books Read & Reviewed in 2011 (regardless of publication year)

1. The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier, 9 (YA, Fantasy)
2. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, 9 (YA, Fantasy)
3. Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell, 8 (YA, Southern Gothic)
4. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, 9 (MG, Historical)
5. The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley, 9 (MG, Fantasy)
6. Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis, 9 (Science Fiction, Historical)
7. Bellwether by Connie Willis, 9 (Science Fiction)
8. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, 10 (Science Fiction)
9. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, 9 (Science Fiction)
10. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster, 10 (Historical, Feminism)

Honorable Mentions (all published in 2011):

1. The Thirteen Secrets series by Michelle Harrison, 8 (YA, Fantasy)
2. Jazz in Love by Neesha Meminger, 8 (YA, Contemporary)
3. The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells, 8, Fantasy
4. Never Knew Another by J M Mcdermott (this is a possible contender to move up to top 10) , 8 (Fantasy)
5. Sleight of Hand by Peter S Beagle (possibly a top 10) , 9 (Fantasy)
6. Broken by Susan Jane Bigelow (the more I think about this book, the more I like it. It might even make my top 10 in the end), 8 (Dystopia)
7. The Demon’s Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan, 8 (YA, UF)
8. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire, 8 (UF)
9. Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres, 7 (YA, Dystopia)
10. Spinning Out by David Stahler Jr, 8 (YA, Contemporary)

What about you? What are your favorite reads of the year so far?