2011 Book Standouts

It is that time once again for my yearly book review. I read 40 books in 2011, which was pretty good considering that I was in school all three semesters. Some of the books I read I had to read for school, many not. I did a whole lot of reading that is not included in the list, various articles, textbook chapters, etc.

I read a lot more non-fiction this year than I traditionally have. In general I always choose fiction, but I suppose my tastes are expanding. I don't know how to compare them and pick a favorite, because I liked different books for different reasons, but the standout would probably have to be Man's Search For Meaning by Victor E. Frankl. This book is written from the unique perspective of a Holocaust survivor who is also a psychologist. Frankl discusses what happens mentally to a person when they are in such a brutal environment as a concentration camp. The book is a fascinating blend of emotional and intellectual analysis of first-hand experience. It left me crying, yet fiercely hopeful. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Runners up for non-fiction, which are so vastly different from each other, are I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and Escape by Carolyn Jessop. Angelou's book is simultaneously magical and devastating, the memoir of Angelou's childhood written in such rich, honest language, it left lasting images in my brain. Angelou, in my opinion, deserves all the accolades she has received as a poet and writer. Her words are beautiful, her story touching. Jessop's book, on the other hand, was not that well written at all. More like the way a high-school senior might write a memoir, and probably heavy-handed in the edit department, yet the story itself was so engaging. I found Jessop's courage, not only to leave the mob-like FLDS community in which she was raised, but also to publish her story, inspiring and jaw-dropping. Because I'm Mormon, I am particularly interested in learning what life is like in an FLDS community. Our religions may share the same roots, but they could not be more different. If the devil himself were to run a church, I can't see it being much different than how the FLDS church influences its members.

I read A LOT of Shakespeare this year. Of the seven plays I read, King Lear was my favorite. Many people find its overt tragicness disconcerting, but I fell in love with it, beginning to end. The relationships, the glaring if-only's, the ripe imagery, as well as some of Shakespeare's best verse make it one of my very favorite Shakespearian works to date. I also read many pages of Charles Dickens, who has now claimed a slot in my top five authors of all time. Of the four Dickens novels I read this year, Great Expectations was my favorite, but if I'm going to recommend a Dickens book, it would be A Tale of Two Cities.

Aside from Shakespeare and Dickens, my favorite classic of the year was The Importance of Being Earnest, a play by Oscar Wilde. A quick read, but so darn clever. I can't wait to someday see it performed.

Best book about writing, hands down, is Stephen King's On Writing. This is a book that, in my opinion, every serious writer should own. Easy to read, nay, enjoyable to read, and chock full of plain-fact wisdom about writing.

Funniest book: Bossypants by Tina Fey. Not that I read a lot of funny books this year, but I enjoyed enough of this book to say it's worth picking up.

Orson Scott Card's The Lost Gate gets my vote for best SciFi/Fantasy. I was particularly excited about this book because I got to read early chapter versions of it while I took my writing class from Card in the summer of '10. It was fun to know some of the background and to see how his writing process had evolved. I can always count on Mr. Card to tell me a story that I will be interested in. Even his worst novels are better than most.

Best fiction: I'm going to have to jump on the bandwagon and say The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I really enjoyed reading this book. That pie. That is a moment of literary brilliance that will live forever.

Last, but not least, I have to mention the book Eats, Shoots and Leaves; The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. This short little book about grammar is funny and entertaining while clearing up some of the most commonly made mistakes. A funny book about grammar? You know I'm all over that.

Overall, I think the quality of books I read this year was quite good. Not a lot of disappointments, so I consider it a pretty big success. I'm excited that 2012 will all be books I choose. I'm going to read at least 60 books this year. Happy reading, y'all.