2011 was not the best year blogging wise. Looking back through my monthly archives I mostly see all the blanks that were caused by unexpected blogging breaks due to the stress caused by the approaching graduation as a Master of Arts from University. Now that I am graduated, I hope 2012 will find me in a place where I am more comfortable to blog & more able to find the time. I know I will hit some bumps along the way, I may need to formulate my thoughts on some of the issues I have had with blogging during 2011, but overall I am hopeful.
There is nothing left for me to do but to give you a list of books I enjoyed most in 2011. (Most of which, shamefully, remain unreviewed until this day – I truly hope to catch up on them in January). In no particular order:
Greenbanks – Dorothy Whipple: Whipple is the master of comfy reading that nonetheless offers a perspective on social issues from different perspectives. This multigenerational saga following the (women of the) Ashton family was wonderfully detailed about the social possibilities of women, and family life before and after the First World War.
The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness: For everyone who still lives in the illusion that Young Adult literature cannot be incredibly clever. This books discusses key themes such as ideologies, stereotypes, the gender divide and the confusion of growing up. I loved it and will gladly push it on anyone.
The Ask and the Answer – Patrick Ness: The second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, which I loved just as much as The Knife of Never Letting Go. This book may be a little more controversial, with its themes of “ethnic cleansing” and the moral confusion of wartime, but it’s portrayal is so humane at the same time that for once I really hope people will take me serious enough to listen to my book recommendations and give this series a try.
Stardust – Neil Gaiman: A wonderful magical tale about faerie that I just wanted to hug close and reread each winter.
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier: This clever and spooky tale, with a Brontë feel to it, and so many breathtaking, gasp-worthy moments, that I lost count of them is a book I wish I had read so much earlier, but that I wish I could have kept reading for the first time for ever and ever as well.
The Thing Around Your Neck – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: My first array into the land of Adichie’s fiction had me spinning lesson plans in my mind if I should ever have to teach a class on mission history. A lovely collection of insightful, clever, and beautiful short stories.
Consequences – E.M Delafield: This portrayal of the bonds middle and upper class girls had to live with during the beginning of the twentieth century is heartbreaking, but incredibly beautiful. It also features one of those heroines that I’m sure many would love to hate, but I could only think of as who I might have been, had I lived during that time.
Tender Morsels – Margo Lanagan: The controversy surrounding this book made me shrink back from reviewing it right after I read it. I promise I will fill you in. This young adult novel deals with incredibly difficult themes, of rape and incest. Margo Lanagan managed to do so in an incredibly honest voice, sometimes confronting, but also very beautifully, somehow. I want to shower this book with praise and have every teenage girl read it for its discussion of the many gender-prejudices and difficulties in today’s society. Another book I want to hug and reread, next year if I can.
The Summer Book – Tove Jansson: Oh, Tove Jansson. One of my severest author crushes. I first “met” you this year reading The Summer Books, and then I read one of your Moomin books. I just cannot stop telling everyone how much I love your work. This book, a collection of short vignettes about the life of a grandmother and granddaughter is so utterly heartwarming, gentle, and beautiful, that 11 months later, I am still at a loss for words.
The Pleasure Seekers – Tishani Doshi: A family saga with a couple’s love across borders at the middle. This book does not take the standard perspective of focusing on the difficulties of a family torn between India and Britain, but instead focuses on the strength of bonds of love within a family, across generations, and is happy to discuss life after falling in love.
Honourable Mentions: The Seas – Samantha Hunt, The Brontës Went to Woolworths – Rachel Ferguson, Being Emily – Anne Donovan, Ragnarok – A.S. Byatt, The House of the Mosque – Kader Abdolah, A Time to Keep Silence – Patrick Leigh Fermor, Next World Novella – Matthias Politycki.
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Bookish Stats:
I managed to read 100 books this year, which is a personal record but I know it isn’t much compared to most book bloggers. As a rule, I do not count my academic reading towards my books read this year, which should explain the lack of non-fiction in the following:
- 30/100 review copies
- 16/100 Young Adult
- 8/100 Children
- 8/100 Non-Fiction
- 92/100 Fiction
- 34/100 Classics/Modern Classics
- 56/100 European
- 36/100 North American
- 7/100 African/Middle Eastern
- 3/100 Asian
- 1/100 Australian
- 73/99 Female Author
- 26/99 Male Author
I was shocked by the large amount of review copies read (30%) and I want to rethink my review policy for next year. I stuck with quite a few copies that I wouldn’t otherwise have finished and I know I request way too much from Netgalley. However, I do love that feeling of receiving a review copy in the mail, especially when it is from the likes of Persephone Books or Peirene.
I read much more female authors than male, but I am not uncomfortable with that. What I am uncomfortable with is the seriously skewed balance between European/North-American authors and authors from different parts of the world. I really wish to make more of an effort to read more diversely next year.
Happy 2012, Iris! Best of luck with your academic life and keep spreading the literary love. I am glad you enjoyed Rebeca, I did too, this summer. It will make my “Best of 2011″ list too.
Wonderful list – I loved the ones of those that I have read as well. Part of the reason I have enjoyed keeping stats is that it *is* full of surprises for *me* at the end of the year, and helps me think about what I want to do differently.
Hope you have a happy new year!
great selection iris ,wonderful as well as studying I admire you for that ,all the best in 2012 stu
I love your list so much! I haven’t read the Dorothy Whipple, but you have just made it a new priority for me by listing it among so many books I absolutely love.
Wishing you all the best in 2012! I hope it’s a great year for you, but reading-wise and life-wise
I haven’t read very many of these books, but your list has inspired me to add a few of these to my wish list, and see what I think of them. I am sorry to hear that your year was difficult, but hope that the new year brings you much better tidings.
Happy New Year, Iris!
I wish I had managed to muster up the enthusiasm to do some stats – maybe I will in the middle of January or February. I can’t even really remember what I enjoyed reading. Still, you’ve got some lovely books on your list. Have you read Du Maurier’s My cousin Rachel? I’m planning to reread that this year! Or rather next year.
I’m glad to see Rebecca is on your list as it’s one of my favourite books. I haven’t read any of the others but I’m hoping to read some of them in 2012.
Happy New Year!
What a fun list! And very inspiring.
*hugs* for a rough blogging year, but don’t get down on yourself!
That’s a great list! Practically every book on is one I’ve been thinking of reading, if I haven’t read it already.
My review copy percentage is about the same as yours, and I’m not too bothered by it. I wouldn’t want to read more review copies than that, and I’d be happy to read less. I do request a lot from Netgalley, but I give up and decline if it isn’t working for me and don’t feel bad about it. I like that I can try out books I’m curious about without the publisher wasting a review copy. I do want to cut back on new books to make room for classics, which I didn’t read enough of this year. That will almost certainly mean fewer review copies, but that’s a side effect, not a goal.
Great list, Iris… especially Rebecca and Dorothy Whipple. Happy New Year!
Love the Gaiman & have, The Thing Around Your Neck – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on my kindle TBR’d next year, great blogging especially as you’ve had your uni work as well.
Best wishes for the coming year to you & yours
I’m excited about your list because I have quite a few on my pile here and if you liked them so much, I’m sure I will enjoy man yof them as well.
Happy 2012, Iris.
30% is a huge proportion of review copies – now I understand why you were getting so demotivated about them.
Congratulations on your MA, Iris. Happy New Year!
Congrats on your MA Iris I hope 2012 will be more restful and less stressful for you.
And a Happy New Year!
Happy 2012 Iris
I’m glad you liked Stardust. I’ve only read The Graveyard Book by Gaiman. Have been asking around for what to read next and Stardust seems to generally be regarded as a favorite.
30% review copies is indeed quite a lot, especially in a year where you were so busy!
Happy new year and congrats on 100 books that’s great and puts some other book bloggers (me!) to shame. Hope the year ahead is a good one for you
I’m impressed you were able to read 100 books while still finishing up your MA; that’s more than I did when I was getting my MBA!
I can understand your concern about the percentage of review copies you read. It makes me want to calculate my percentage, as I am seriously afraid that mine is higher. I think a lot of us are rethinking our approach to blogging in 2012. I can’t wait to see how it evolves next!
Best wishes to you for 2012!
You’re so smart about your reading and reviews. *sigh* Yes, I’m jealous. This year I tried to stick to only one review book a month, which worked fairly well until there were books dangled in front of me that I couldn’t resist. Still, with all you’ve been doing, I’m SO impressed! This is a great list!
So many of the books you list above are ones that I have enjoyed, or are written by authors I’ve enjoyed, or are on my wish list. So glad I have great reading to look forward to
I’m excited to see so many books on your list that I plan to read at some point
Also, all the best in 2012!
Rebecca and Stardust are two of my favorites! I’m so glad you liked them too.
Hi, iris bought The Knife of letting go for my Kindle & found a Ness freebie, if you’ve a Kindle or one of their apps you can download from amazon uk The New world, which is a prequel to the chaos books & best of all its price is £0.00p at the moment.
A lot of your faves are on my TBR list, which only makes me want to read them more, and I’ve added that Gaiman novel too; my 2012 will have a lot more mythic and fantasy fiction, I hope, and that will fit in perfectly! (And I loved Samantha Hunt’s novel and Rachel Ferguson’s as well; I’d re-read both in a heartbeat!) Hope you have even more great reading in 2012, Iris!
I’m excited to see the persephones on the best of the year list. I hope to get more of those read in the new year
And I do hope this year you get back in to your blogging stride! Happy reading!
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