Books of the Year 2011

Well, those of you who read this blog a lot may recall that one of my resolutions - pretty much the only one I managed to keep - was to read 100 books this year. I hit this sometime in October, so stopped counting after that, but I estimate I managed about 120 in total. So from that pick, here are my awards of the year – do you agree? (Obviously, not all of these came out this year... I'm simply going on when I read them).

The ‘old reliable’ award
Terry Pratchett rarely puts a foot wrong these days, consistently delivering quality novels year on year, mercifully so far unaffected by the cruel affliction of his Alzheimer's, which apparently means that he now has to use speech recognition software to write as he is unable to type, which has to be fairly heartbreaking for a writer. This year's novel Snuff was a classic: as ever picking up on the zeitgeist it could be described as Sam Vimes meets Downton Abbey, with a surprisingly dark 'people' trafficking storyline illustrating once again Pratchett’s humanitarian streak. One of my books of the year.


The ‘truth be told’ award
In an effort to expand my increasingly shonky general knowledge, I read a lot more non-fiction this year, and in doing so found some of the best books I have read in ages. David Simon's massive tome Homicide is a must for all Wire fans (I also just started The Corner, which is well-written but massively depressing); while Helen Castor's She Wolves was a fascinating look at the women who (sort of) ruled England before Elizabeth I. Great Fortune told the story of the building of the Rockefeller Center - and with it, modern New York. On a lighter note I was charmed by Rob Sheffield's look at 80s music, Talking to Girls About Duran Duran, and laughed out loud at Mark Kermode's lament on the state of modern cinema, The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex.


The ‘good to see you again’ award
A good year for this, with Jim Butcher releasing not only the new Harry Dresden book, Ghost Story - which looks set to take the series in a whole new direction - but a collection of Dresden short stories, Side Jobs, as well. Dennis Lehane returned to his detective team Kenzie and Gennaro in a satisfying end to the series, Moonlight Mile (at least it felt like an ending - and was so fitting, I hope it was, much as I shall miss them). Tess Gerristen published a new Rizzoli and Isles book (The Silent Girl) that returned to form after a disappointing outing last year, while my personal guilty pleasure Lee Child (don't judge me!) delivered another solid slab of entertainment with a new Jack Reacher tale, The Affair. Some other long running series were showing signs of running out of steam: Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books are still enjoyable, but starting to feel a little strained, while Donna Leon's Venice based crime novels are now a bit samey, though still worth a read.


The ‘good to meet you’ award
I love getting my teeth into a new series, so was thrilled to get some great recommendations this year. CJ Sansom's Shardlake series are superior historical crime novels, though the latter ones could do with some pruning – Heartstone was just insanely long. Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt novels combine the hard boiled noir of Chandler with traditional vampire lore to addictive effect, while Mark Billingham's Thorne novels hooked me so much I read the whole backIist in a fortnight, and made me desperate for the TV show to return. On the YA side, The Hunger Games trilogy was utterly gripping, even if the finale didn't quite live up to my expectations.

The ‘I hate to say this, but…’ award
Oh, I love Ian Rankin, but have to face up to the fact that I only like his Rebus books: I simply can't get away with his other works, despite my best efforts. New creation Malcolm Fox just seems like a pale imitation of his grizzlier predecessor, and though I ploughed through the whole of his newest novel, The Impossible Dead, I couldn't engage at all.

The ‘well done, you guys!’ award
3 of my friends had childrens or YA books out this year: Caroline Green's tale of a possibly haunted fairground Dark Ride, Tess Dali's fantasy Band of Loren and Philip Webb's dystopian future adventure Six Days. So a bit jealous, if I’m honest.


The 'I don't get what the fuss is about' award...
Joint winner here: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, and Room by Emma Donoghue: both undeniably clever books that left me cold. I also tried Jo Nesbo and failed to be gripped. Hey ho, you can't please everyone, I suppose.

The 'I totally get what the fuss is about' award
Wolf Hall is absolutely my book of the year, edging just ahead of Homicide due to its magnificently evocative prose, ambitious scope and the fact that it's one of those books that once you've read it, you feel the need to force it on your friends. Roll on the sequel!


So all in all, a great year in books: and the most exciting thing for me, of course, was that I managed to finish a book of my own, which I'm hoping will see daylight in 2012. As my shelves are already groaning with titles to be read next year, it looks like another corker.

Here's to reading!