Books of 2011
Jan. 19th, 2012 11:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustIn 2011, I read 21 books:
9 were fiction
12 were non-fiction
7 were novels
0 were collections
2 were anthologies
9 were by authors I had read before
12 were by authors I had never read before
1 were first novels in a series
3 were other novels in a series
Highlights:
Wall and Piece by Banksy - The best of Banksy's graffiti artwork, along with anecdotes and philosophy. "Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop would never be boring. A city that felt like a party and everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - it's wet."
Zombies Versus Unicorns edited by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black - A clever idea, with an interesting variety of stories. Standouts include "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Alaya Dawn Johnson), "Purity Test" (Naomi Novik), and "The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn" (Diana Peterfreund).
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff - Probably my favourite novel of the year. Mackie Doyle is a changeling, struggling to keep up a normal front, in a world of cold iron that is slowly killing him. His family and friends love him and just want him to stay safe. But when a child disappears, he has to decide between keeping his head down like normal, or facing down the supernatural forces that govern the town. Bonus angst done right.
Lawrence of Arabia: The 30th Anniversary Pictorial History by L Robert Morris and Lawrence Raskin - A comprehensive and compelling account of the creation of the classic movie. They will never film movies this way again. Nothing is photoshopped; everything is real. It was an era of epics. (This year will be the 50th anniversary!)
Booklife by Jeff Vandermeer - A guide to the whole of the writing life, including contemporary realities like social media, plus useful advice about separating the public booklife from the private booklife.
Rafa: My Story by Rafael Nadal with John Carlin - Rafa in his own words. An indepth autobiography with many fascinating details.
Snuff by Terry Pratchett - Classic Discworld, in which Vimes takes a trip from the big smoke of Ankh-Morpork to the very alien countryside - only to run into culture clash and murder mysteries and dark secrets. Great to visit characters new and old, and especially lovely to see more of Sybil.
9 were fiction
12 were non-fiction
7 were novels
0 were collections
2 were anthologies
9 were by authors I had read before
12 were by authors I had never read before
1 were first novels in a series
3 were other novels in a series
Highlights:
Wall and Piece by Banksy - The best of Banksy's graffiti artwork, along with anecdotes and philosophy. "Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop would never be boring. A city that felt like a party and everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - it's wet."
Zombies Versus Unicorns edited by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black - A clever idea, with an interesting variety of stories. Standouts include "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Alaya Dawn Johnson), "Purity Test" (Naomi Novik), and "The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn" (Diana Peterfreund).
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff - Probably my favourite novel of the year. Mackie Doyle is a changeling, struggling to keep up a normal front, in a world of cold iron that is slowly killing him. His family and friends love him and just want him to stay safe. But when a child disappears, he has to decide between keeping his head down like normal, or facing down the supernatural forces that govern the town. Bonus angst done right.
Lawrence of Arabia: The 30th Anniversary Pictorial History by L Robert Morris and Lawrence Raskin - A comprehensive and compelling account of the creation of the classic movie. They will never film movies this way again. Nothing is photoshopped; everything is real. It was an era of epics. (This year will be the 50th anniversary!)
Booklife by Jeff Vandermeer - A guide to the whole of the writing life, including contemporary realities like social media, plus useful advice about separating the public booklife from the private booklife.
Rafa: My Story by Rafael Nadal with John Carlin - Rafa in his own words. An indepth autobiography with many fascinating details.
Snuff by Terry Pratchett - Classic Discworld, in which Vimes takes a trip from the big smoke of Ankh-Morpork to the very alien countryside - only to run into culture clash and murder mysteries and dark secrets. Great to visit characters new and old, and especially lovely to see more of Sybil.
