Heckyeah! Best Books of 2011

_Who doesn't love a good "Best of" list to ring out the old and ring in the new?

Especially this teen blogger's "Best Books of 2011" list, which includes, and I quote: "This Girl is Different by J. J. Johnson. This book is different. In a good way. No, scratch that, in an amazing, incredible way."

**Happy sigh.** Feeling the love.

And it gets me thinking ... what are MY Favorite Books of 2011? Well, well -- I'm so glad I asked myself!

First, FICTION. Man, I read some hella good books this year. So here goes:

The White City by John Claude Bemis (Random House, 2011).  Totally satisfying, Ferris Wheel-centric conclusion to The Clockwork Dark Trilogy. Super love.
The Death of York Mortwell by Stephen Messer (Random House, 2011).  Creepy and touching and just plain fantastic.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (HarperCollins, 2011). This novel just stuck to my ribs.
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal by Mal Peet (Candlewick, 2007).  What it might have been like to be in the resistance in the Netherlands, WWII.
Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald (Bantam Dell, 2006).  Caught my eye at Goodwill, and I loved it, because it's hard to find a "real" novel about straddling two cultures.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Little, Brown, 2007).  Because I heart Sherman Alexie.

For more, including my non-fiction picks, click right over there --------------------------->

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_As for nonfiction:

Hack the Planet: Science's Best Hope -- or Worst Nightmare -- for Averting Climate Catastrophe by Eli Kintisch (Wiley, 2010). Plain ol' fascinating.

Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Prior and Meme McDonals (Penguin, 1998). This was a re-read and I just love this book.

Making It: Radical Home-Ec for a Post-Consumer World by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen (Rodale, 2011). Practical DIY and inspo on sustainable living.

Bossypants by Tina Fey (Little, Brown, 2011). Further proof that Ms. Fey is my sister from another mister.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall (Knopf, 2009).  I'm not a runner, but this made me feel born to run.

Well, shoot. This list is actually just "Best Books I've read in the SECOND HALF of 2011"!!! But it's getting late, and if I don't post this now I never will. Lmk if you want my hearts from the first part of the year. I will respond to popular demand

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