2011: The year in books

I read a few more than 147 books in 2011, since some of the more frequent re-reads did not make it to my official list. Of these, 31 were re-reads: not a bad percentage, for me.

As any reader who has visited here more than once will realise, my blogging dedication sadly fell off after September 2011, as so did my reading, really. I was working abroad and not feeling inclined to review the books I had read, and spending more time writing other things than this blog.

So begins a new year’s resolution, to start blogging again regularly, and to try and clear the backlog of the books I failed to review last year.

Just a summary of the best and worst books read last year:

Best non-fiction:

Too Big To Fail – Andrew Ross Sorkin (2009): An entertaining and riveting account of the 2007 crash, the failure of Lehman Brothers and the bank bailouts. I now want to see the film version. (Review coming)

Best children’s book:

The Wild Hunt of Hagworthy – Penelope Lively (1971): Exquisite descriptions and genuine menace evoked in Devon as the Wild Hunt is invoked. (Review coming)

Best surprise:

A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens (1859): A novel by Dickens that I actually enjoyed. Exciting, tension-filled, and with real characters.

Biggest disappointment:

Of Mutability – Jo Shapcott (2010): I had expected much more from this collection of poetry by Shapcott which had won the Costa Book of the Year prize in 2010, but was distinctly disappointed by almost all the poems.

Most inciting:

The Anthologist – Nicholson Baker (2009): Made me want to read more poetry.

Happy 2012, everyone! May it be filled with lots of good books.

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