Books of the Year 2011

Despite it being a busy year with children, moving house, a new job and wine exams, I have found good time to indulge in one of life's pleasures, namely reading. At present, 2011's total stands at 48 books read. Inevitably, there have been some successes and also a few failures. Most notably, 'read of the year' has been awarded to a classic novel, one I first encountered at the age of 17, but had the pleasure of rereading this year. It may appear as not fair game to have given the award to a re-read, but, for me, Crime and Punishment is the sort of work that makes one profoundly question one's own existence, to ask the question of what it is to be human. It was also markedly better than anything else I read this year. I loved particularly the passages where the text assumed an almost surreal and dream-like state. Moreover, the impact of Crime and Punishment on Conrad and Kafka (another two of the greats, among my favourites) is significant, and something I only fully appreciated with this read. I am indebted to novel number five on the list (The Cottagers) for having inspired me to revisit Dostoevsky, for - without wanting to spoil it - the premise in this work is very similar. One other comment from this year's list would be to note the appearance once again of such contemporary luminaries as Atwood. Mitchell, Murakami, Coe and Cartwright. These authors have featured consistently in my lists in the last few years and their inclusion in 2011 is not a reflection on the dearth of new, emerging, authors, but more that these writers consistently continue to deliver and remain at the peak of their writing prowess. Anyway, enough digression, here is the top-ten (in order of preference) - 

And, best non-fiction work was Tamara de Lempicka: A Life of Deco and Decadence by Laura Claridge