nomadreader

The Top 14 As I sat down to make my list of favorite reads of 2011, I ended up with a top 14. Last year I lucked into a top 10 , but I also read about twenty more books this year, so that makes sense. I don't like to set an arbitrary number of titles for my Best of the Year list, so here are my favorite reads of 2011 (all are books I read in 2011, but not all were originally published in 2011.) 14. The Lover's Dictionary  by David Levithan ( my review ) A love story told through dictionary definitions sounded so interesting I had to try it, even as I doubted how it would work as a novel. It worked beautifully and brilliantly, and it was a surprisingly emotional read. 13. Untold Story  by Monica Ali ( my review ) Untold Story  was one of the titles I was most excited to read in 2011, as I adore literary fiction about real people. Monica Ali's imagination of what life would like today if Princess Diana had faked her own death was a suspenseful, character-driven n...

The backstory:   The Sweet Relief of Missing Children  was one of the National Book Award's 5 Under 35 selections in 2010. The basics: I really like the description I found in my library's catalog: "Two seemingly separate stories from different points in time interconnect and provide clues to the disappearance of a missing New York City girl." My thoughts: If you read my tumblr , then you were privy to my love fest  of quotations as I was reading this novel. It's certainly the best novel I've read in 2011 (yes, I adored One Day , which is a lovely novel, but this one is better, and I enjoyed it just as much.) This novel begs to be re-read and re-appreciated as more layers come out. It won't appeal to all readers, but it's original, ambitious and lyrical. Watch out Jennifer Egan, Sarah Braunstein is coming for your readers. Although the novel jumps around among characters, I was always enthralled. Typically, I'll enjoy one aspect of a split ...

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine to highlight an upcoming release you cannot wait to read. My pick this week is one of the most anticipated releases this spring: The Sweet Relief of Missing Children  by Sarah Braunstein. It was one of the National Book Award 5 Under 35 picks in 2010. Here's the publisher's description: "In New York City, a girl called Leonora vanishes without a trace. Years earlier and miles upstate, Goldie, a wild, negligent mother, searches for a man to help raise her precocious son, Paul, who later discovers that the only way to save his soul is to run away. As the narrative moves back and forth in time, we find deeper interconnections between these stories and growing clues about Leonora--this missing girl whose face looks out from telephone poles and billboards--whom one character will give anything to save. The Sweet Relief of Missing Children  is a suspenseful novel about the power of running and the desire for ...