Books Read in 2011

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This has to be one of my favourite posts to do. All about the books I read last year! I read even more this year than ever before (or at least it feels that way). Here's my genre breakdown:

• 75 Historical romance (Regency, Georgian, Victorian, other, Gothic)
• 34 Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance (Urban Fantasy, Paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy)
• 9 Mysteries
• 6 Gardening/Farming
• 5 Travel/Guidebooks
• 4 Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic (2 YA)
• 4 Other Fantastical (Contemporary Fantasy, Steampunk)
• 4 Other Non-Fic (Employment, Writing, Political, Epidemics)
• 3 Historical Fiction (1 YA)
• 3 Foodie Non-Fic
• 1 Graphic Novel

148 Total

Top Ten Books/Series I Read in 2011
(in no particular order)

Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole (most recent came out in 2011) - Paranormal romance with an amazingly detailed world, and brutal matchups (of the "how will this romance EVER work?" variety). Very, very addictive.

McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Countainer by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey - "The Bible" for container vegetable gardeners such as myself. I credit this book for the success of my balcony garden.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - The twists, the turns, the tension, . . . the ending! If you haven't read this masterpiece (like I hadn't), even if you don't usually read mysteries, DO SO.

The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries - One of my favourite Regency romance authors has a boatload of convict women captured by pirates. Sound ridiculous? That's the part that's a true story. The rest ends up as a romance with a pirate hero who is one of my favourite across the romance genre. (Book #1 of the Lord trilogy)

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong (2011) - YA urban fantasy started off a brand new trilogy with a supernatural heroine who doesn't know she's supernatural yet. Likeable characters, suspicious research facility, and so many delightful Canadianisms that pleased me. (Book #1 of the Darkness Rising trilogy - the next is out in April 2012).

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen - A re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. . . during the Holocaust. Beautiful and haunting.

Essex Sisters Series by Eloisa James - Georgian-era romances. Through the 4 books, you get really invested in the lives of the 4 Essex sisters. Eloisa James is a master at putting really heartbreaking scenarios into her books, and also at intertwining her female leads through series. But they always have a happy ending!

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews - A second foray into "The Edge" (that place between our world and the "other", magical world), with a gritty alternate Lousiania swampland and an equally gritty heroine who fights for her family and meets a semi-feral fella. This series keeps getting better. (Book #2 of The Edge series)

One Second After by William Fortschen - One second (and then days, weeks, months, and years) after an EMP above North America kills all modern technology. Chillingly realistic apocalypse, and also really engaging.

River Marked by Patricia Briggs (2011) - Another dip into Mercy Thompson's world, VW Mechanic and part-time coyote. This is a bit different in tone from the others, but the development of Mercy and Adam's relationship,  the focus on Native American mythology (like seeing Coyote), and the intricacies of the world-building made it another delight to read. (Book #6 of the Mercy Thompson series)