Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Least Favorite Books of 2011

I can't believe it's that time again!  My goal each year is to read at least 52 books.  This year, I got 62 done. Not bad!  There were some great books in 2011.  As always, I will start with my LEAST favorite books of 2011.  Some of these are not bad in and of themselves but they were disappointments that often didn't live up to their hype.  One's experience of books is very different from that of other people.  Some of the books on this list made many Best of 2011 lists.  You may very well disagree with my selections.  All are reviewed on this blog.

LBC *LEAST* FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2011

10.  Kingdom of Childhood  by Rebecca Coleman
An interesting concept in the tradition of WHAT WAS SHE THINKING? that just missed the mark for me.  I would have loved the story to be developed a bit more.  It left me with too many questions.

9. This Beautiful Life  by Helen Schulman
I loved the idea of this book and it is certainly timely but I felt it was too short to really delve into the topic.

8. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
This book just didn't come together for me. All the build-up led to a very anticlimactic reveal.

7. The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson
There was so much buzz about this book that I expected a lot. Although the ideas were interesting, it didn't entirely work.

6. Forgotten Waltz  by Anne Enright
I am far in the minority on this one. Most people have it on their Best of 2011 list. I found it slow and tedious.

5. Demi-Monde: Winter  by Rod Rees
This skewed very "young adult" to me. The concept was creative but didn't leave me interested enough to want to continue the series.

4. Hypnotist  by Lars Kepler and Ann Long
This started out so well and then completely fell apart.  Too many things going on to make it a truly effective thriller.


3. Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer
I loved the concept but it just didn't work. The characters weren't likeable and I was left unclear about the point Wolitzer really wanted to make.

2. Last Werewolf   by Glen Duncan
Ugh.  Major disappointment.  Duncan is clearly a gifted writer but some of this came off as so cheesy as to be embarrassing.  "Werewolf sex."  Enough said.

1. Waiting for Spring  by R.J. Keller
Too long and unbelievable to be effective.  The themes are good but I just didn't buy the story.

Stay tuned for the Best of 2011!

4 comments:

Rebecca Coleman said...

Thanks ;-). Hope this year offers you better reading!

Amy M. said...

Oh Rebecca! It was a tough year to choose books. There was so much that I truly enjoyed about your book! Check out the review! I had to pick ten and yours was the best of my least favorites. (wink)

-Amy

R.J. Keller said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Susan said...

I have the Last Werewolf out of the library right now, so I'm curious to see how I like it. You are right, everyone was talking about The Lantern, and yet when I picked it up and read the back, it seemed to be a rehash of Rebecca, which I am tired of reading about! So I didn't bother with it yet. Maybe one day I'll try it. I'm disappointed The Hypnotist is there on your list too. Again, it's one I'm waiting to come out in paperback for, and I will let you know how i like it.