Memorable Books of 2011

It would seem as though everyone is doing one of these lists, and let me just say that I did not realize how hard these things were to compile! So instead of ranking them 1-10, I've decided to make a list in no real order, of the books that I most remember enjoying in the year of 2011 :)

One of my favorites was The Measure of Katie Calloway. I passed this one on to my mother and it quickly became her 2nd favorite book! I really liked how the hero and heroine interacted with each other, everything was honorable, and they didn't randomly think about each other at odd times for no real reason. Their romance wasn't forced, it just felt natural. You can read my review of The Measure of Katie Calloway HERE

Another book that stood out to me, was Sandra Byrd's To Die For: A novel of Anne Boleyn. This book was historical fiction done right. So many times it's hard to capture a real historical figure in a way that does them justice, and this book captures that perfectly. The Tudors have long been one of my favorite topics, but often poor Anne Boleyn is not done justice to. But here, I think Ms. Byrd has gotten her right :) Also it has a bit of church history woven in, with a character's involvement with William Tyndale, my favorite Christian hero. For me, this book hit all the right notes. It was entertaining, yet historical, with well thought out characters, and on a topic that I love to read about :) You can read my review of To Die For HERE

The Wonder of Your Love was my favorite Amish book this year. It had everything, love, loss, laughter, killer characters, and a great storyline. After reading Beth Wiseman's Plain Perfect I was hooked on this author and her series. I think it would be very hard to read this book and not like it. You can read my review HERE

Forsaking All Others. Wow, what a hard hitting emotional read. Well written and full of truths. It was hard to read at times because it showed how people who genuinely lived and believed a lie, they were even willing to inflict such horrible wounds on others for their beliefs. Forsaking All Others is not a book I will be forgetting any time soon! You can read my review of Forsaking All Others
HERE    

Blues Skies Tomorrow was actually the first by Sarah Sundin, even though it was third in a series. This book had action and conflict, pain both physical,emotional, and spiritual. My favorite character of the book was Ray, a soldier during WWII. Boy, did he have a heart-pounding adventure! This book convinced me to buy Ms. Sundin's other 2 books in the series that I hope to get around to sometime next year :) You can read my review of Blue Skies Tomorrow HERE    


I loved the story of the feisty librarian and the rough-looking, blacksmith with a large vocabulary. I was probably smiling for 95% percent of this book (because it wouldn't do to smile when the hero is in peril). With wonderfully drawn characters, and a great storyline, it's hard not to have your heart won over by this charming book. And surprisingly I didn't review To Win Her Heart, as I read it right before I started blogging.

Mine is the Night is the wonderful re-telling of Ruth re-located to the Scottish Lowlands. Full of wonderful characters that are sure to draw you in, Mine is the Night is a book that is well worth reading. Ms. Higgs skillfully changes the setting of this well-loved tale in a way that you won't want to miss. You can read my review HERE

This compilation would not be complete without the thrilling end to Jill Williamson's epic trilogy, From Darkness Won. Don't let the thickness of this book scare you, I finished this 660 page epic in approximately less than 2 days, albeit I stayed up way too late at night! And then I passed it off to my brother, which led to him staying up way too late! LOL :) I didn't write a review about this one either, but I should have!

Patti Lacy's Reclaiming Lily was a wonderfully emotionally deep read that was hard to put down to the very end. I really liked how the author handled Kai's remembrances of when she was a child. The characters are strong and well done. You can read my review of Reclaiming Lily HERE

In the Aerie of the Wolf really took me by surprise. I was not expecting it to be the way that it was. It is a historical fiction re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, and it's one of those books that only gets better with every re-read. Filled with great Biblically based lessons, In the Aerie of the Wolf is sure to surprise and delight. You can read my review of this book HERE


Thank you for letting me share my compilation with you! I hope to be reading many more wonderful and memorable books in 2012. Do you have a favorite book of 2011? A memorable one? Feel free to share in the comments below :) Have a wonderful New Year!