My Top Ten Books for 2011

I woke with a start this morning, thinking How could I forget?, realizing I failed to add Oregon author Craig Lesley to yesterday’s list of books read in 2011. So, for the record: 

47. Winterkill by Craig Lesley

48. River Song by Craig Lesley

Onward to My Top Ten, culled from yesterdays’ list. Note that old favorites such as Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac are exempt from My Top Ten list because they are, effectively, all time chart-toppers in and of themselves. Without further delay and in no particular order…

MY TOP TEN BOOKS for 2011:

  • Winterkill by Craig Lesley
  • Temple of Air by Patricia Ann McNair
  • Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing by Lydia Peele (Dear Lydia: Please write more books!)
  • The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek
  • An American Map by Anne-Marie Oomen
  • The Cowboys by William H. Forbis
  • The World Made Straight by Ron Rash
  • War by Sebastian Junger
  • The Room and the Chair by Lorraine Adams
  • Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction edited by Tara L. Masih (this book is also an anthology of stories)

And a few other categories for good measure:

  • Fiction that continues to keep me thinking: Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell
  • Nonfiction that taught me the most as a writer: An American Map by Anne-Marie Oomen
  • Fiction that taught me the most as a writer: The Room and the Chair by Lorraine Adams
  • Favorite literary journal (besides TRACHODON): Electric Literature.
  • Easiest read with highest payoff: The World Made Straight by Ron Rash
  • Most useful book as a teacher of writing: Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction edited by Tara L. Masih
  • Most useful book as a person trying to make a living as a writer: Listbuilding for Bloggers by Phil Hollows

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