Top 5: Books Read In 2011

     I have to go a little different route with this list.  Due to time constraints and the capriciousness of my reading habits, I didn't really read a ton of books that were actually published in 2011, so instead of listing the Top 5 Books of 2011 I'm going to list the Top 5 Books That I Read In 2011.  These are all books that I started and finished in 2011 without regards to when they were published and enjoyed the most.  It makes the list even more personal then usual but it's all I got.  Here are my Top 5 2011 books...

5)  Sleepwalk With Me - Mike Birbiglia (2010)
          If you're familiar with his stand-up then you know Mike Birbiglia is a funny guy.  This book is no exception, as his humor translated wonderfully to the written word.  Those of you who have listened to his stand-up will find some of the stories familiar (that doesn't make them any less funny) but there is plenty of new material to keep even the biggest Birbiglia fan entertained.  My favorite selection is his story about getting his first kiss.  It was wonderfully awkward and laugh out loud hilarious.  A great quick and easy read for anyone looking for a good laugh.

4)  A Game Of Thrones - George R.R. Martin (1996)
          I'm a bit of a sci-fi/fantasy geek (I was reading Tolkien's The Hobbit in first grade) so why it took me so long to pick this book up I'm not quite sure.  I've been meaning to read it for years, but some other shiny book always seemed to catch my eye when I entered the book store.  Now, thanks in part to all the buzz behind the HBO show, I finally got around to purchasing a copy and giving it a read.  Although it's very dark and morbid, Martin's opus lives up to much of the hype surrounding it.  I may still prefer Tolkien and Jordan, but Martin and this book certainly belong in the conversation.  Great characters (just don't get to attached), compelling story lines (just don't look for inspiration) and a beautifully drawn world make this book one of the best fantasy novels around.

3) Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (2008)
          I have a small aversion to Young Adult novels, being that I am a full grown adult and all, especially when they have this kind of buzz around them.  Against my better judgement, I picked this book up to see what the hype was about and was pleasantly surprised.  It starts out a little slow and is obviously written for a younger audience, but once the action starts to pick up so does the depth of the characters.  Collins characterizations are very subtle yet powerful and I think that's what I liked most about this book.  She doesn't spoon feed her young readers.  Let's be honest though, as much as the media tries to paint this as an original story, there is nothing original about it.  It's part Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, part Koushun Takami's Battle Royale, and part reality television craze.  None the less, it's highly worth reading.

2) Redbreast - Joe Nesbo (2000)
          This is a Norwegian crime novel that blew me away.  Ever since reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I've gone out looking for Scandinavian crime novels, a genre I find darker, better written and more appealing then it's American counterpart and this is the best I've come across yet.  It read very much like the Steig Larsson novels, yet it was published years prior.  Nesbo was Steig Larsson before there was a Steig Larsson.  If you liked The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo or if you really enjoy dark crime novels this is a must read.

1)  Bottom Of The 33rd: Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game - Dan Berry (2011)
          I've read a lot of baseball books in my time, it being my favorite sport and all, but nothing has ever struck me as hard as this book.  Maybe it's because I used to go to McCoy Stadium as a kid, where this game was held.  I still have a few souvenir cups that have the scoreboard from this game on them.  Maybe it's because I grew up watching some of the players involved in the game.  I think it's merely because this is such a well written book about not just the longest baseball game to ever be played, but the idea of dreams and aspirations.  Berry does an exceptional job of characterizing all the people involved, from the players on their way to the Hall Of Fame, to the players on their way to obscurity, to the owners of the teams involved, to the fans in the stands.  I think even a reader who could care less about baseball would get pulled into the world that Barry depicted.  The book is about being human more then it is about winning a baseball game.  My must read book of the year.

Honorable Mentions : Read Player One- Ernest Cline (2011), Freedom- Jonathan Franzen (2010), One Day- David Nicholls (2010), Water Music- T.C. Boyle (1981)