Book Bliss - Old and New

As the year comes to a close, I'm still pondering my "Best of 2011 List."

It's hard!  I read a lot of really terrific books this past year.

Two books, however,  pop immediately to mind, and they will top my list - Margaret Maron's THREE-DAY TOWN and Louise Penny's A TRICK OF THE LIGHT.

Both books were books I've been waiting for.  Margaret finally gives us Deborah and Sigrid together and Louise gives us the event I started hoping for in the very first Three Pines novel.  I finished both books with a smile on my face and immediately read through them a second time.  Pure Bliss ! ! !

They were worth the wait.

2011 brought some new authors to my attention that found their way onto my "Auto Buy List."  They're a fairly wide ranging group.  I can't think of a single word that might fit each of these writers and tie them together in any manner, but they each captured me in a big way.  Well, actually, I can.   They're all women.  Something I did not realize until now.  I "think" I read a pretty good mix of both men and women, but I have to admit, this is going to send me back to the list of books I read in 2011 and see if that's really true.  Huh.  How 'bout that?  A mystery to ponder . . . .

Here are my new discoveries.  If you haven't tried any these authors yet, please do and let me know what you think.  (I'd suggest reading the Tana French books in the order written.  They're not really a series, but each novel introduces a character you'll meet in the next novel.  And I would most definitely read Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series in order).


Sarah Addison Allen - "North Carolina novelist Sarah Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction -- a captivating blend of fairy tale magic, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility." author bio

Tana French - "Ambitious and extraordinary"  Washington Post

Julia Glass - "Glass establishes her literary credentials with ingenuity and panache."  Publisher's Weekly

Susan Hill - "Thoughtful mysteries...elegant prose."  New York Times  Book Review

Erin Morgenstern - “Every once in awhile you find a novel so magical that there is no escaping its spell. The Night Circus is one of these rarities — engrossing, beautifully written and utterly enchanting. If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it.”  Danielle Trussoni, author of Angelology

Barbara O'Neal - “As dark and deep and sweet as chocolate…I wanted to live in this book.” Sarah Addison Allen

Any discoveries you'd care to share?


And I'd like to wish all of you a Happy New Year!  May 2012 bring you nothing but good things!