Sunday, January 22, 2012

The Best of 2011 by Month

I meant to post this list a little earlier in the month....but things have been a bit hectic and I'm slightly behind. So, without further ado, here's a run-down of the best reads of 2011 by month.

January
Time to Be in Earnest: a fragment of autobiography by P. D. James 4 1/2 stars
Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis 4 1/2 stars
The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen 4 1/2 stars
Cordially Invited to Meet Death by Rex Stout 4 1/2 stars

February
Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside 4 1/2 stars

March
Shroud of Darkness by E. C. R. Lorac 5 stars
Whose Body? by Dorothy L Sayers 5 stars

April
Ten Little Herrings by L. C. Tyler 4 1/2 starsAn Author Bites the Dust by Arthur W. Upfield 4 1/2

May
What Alice Knew: A Most Curious Tale of Henry James and Jack the Ripper by Paula Marantz Cohen 5 stars
Howards End Is on the Landing by Susan Hill 5 stars
June
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell 4 1/2 stars

July
The Herring in the Library by L. C. Tyler 4 stars
The Case of the Deceiving Don by Carl Brookins 4 stars
Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers 4 stars
Bone Harvest by Mary Logue 4 stars
Tom Fleck: A Novel of Cleveland & Flodden by Harry Nicholson 4 stars

August
That Day in September by Artie Van Why 5 stars
Kathleen by Christopher Morley 5 stars
Shatterday by Harlan Ellison 5 stars

September
Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers 5 stars
India Black & the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr 4 1/2 stars

October
Olga: A Daughter's Tale by Marie-Therese Browne 4 stars
The Shortest Way to Hades by Sarah Caudwell 4 stars
Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers 4 stars
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells 4 stars

November
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers 5 stars
Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers 5 stars

December
Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women by Autumn Stephens (ed) 4 stars
Beware of Trains by Edmund Crispin 4 stars


5 comments:

Jenners said...

I like the idea of listing the best books read each month. I'll have to consider doing something similar.

Bev Hankins said...

Jenners: I did this last year (in a little more timely fashion). It gives a little bit different perspective from doing a simple "Best Of" (which I did as well for one of the memes). With a general "Best Of"--you usually pick your top ten or something like that...there are a great many on the monthly list that didn't make that one...

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

What a good idea to give your highlights of best of the best. I stopped giving starred reviews because I felt hemmed in by them, but now I want to start them back up so I can do a best of list like yours. Thanks.

Debbie Rodgers said...

oh dear, oh dear...more books for my wish list...The Chinese Orange is an elegant mystery, yes?

Bev Hankins said...

@Debbie: I'm not sure elegant is the word for Ellery Queen mysteries. It was very good...but I'm just not sold on "elegant."