Authors’ and Editors’ Favorite Reads from 2011

Jesse Bering’s Bookshelf

With more and more books published every year, it’s increasingly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Does this increase the usefulness of all the annual “Best of” lists? Perhaps. It’s irresistible when a critic distills a year of reading into a simple hierarchy, especially if her tastes match your own. It’s just so efficient. I tend to eschew those books awarded the most (or loudest) hosannas in favor of the previously unknown novels that slipped past me at publication. (This year it’s Ben Lerner’s excellent Leaving the Atocha Station.)

Sites like Salon, The Millions, and The Guardian go straight to the authors for their recommendations. I decided to do the same, canvassing our writers and editors. With a couple caveats: First, the editors couldn’t choose their own titles; Second, one’s choices didn’t need to be published in 2011, just read in 2011. Old classics and novels from 2010 and 2009 are all welcome.

Some submitted a straightforward list, while others penned brief summaries. (The Spanish-Argentinian novelist Andrés Neuman even separated his list by language.) I hope you’ll find your next favorite book among them.

Favorite Reads from 2011:

Mitzi Angel

Jesse Bering

David Bezmozgis

Frank Bill

Daniel Chamovitz

Ryan Chapman

Jesse Coleman

Anthony Giardina

Amelia Gray

Sheila Heti

Paul La Farge

David Levithan

Bill Loehfelm

Sean McDonald

Andrés Neuman

Daniel Orozco

James Renner

Caleb Scharf

Justin Taylor

Christopher Tilghman

Héctor Tobar

Ellen Ullman

Amy Waldman

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