Tammy’s Top Ten Books of 2011 I Never Got to Read But Wanted To

It’s a sad truth: there is never enough time to read everything I want to.  But look!  You can see from the above photo that I own all ten books.  It’s not like I couldn’t find them at the library!   Kids, husband, dogs, life…they all try to pull me away from reading.  They want to be fed (kids).  They want their laundry done (husband).  They want to be walked and given duck treats (dogs).  Often when I finally lie down to read, I am interrupted.  Such is life, I guess. And so, like many readers, I end up with a very big “to be read” pile of books.

This post has been revamped for The Broke and the Bookish‘s Top Ten Tuesday, so my apologies if you’ve read this already.  This week’s “theme” is a Freebie, whatever top ten list you want to share!

These are the top ten that I really wanted to read this year but just didn’t get to:

1.  FLASHBACK by Dan Simmons. (Little, Brown & Company, 2011)  I love Dan Simmons. He’s written two of my favorite books of all time (Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion). Flashback is a set in a future America where most people are addicted to a drug called flashback, which allows the user to relive the best times of their lives.  It’s the story of a cop who is trying to solve a murder.  It’s long, but I will make time to read this book:)

2. THE FUTURE OF US by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler. (Razorbill, 2011)  This was one of my weekly recommendations.  It’s the story of two teens in 1996 who log onto AOL on their computer one day, only to see themselves on Facebook—15 years in the future.

3. THE TAKER by Alma Katsu. (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Press, 2011)  The plot sounds confusing, but this book has had some great reviews.  It’s a supernatural tale of unrequited love and redemption.  And has a character that appears to be immortal.

4. THE MARRIAGE PLOT by Jeffrey Eugenides. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011)  Despite the really ugly cover (apologies to the book designer!), I’m betting this is great. I’ve read mixed reviews, but I’m a big Eugenides fan, so I’m looking forward to finally (someday) reading it.

5. THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman. (Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2011)  Enough said.

6.  THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME by Donald Ray Pollock. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2011).  This book has had comparisons to Oliver Stone and Flannery O’Connor. Wow! It is set in rural West Virginia and is filled with odd, violent, and damaged characters. Sign me up!

7.  VAMPIRE EMPIRE: BOOK ONE: THE GREYFRIAR by Clay Griffith. (Pyr, 2010)  Book Two was published in 2011, so I’m really behind on this series. It’s received rave reviews and is a steampunk novel set in an alternate England in the year 2020.  A book with vampires and princesses, how can I resist?

8.  ROBOPOCALYPSE by Daniel H. Wilson. (Doubleday, 2011)  In a nutshell, robots take over the planet.  Humans vs. technology is always entertaining.

9.  SKIPPY DIES  by Paul Murray.  (Hamish Hamilton, 2010)  This book also came out in 2010 and has been languishing on my TBR pile for almost two years now. I believe it’s a sleeper and one of these days the movie will come out and everyone will be scrambling to read the book.

10.  DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth.  (Katherine Tegen Books, 2011)  This book is on almost everyone’s top ten list in the young adult category.  The second book in the series, Insurgent, comes out in May 2012. so I need to read this soon. It’s one of many dystopian novels that came out this year, but from what I’ve heard it’s better than most.

In case you missed it, here is my Top Ten list of my favorite books of 2011 that I actually read.

So, here’s to catching up…and here’s to 2012!  Happy New Year, everyone!