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Health & Fitness

Blogger: 5 Great Books that Have Appeared on 3 or More Best of 2011 Lists

The five books have come up as some of the biggest winners of 2011! Give one a try and see if its a big hit with you!

As 2011 winds down the yearly best book lists continue to be released. These five books are the best of the best. They have appeared on at least 3 Annual Best Book lists.

The Night Circus, Morgenstern, Erin

Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2011, Best Fiction of 2011- Kirkus, Best Books of 2011-Amazon.com

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The Night Circus appears without warning. Its black and white tents silently announce its arrival. When night falls, the Circus of Dreams and all its wonders are open for business. The illusions are real in this circus. The magic is the work of two rival magicians, Celia and Marco. Both are pawns in game run by Celia’s father and Marco’s mentor. The two men use the children as they grow up to fuel their own rivalry. What no one counted on was that Celia and Marco would end up falling in love... Moving backwards and forwards in time this story is one of true magic.

1Q84, Murakami, Haruki

New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011, Best Fiction of 2011-Kirkus Reviews, Best Books of 2011-Amazon.com

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A young woman in a taxi that is stuck in traffic decides to get out of the car to get to her appointment. That single action changes everything. The woman, Aoname, continues on her away to assassinate a man who brutalizes women. As she goes along she begins to notice that things are different. The police wear different uniforms, and there are two moons in the sky. She decides to call it 1Q84, the “Q” standing for the questions she has about this new world. Tengo, a young teacher and aspiring writer  is the other narrator of this story. He is tasked with fixing a brilliant but flawed story that describes 1Q84. Tengo and Aoname have not seen each other for 20 years, but the memory of their meeting remains strong. An absorbing tale of parallel worlds and how one small decision can have significant consequences. A truly fascinating book!

The Tiger’s Wife, Obrecht, Tea

Publisher’s Weekly Best of 2011, New York Times Best Book of 2011, Best Books of 2011-Amazon.com

The story is set in an unnamed Balkan country. Natalia, a doctor is on her way to inoculate young children at an orphanage. During the trip she finds out that her terminally ill Grandfather has died far from home. Her grandmother asks her to retrieve his belongings. What seems like an ordinary story becomes one that moves backwards and forwards in time, between myth and the harsh realities of war. It is a fascinating tale of history, family, and world few know about.

Buddha in the Attic, Otusuka, Julie

New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011, National Book Award Finalist, Best Books of 2011-Amazon.com

This book is the story of a group of Japanese mail order brides who emigrate to California to meet their husbands. The women begin their journey together on the same boat. They arrive and meet their husbands. Some marry well and live in the city, others join the migrant worker population. At times the novel is written with multiple voices in unison like a Greek chorus, but from time to time a single woman is allowed to tell her own story. The story follows them from their marriages, to childbirth, and ends with their deportment to the interment camps in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor.

The Tragedy of Arthur, Phillips, Arthur

100 Notable Books of 2011- New York Times, Best Fiction of 2011- Kirkus Reviews,

A fictional memoir, the story focuses on a man called Arthur Phillips, whose father is also called Arthur Phillips. Phillips Sr has just been released from prison. He enlists his son to help him recover a lost Shakespeare play that has been languishing in a safe deposit box. Arthur Jr is a writer and his father hopes he can use his literary clout to get the play published. Arthur Sr., however, was in jail for forgery. Is the play truly a lost masterpiece or the one of his last cons? A fictional work, but it offers criticism of recent literary fraud (James Frey, Margaret Sezlter-anyone). Not a book for everyone, but for those who like smart, well written fiction- give this work a try!

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