My Top 2011 Picks

I started blogging late in 2011, but it has been a great reading year for me since January.  I loved a lot of my 2011 reads, but here is a shorter list for those who are short on time.  Although many of the books I read would have honourable mentions, here are my top picks from my 2011 Reading List, in no particular order.
*Clicking on the image will bring you to my initial post about the novel.  

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Although this book is found in the Young Adult/Teen section, I absolutely loved these books!  The Hunger Games trilogy consists of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.  These books by Suzanne Collins were a little bit of action and love and a lot of exciting and awesome.  Start this trilogy, no matter what your age, when you have a few days to spare because you are not going to want to put these books down.  The movie comes out in 2012 so you can look forward to that!  Buy the book here.

 
 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help was a very popular book this year.  Part of its success was probably because of the release of the 2011 movie.  The story, dealing with inequality between coloured maids and their bosses, was funny and heartfelt.  The book had me laughing and crying.  Buy the book here. 





Little Princes by Conor Grennan

The book Little Princes is the true story of Conor Grennan, who travels to Nepal to volunteer in an orphanage.  He finds out the truth behind the past of these young children - they are actually victims of child trafficking and many of them have families who are still alive and well.  Grennan takes it upon himself to help these children reunite with their families.  Little Princes was a great non fiction read filled with Grennan's memories of his time in Nepal.  This book also made it onto the CTV Canada AM book corner.  Buy it here. 

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

This book, though fiction, was eye opening to historical events that occurred in 1942 in Paris, during the Vel d'Hiv roundup.  I'm not a huge history fan, but I liked this book.  It goes back and forth between plots in 1942 and 2002, as a journalist tries to connect events that are close to her family.  Buy it here.





Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Secret Daughter is the story of Asha, a young adult who was given up for adoption when she was born.  Her biological mother was forced to give her up since boys are the strongly favoured sex in their culture.  A family in the United States adopts Asha, one of her adoptive parents being from a similar background and culture.  So many issues are touched upon in this book.  It's a really heartwarming story that I think many of you would love.  Buy it here. 



Honourable mentions include Water for Elephants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Room, and Once Upon a Day. 

Little Princes (Conor Grennan)

I was hesitant to start this book, mainly because I'm not usually a non fiction reader.  However, because this book came highly recommended by various family members, I decided to give it a go this summer.  I'm glad I did.

Little Princes is the true story of Conor Grennan, a twenty-nine-year-old who decides he's going to go volunteer in an orphanage in Nepal (mainly because he thought it would sound good when he told others!).  Although his initial visit to Nepal was just the first stop on his "one-year, solo round-the-world trip," the experiences he had with the many children in the orphanage changed him.

Living in Nepal exposed him to many things.  He discovered that many of the children in these orphanages were the victims of child trafficking; that is, when times were hard, these children were sold by their parents, who had been promised that their children would grow up in a safer environment with food, shelter, and education.  This was hardly the case for many of these children. Conor takes it upon himself to find family members and reunite them with their children. 

Conor Grennan's descriptions of the children really make you feel like you are experiencing what he is - many of his interactions with the children made me laugh out loud, whereas others made me really feel for them.  The story of his trek across the country really makes you understand how difficult this journey was and how much he was risking to help the orphans.

This book really shows how much impact one person can have - He did some pretty amazing things. 

If you purchase this book, a portion of the proceeds are donated to Next Generation Nepal.