Best Fiction
Le Club des incorrigibles optimistes by Jean-Michel Guenassia
The Eastern Europe emigre culture in Paris through the eyes of a young French boy
That was a surprise since it edged the stunning This boy's life by Tobias Wolff right at the end of the year. My review on Wolff's book -->http://www.librarything.com/review/67997688. Third place goes to The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer, my review -->http://www.librarything.com/review/72769157
Best Short Novel
Les Naufragés by Hernàn Neira --> http://www.librarything.com/work/12081618/book/81210760
Kafka meets Lord of the Flies in this short novel that would surely feature in Colin Wilson's diatribe about "The Foreigner" in literature if it had been written some decades earlier.
Best Short Stories Collection
Stories of your Life: and Others by Ted Chiang
This could well be the science fiction book of the year for me, but I decided to choose a full novel for that category. An Arthur Clarke would write 30 books using the ideas that Ted Chiang fitted in this short collection
State of the art by Iain Banks was my first read of 2011 and a deserving finalist for this category. Moreover, it's a must-read for Culture afficionados since it includes the only appearance of planet Earth on the whole Culture corpus.
Best Weird Fiction
Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano
My Review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/72615074
Bolano could very well take all awards in this category but I would like to mention Enigma by Rezvani which inspired me to write my first ever review on librarything --> http://www.librarything.com/review/68059403
Best History Book
A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present by Howard Zinn
Made in America : an informal history of the English language in the United States by Bill Bryson would probably win it if it wasn't for that economic crisis that makes Zinn's work so important for the current state of affairs.
Best non-fiction other than history
Raw Spirit by Iain Banks
A book that made me spend some valuable cash on single malt whiskey :)
The Island of lost maps by Miles Harvey also gets a mention
Best Science Fiction
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
My Review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/67798833
The Quiet War and its sequel Gardens of the Sun by Paul McAuley were also great fun to read.
Best Chess Book (excluding those that actually try to improve your game)
Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland 1824-1987 by Tim Harding
Best Read by an Author new to you in 2011
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
My Review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/70604607
What a book! Worths the hype
Best Biography/Autobiography
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
My review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/70604553
I have a couple of biographies queued for early 2012, Howard Zinn's for starters and Like a Fiery Elephant, Jonathan Coe's take on the novelist and poet B.S.Johnson.
Le Club des incorrigibles optimistes by Jean-Michel Guenassia
The Eastern Europe emigre culture in Paris through the eyes of a young French boy
That was a surprise since it edged the stunning This boy's life by Tobias Wolff right at the end of the year. My review on Wolff's book -->http://www.librarything.com/review/67997688. Third place goes to The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer, my review -->http://www.librarything.com/review/72769157
Best Short Novel
Les Naufragés by Hernàn Neira --> http://www.librarything.com/work/12081618/book/81210760
Kafka meets Lord of the Flies in this short novel that would surely feature in Colin Wilson's diatribe about "The Foreigner" in literature if it had been written some decades earlier.
Best Short Stories Collection
Stories of your Life: and Others by Ted Chiang
This could well be the science fiction book of the year for me, but I decided to choose a full novel for that category. An Arthur Clarke would write 30 books using the ideas that Ted Chiang fitted in this short collection
State of the art by Iain Banks was my first read of 2011 and a deserving finalist for this category. Moreover, it's a must-read for Culture afficionados since it includes the only appearance of planet Earth on the whole Culture corpus.
Best Weird Fiction
Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano
My Review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/72615074
Bolano could very well take all awards in this category but I would like to mention Enigma by Rezvani which inspired me to write my first ever review on librarything --> http://www.librarything.com/review/68059403
Best History Book
A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present by Howard Zinn
Made in America : an informal history of the English language in the United States by Bill Bryson would probably win it if it wasn't for that economic crisis that makes Zinn's work so important for the current state of affairs.
Best non-fiction other than history
Raw Spirit by Iain Banks
A book that made me spend some valuable cash on single malt whiskey :)
The Island of lost maps by Miles Harvey also gets a mention
Best Science Fiction
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
My Review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/67798833
The Quiet War and its sequel Gardens of the Sun by Paul McAuley were also great fun to read.
Best Chess Book (excluding those that actually try to improve your game)
Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland 1824-1987 by Tim Harding
Best Read by an Author new to you in 2011
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
My Review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/70604607
What a book! Worths the hype
Best Biography/Autobiography
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
My review --> http://www.librarything.com/review/70604553
I have a couple of biographies queued for early 2012, Howard Zinn's for starters and Like a Fiery Elephant, Jonathan Coe's take on the novelist and poet B.S.Johnson.
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