My Favorite Book of 2011 - There Can Only Be One Winner

Alrighty...here comes the big boy. We're on to the quarterfinals. Since I'm doing the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals all in the same post, I'm going to do things a little differently. I'll be working one side of the bracket down to it's final competitor and then follow that on the other side. After that...it's the big fight. I'm curious to see what happens. I'm a little afraid of who might get knocked off in this upcoming round. Just know that every book that has made it this far is definitely worth the read!

Quarterfinals - Left Side

 vs.

 and

 vs.

I'd like to point out here that all four of these books have been or are being (Stieg Larsson) turned into movies. I know how to pick 'em.

Phew...okay. Here we go. Two very good books are about to get chopped.

Heat 1 :

Both The Hunger Games and The Time Traveler's Wife are great books. I enjoyed each of them for different reasons. The Hunger Games is a suspenseful fantasy novel that is easy to read and would probably hold the attention of anyone over the age of eight. The Time Traveler's Wife is also a fantasy novel, but it's more closely related to chick lit than suspense. But hey...I'm a chick...and we all know of my obsession for Audrey Niffenegger.

Winner : The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Heat 2 :

Again...two great books. This time though, very distinctly different genres. The Girl Who Played with Fire is a suspenseful action...think James Bond (there's a reason they picked Daniel Craig for the movies). There is never a dull moment and it's seriously hard to put the book down. Julie & Julia is a very cute memoir about a girl who seems to be a lot like me...setting her mind to a project that everyone thinks is crazy. But...I got sucked in by Stieg Larsson. I'm telling you...that series is crazy good.

Winner : The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson

on with the show...let's see who takes the left side bracket...

Semifinals - Left Side

 vs.

Okay...if you doubted how good the Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson is...this had better convince you. I wouldn't knock dear Audrey off the bracket for just anyone. I'm dying inside just a little by doing this.

Winner : The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

One side down, one to go...


Quarterfinals - Right Side

 vs.  

and

 vs. 

Heat 1 :

It's a classic vs. historical fiction. Northanger Abbey has the Austen name behind it. That's a pretty good source of strength. But Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants is a beautiful historical fiction novel with amazing characters and a good plot to boot. Both good choices, but an easy decision nonetheless.

Winner : Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Heat 2 :

It's a toughie. I'll give you that. The historical fiction of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet vs. Audrey's Her Fearful Symmetry. I'm sad to say that I am hurting myself once again, but there really isn't a competition here.

Winner : Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Semifinals - Right Side

It's getting awfully close now.

 vs. 

This is a pretty tough decision. I'll admit it. These two books are very closely matched. Water for Elephants has a playful, fun nature to it despite the darkness within the story. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a beautiful love story under horrible circumstances.

There is no good way to pick this one. I can't really give you a definitive reason, but my gut is telling me who I need to pick...

Winner : Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Finals :

So after a long year of waiting and painstakingly filling the bracket a book at a time, we've finally made it to the finals. Now...let me remind you who accused me of stacking the deck (ahem...), not only did Anthony Bourdain not make it to the Sweet Sixteen, but I nixed TWO Audrey Niffenegger books. It pains me...

The final matchup is :

vs.

Two very different books are facing off here. Who would've thought that a sequel would beat out both the initial book and it's conclusion to make it here. And a sleeper cell has torn through some tough competition to more or less come out of nowhere. If you would've asked me a week ago, I never would've pegged these two for the bracket.


However, there has to be one clear winner in the end.


And so...the winner of my Favorite Book of 2011 is...

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

If Audrey had to lose, this is the one I would've wanted her to lose to...so it works out fittingly. I read some amazing books in 2011. I also managed to find a couple of duds. It's all in a day's work...there's bound to be some that just don't make the cut.

And for one last look at the bracket...

I'm looking forward to another great batch of books for 2012. If you have any suggestions, feel free to shoot them my way!

My Favorite Book of 2011 - The Sweet Sixteen

Well the pool is distinctly smaller, but the competition is definitely going to be rougher. Taking a look at the bracket now, I am going to have some seriously tough decisions to make.

No sense putting it off...here we go...

Heat 1 :

 (rating of 5)  vs.  (rating of 5)

Nothing like starting out with a zinger, right? For those of you who have not read them yet, both of these books are amazing. They're the next Harry Potter. I'm really struggling to decide which one to choose, but ultimately I have to go with the one that got me hooked...

Winner : The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Heat 2 :

 (rating of 5)  vs. (rating of 5)

Geez...it just doesn't get easier. I really loved both of these books. Darn it! This random thing is so not working in my favor. I should've stacked the deck. Okay...I've got to go with my gut on this one...

Winner : The Time Traveler's Wife by Suzanne Collins

Heat 3 :

 (rating of 4)  vs.  (rating of 5) 

Yay! An easy one!

Winner : The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Heat 4 :

 (rating of 5)  vs.  (rating of 5) 

Another tough decision. The Help was a really good historical novel and I got sucked in pretty quickly. Julie & Julia is a memoir and she's just so real I wanted to reach out and pinch her. By the end of the book I felt like we could be good friends. Both books have been turned into movies, so I must have decent taste. Going with my gut on this one...

Winner : Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Heat 5 :

  (rating of 4)  vs. (rating of 4) 

The only "4" bracket remaining. But someone has to go down. I enjoyed Northanger Abbey's writing style - it was a less uptight Austen than had been present in Mansfield Park. Thank goodness. Salem Falls was a good Picoult. Not her best, but no where near as painful as Sing You Home. Unfortunately, I think it's the predictable use of Salem and witch hunting that will do Jodi in on this one.

Winner : Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Heat 6 :

 (rating of 5)  vs. (rating of 4) 

 Winner : Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Heat 7 :

 (rating of 5) vs. (rating of 5)

This year I discovered that I have a pretty profound love for historical fiction. More and more it's becoming my favorite genre. So it is with no surprise that the winner is...

Winner : Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Heat 8 :

 (rating of 4) vs. (rating of 5)

No surprise here. Audrey comes out on top.

Winner : Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

And then there were eight...

My Favorite Book of 2011 - Finding the Sweet Sixteen.

It's finally here! It's the day when the books go head to head to see who will come out the favorite. Are you ready?

Here's what we're starting with....32 books duking it out for #1.

In each round, the books will be separated into heats. The winner of each heat will be determined by one of two methods. If a book has a higher star rating than its competitor, it will automatically move on to the next round. If the two books are tied for rating, then I will decide based on individual merits.

Because of the number of books that are being dealt with here things will get pretty long. So...I'm going to break the competition into three separate posts. Round 1, followed by the Sweet Sixteen, followed by the Quarterfinals, Semifinals & Finals.


Round 1

In Round 1, the playing field will be cut down by 1/2...leaving us with 16 remaining contenders.

Heat 1 :

        (rating of 4)  vs.  (rating of 5)

Winner : The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

Heat 2 :

 (rating of 5)  vs.  (rating of 5)

This is a tough decision. Jane Eyre has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. Catching Fire was an amazing new read. In this case I have to go by which one I would reread first. Though I'd like to say that I'm sticking to my guns, I think that Catching Fire has a clear edge here.

Winner : Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 

Heat 3 :

 (rating of 5)  vs. (rating of 4)

 Winner : The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Heat 4 :

 (rating of 5)  vs.  (rating of 5)

It's another head-to-head, but this one is an easy decision. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest was an absolutely amazing read. I would read it again right now and I just finished it last week.

Winner : The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Heat 5 :

 (rating of 4)  vs.  (rating of 4)

Again, the newbies come out on top. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo wins easily.

Winner : The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Heat 6 :

 (rating of 4)  vs.  (rating of 5)

Winner : The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Heat 7 :

 (rating of 5)  vs. (rating of 4)

Winner : The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Heat 8 :

 (rating of 5)  vs.  (rating of 4)

 Winner : Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Heat 9 :

 (rating of 4)  vs.  (rating of 3)

Winner : Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

Heat 10 :

 (rating of 4) vs. (rating of 3)

 Winner : Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Heat 11 :

 (rating of 5)  vs.  (rating of 4)

 Winner : Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Heat 12 :

 (rating of 4)  vs.  (rating of 4)

Another tied up match. And again, an easy choice for me. The White Queen was a smoother and easier read.

Winner : The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Heat 13 :

 (rating of 5)  vs. (rating of 4)

Winner : The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Heat 14 :

 (rating of 4)  vs. (rating of 5)

Winner : Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Heat 15 :

 (rating of 4)  vs. (rating of 4)

Two historical novels from the same time period, but opposite ends of the earth in competition for the same spot. What are the odds? I'm going to have to go with Memoirs of a Geisha. The detail was just amazing.

Winner : Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Heat 16 :

 (rating of 4) vs. (rating of 5)

 Winner : Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Ok...that completes that round. This was more or less the easy round to decide. In the next round, very few books will be ranked less than 5. That will certainly make for some stiffer competition.  Three authors have multiple entries in the sweet sixteen : Suzanne Collins, Stieg Larsson, and of course...Audrey Niffenegger (you saw that coming, didn't you?)

There they are...the Sweet Sixteen! On to Round 2...