Best Books of 2011 Year-End Honors by Book Best Books of 2011 Honors by Book - Fiction Ranking (updated jan 22 2012) Best Books of 2011 Honors by Book - Nonfiction Ranking (updated nov 30 2011) 01/21/2012: 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalists for Fiction 12/18/2011: New Yorker Favorite Books From 2011 12/07/2011: Economist Books of the Year 12/07/2011: TIME Magazine Top 10 Fiction Books of 2011 11/30/2011: New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011 Fiction | Nonfiction 11/21/2011: New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 11/17/2011: Library Journal Best Books 2011: The Top Ten 11/08/2011: Amazon Top 10 Literature & Fiction of 2011 | Best Books of 2011 11/07/2011: Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011 10/18/2011: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes wins the 2011 Man Booker Prize 10/12/2011: 2011 National Book Award Finalists for Fiction | Nonfiction 09/06/2011: 2011 Man Booker Prize Shortlist Top 5 Fiction 1 The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht 230 reviews (352p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #4 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #10 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Fiction (16) New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011 Michiko Kakutani's Recommendations for 2011 (10) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Library Journal Best Books 2011: The Top Ten National Book Award Finalist Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Hudson Booksellers Best Books of 2011: Fiction (10) Economist Books of the Year: Fiction (8) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 2 The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides 215 reviews (496p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #3 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #5 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Top 10 #1 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Library Journal Best Books 2011: More of the Best (19) National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction Finalist Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Economist Books of the Year: Fiction (8) NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 3 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami 214 reviews (928p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #2 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #2 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Library Journal Best Books 2011: The Top Ten Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Washington Post Best Books of 2011 (10) Economist Books of the Year: Fiction (8) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 4 The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach 244 reviews (528p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #1 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #1 New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011 Michiko Kakutani's Recommendations for 2011 (10) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 5 OPEN CITY by Teju Cole 37 reviews (p) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction Finalist TIME Magazine Top 10 Fiction Books Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 Economist Books of the Year: Fiction (8) The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Top 5 Nonfiction 1 Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie 62 reviews (p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #29 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Top 10 #6 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Nonfiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 2 The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt 59 reviews (356p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #53 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Nonfiction New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 National Book Award for Nonfiction Winner Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Nonfiction (25) Hudson Booksellers Best Books of 2011: Nonfiction (10) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 3 Malcolm X by Manning Marable 79 reviews (608p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #24 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Nonfiction New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 National Book Award for Nonfiction Finalist Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Nonfiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 4 Bossypants by Tina Fey 631 reviews (p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #12 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Top 10 #5 Library Journal Best Books 2011: More of the Best (19) Hudson Booksellers Best Books of 2011: Nonfiction (10) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 5 In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson 554 reviews (p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #4 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Nonfiction New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Nonfiction (25) Hudson Booksellers Best Books of 2011: Nonfiction (10) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on     Full list of 2011 nonfiction book rankings and year-end honors for each book >> Other Notable Fiction The Empty Family: Stories by Colm Tóibín 21 reviews (288p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #36 Library Journal Best Books 2011: The Top Ten Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Swamplandia! by Karen Russell 176 reviews (336p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #58 New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on West of Here by Jonathan Evison 89 reviews (496p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #30 Hudson Booksellers Best Books of 2011: Fiction (10) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Pale King by David Foster Wallace 44 reviews (560p) Michiko Kakutani's Recommendations for 2011 (10) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Library Journal Best Books 2011: More of the Best (19) TIME Magazine Top 10 Fiction Books NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips 64 reviews (384p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #42 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Library Journal Best Books 2011: The Top Ten Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Hudson Booksellers Best Books of 2011: Fiction (10) The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on     Full list of 2011 fiction book rankings and year-end honors for each book >> The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt 83 reviews (336p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #8 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #20 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Fiction (16) Man Booker Prize Finalist Hudson Booksellers Best Books of 2011: Fiction (10) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Ten Thousand Saints: A Novel by Eleanor Henderson 41 reviews (p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #57 New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on State of Wonder by Ann Patchett 402 reviews (368p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #86 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Top 10 #3 TIME Magazine Top 10 Fiction Books Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Washington Post Best Books of 2011 (10) NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock 98 reviews (272p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #89 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Top 10 #2 Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes 174 reviews (160p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #31 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Man Booker Prize Winner Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson 48 reviews (320p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #69 TIME Magazine Top 10 Fiction Books Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Submission: A Novel by Amy Waldman 62 reviews (p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #33 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka 114 reviews (144p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #83 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Library Journal Best Books 2011: The Top Ten National Book Award Finalist Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta 137 reviews (p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #73 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 20 reviews (128p) Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Fiction (16) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Economist Books of the Year: Fiction (8) The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) NPR: The 10 Best Novels of 2011 - Maureen Corrigan Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 682 reviews (400p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #5 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #11 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Fiction (16) Library Journal Best Books 2011: More of the Best (19) Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks 46 reviews (432p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #7 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #18 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Chango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes by William Kennedy 14 reviews (304p) Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Fiction (16) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje 80 reviews (288p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 10 Literature & Fiction #9 Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #25 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Economist Books of the Year: Fiction (8) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Cain by Jose Saramago 37 reviews (176p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #55 Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Fiction (16) Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst 51 reviews (448p) Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011: Fiction (16) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction Finalist The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Zone One by Colson Whitehead 157 reviews (240p) Library Journal Best Books 2011: More of the Best (19) Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King 1025 reviews (p) Amazon Best Books of 2011: Top 100 Editors' Picks #93 New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011 New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2011: The Top 25 Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2011: Adult Fiction (25) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on The Angel Esmeralda by Don DeLillo 12 reviews (224p) Michiko Kakutani's Recommendations for 2011 (10) New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 The New Yorker: Favorite Books from 2011 - Fiction (23) Book Summary | Visit this book's page on Don't understand the data above? View the key.