Best Books of 2011

GiftLit announces our choices of the Best Books of 2011. From beautifully illustrated picture books for young children to exciting fantasies for teens to extraordinary must-read nonfiction titles, these stand out books make terrific holiday gifts.

GiftLit Picks the Best Books of 2011

Best Fiction Books of 2011

Our top fiction books for 2011 include The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje, 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, Swamplandia! by Karen Russell, and The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. See more of our gifts of fiction for adults.

Best Nonfiction Books of 2011

Our top nonfiction books for 2011 include In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson, Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt, A World on Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman, and Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie. See more of our gifts of nonfiction for adults.

Best Books of 2011 for Women

Our top books for women for 2011 include State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka, The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht, Blue Nights by Joan Didion, and The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. See more of our gifts for women.

Best Books of 2011 for Men

Our picks of the best books for men for 2011 include The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, The Pale King: An Unfinished Novel by David Foster Wallace, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard, The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips, and What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes. See more of our gifts for men.

Best Books of 2011 for Teens

Our choices for the best books for teens for 2011 include Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. See more of our gifts for teens.

Best Books of 2011 for Ages 12 to 14

Our top picks for the best books of 2011 for tweens include This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel, Legend by Marie Lu, The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines, Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt, and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. See more of our gifts for ages 12 to 14.

Best Books of 2011 for Ages 10 to 12

Our choices for the best books of 2011 for kids ages 10 to 12 include The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens, Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan, The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill, Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham, and City of Orphans by Avi. See more of our gifts for ages 10 to 12.

Best Books of 2011 for Ages 8 to 10

Our picks for the best books of 2011 for kids ages 8 to 10 include Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, Wild Wings by Gill Lewis, Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver, and Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck. See more of our gifts for ages 8 to 10.

Best Books of 2011 for Ages 5 to 8

Our choices for the best books of 2011 for kids ages 5 to 8 include Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, The Man in the Moon by William Joyce, Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, and Blackout by John Rocco. See more of our gifts for ages 5 to 8.

Best Books of 2011 for Ages 2 to 5

Our choices for the best books of 2011 for kids ages 2 to 5 include The Loud Book! by Deborah Underwood, Charlie The Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Jerry Pinkney, Press Here by Herve Tullet, and Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker. See more of our gifts for ages 2 to 5.

We hope you share our love of literature and passion to inspire people of all ages to read and will consider GiftLit for your next gift purchase.

www.giftlit.com

December Book Recommendations

GiftLit has the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday list this season, with gifts for children, for teens, for women, for men, for couples, and even for families. Choose from our collections selected by literary experts or use our customization features to build your own unique collection. Each subscription comes with personalized bookplates to make your gift extra special and best of all 10% of GiftLit’s profits go to organizations that promote literacy.

Read on to see our December recommendations and stay tuned for our picks for Best Books of the Year that are coming soon.

Happy Reading!



December Book Recommendations

Children’s Book Recommendations For Ages 2 to 5

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Jerry Pinkney

Part of our Great New Picture Books Age 2-5 collection.

See more recommendations for ages 2-5.

For Ages 5 to 8

Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time by Steve Jenkins

Part of our Great New Picture Books Age 5-8 collection.

See more recommendations for ages 5-8.

For Ages 8 to 10

Spunky Tells All by Ann Cameron

Part of our Page Turners Age 8-10 collection.

See more recommendations for ages 8-10.

For Ages 10 to 12

Seriously, Norman! by Chris Raschka

Part of our Great New Releases Age 10-12 collection.

See more recommendations for ages 10-12.

For Ages 12 to 14

Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Part of our Favorites for Girls Age 12-14 collection.

See more recommendations for ages 12-14.

Teen Book Recommendations

For Teen Girls

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Part of our Fiction for Teen Girls collection.

See more recommendations for teens.

For Teen Boys

The Future of Us by Carolyn Mackler

Part of our Fiction for Teen Boys collection.

See more recommendations for teens.

Adult Book Recommendations

For Women

Blue Nights by Joan Didion

Part of our Favorites for Women collection.

See more recommendations for women.

For Men

West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life by Jerry West

Part of our Nonfiction for Men collection.

See more recommendations for men.

For Fiction Fans

The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

Part of our Great New Hardcover Fiction collection.

See more fiction recommendations.

For Nonfiction Fans

The Time of Our Lives by Tom Brokaw

Part of our Great New Hardcover Nonfiction collection.

See more nonfiction recommendations.

For Couples

The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria by Ferran Adria

Part of our Cooking & Entertaining collection.

See more recommendations for couples.

For Mystery Fans

The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol

Part of our Mysteries & Thrillers collection.

See more mystery and thriller recommendations.

Family Book Recommendations

For Family Read Aloud

Little Treasures: Endearments from Around the World by Jacqueline K Ogburn

Part of our Read Aloud Ages 4-8 collection.

See more recommendations for family reads.

For Parents and Teens

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka



Part of our Parent & Teen Hardcover Fiction collection.

See more recommendations for parent & teen reads.

We hope you share our love of literature and passion to inspire people of all ages to read and will consider GiftLit for your next gift purchase.

www.giftlit.com