The Best Books I Read in 2011

Unbroken, by Laura Hildebrand. I read this in January and immediately knew it would be one of my favorites of the year. This is the true(!) story of Louis Zamperini - child deviant, Olympic runner, and WWII bomber. During the war, he is shot down, survives for more than a month on a raft (fending off sharks) and survives unspeakable daily torture in a Japanese prison camp. It's no spoiler that he survives, the author doesn't attempt to keep that a secret. The mystery - and the beauty - of the book is how on earth he does survive. I especially liked that this book doesn't end where you expect it to - with Louis' happy reunion with his family after the war. For years after the war, Louis has to battle his demons, and the book doesn't shy away from that for a Hollywood ending. LOVED it.

The Help, Kathryn Sockett. I know, I know, everyone already knows about The Help. In talking to people around me, everyone likes it - people my age, even the 70-year old woman who runs the employee store at work. I think it's just one of those books.

Our Search for Happiness, M. Russell Ballard. I'd never read this book before, and it's a classic. It really explains Mormonism in a plain, matter-of-fact manner that anyone can understand.

Jesus the Christ, James E. Talmage. This is not an easy read, but it's a very rewarding read. One of the most amazing things to me is that most of what Elder Talmage points out is right there in the Gospels - but he's made such an intent study of them that he's able to lay out the whole context of an aspect of Christ's life and make you see it in a way you never have before.

The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater. This is a book about killer horses. Still with me? The Scorpio Races happen once a year, and the riders take their lives in their own hands to sit atop these animals to try to win the purse. The book focuses on two competing riders, Kate and Sean, one a shoo-in and the other a total long shot. But it's really a book about relationships and how complicated they are - when those we love disappoint us, or when they decide to stick with us through anything. Highly recommended.

Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankel. I had never heard about this book until my boss told me about it. It's a Holocaust memoir, but the difference from others is that the author is a psychologist (or a psychiatrist - I can't remember). He describes a moment of clarity during his ordeals when he is able to detach himself from his sufferings and observe his situation from a professional lens. The inmates of the concentration camp all went through the same sufferings - but some gave up all hope (and, Frankel notes, usually died shortly after) while others shared their last morsels of bread. Frankel determines that the only thing that cannot be taken from a human is his will. He argues that those who could see a greater meaning to their lives were the ones who survived. I read this on vacation, and I was continually marking passages and dog-earing pages. Its message rings true on so many points. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you read it, and one you want to go back to again and again.