Maria's Favorite Books from 2011

Bruce Machart's collection of short stories feature raw, heartbreakingly beautiful language and characters whose lives test their notions of what it means to be a man in the modern West. He is a literary master. --Shay

Luis Alberto Urrea has outdone himself with the sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter. With subtle humor everywhere and wonderful characters, Urrea's latest novel exceeds any of his past endeavors, continuing the mythic history of his great aunt Teresita as she begins a new life in the United States.  --Pat

A coming of age story filled with humor, confusion and underlying fear, Kamchatka (origianlly published in Spanish in 2003) features a 10-year-old narrator who uses his vivid imagination to cope with his uprooted world in the aftermath of Argentina's 1976 military junta.  Poignantly told.  --Bethany

Every once in awhile I read a book that just stays at the top of my mind for many months after I’ve finished it. One Hundred Names for Love is one of those books. It’s a beautifully human love story. It’s a story about the power of language to heal and the power of the stories we tell ourselves to help recreate us from time to time. Through Ackerman's recounting of her life with her husband after his stroke, we learn much about the intricacies of our brains, and the miraculous ways in which recovery happens. Not just in my favorites for the year--but solidly among the best books I’ve ever read. --Andrea