I read 49 books during 2011. Not as good as the 81 books I read during 2010, but in 2010 I had a lot of down time, with 3 surgeries. I plowed through gobs of books while recuperating. But 49 is still good.

You can read the complete list, along with brief descriptions and links to my reviews.

For this post, I’ll spotlight my 10 favorite books of 2011, in roughly the right order. This doesn’t mean they were technically the best, the ones a professional reviewer would applaude. These are just the ones I, Steve Dennie, ordinary guy, personally enjoyed.

1. City of Thieves, by David Benniot. Set in St. Petersburg, Russia, during World War 2. My review.
2. Blood Safari, by Deon Meyer. My introduction to a fabulous South African writer.
3. Hot, by Mark Hertsgaard. An artfully written look at the ramifications of a warming earth.
4. Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child. Jack Reacher stumbles into trouble in a small Colorado town named Despair. My review.
5. I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore. The first of a planned series about an alien war brought to earth. My review.
6. Matched , by Ally Condie. A young girl comes of age in an interestingly-imagined dystopian society. My review.
7. Night of Thunder, by Stephen Hunter. Bob Lee Swagger, master sniper and all-around tough guy, tackles a conspiracy built around the Bristol NASCAR race. My review.
8. The Professional, by Robert Parker. The third-to-the-last Spenser novel written by the master, and it’s a good one. My review.
9. Area 51, by Annie Jacobsen. The whole fascinating history of the super-secret chunk of Nevada known as Area 51. Loved it. My review.
10. Spade and Archer, by Joe Gores. How Sam Spade, the famous Dasheill Hammett sleuth of “The Maltest Falcon,” got to be Sam Spade. My review.