12 in 12 Category Challenge 1/3

As for the top books, I'd better start with the 1001 books. My top two were The Virgin Suicides and Foe, both were gripping and thought-provoking. My best discovery was John Irving and his book The World According to Garp, I can't wait to find more of his work. The best "why didn't I read that sooner?" was Jane Eyre and its well-written prequel, Wide Sargasso Sea. I love crime fiction, and the top spot has to go to Woman in White, I especially enjoyed the readalong on the 11 in 11 Challenge.

As for the rest, they are an eclectic mix. I found High Fidelity a real blast from the past, it certainly holds up to the rest of Nick Hornby's work. The quirky style of Toast made the book unputdownable, revealing, as it did, the family's history recipe by recipe. On the Beach was terribly sad, but I like books that make me take stock of the world around me. Estados Desunidos de Latinoamerica, given to me by my brother, not only was good for my Spanish, but as it was a collection of articles, written in managable chunks. A good insight into the Americas. People of the Book and Sweetness in the Belly were also very good, but I have to say that The World's Wife was an excellent find.

The bottom two were Killing Floor and The Body Artist, the former because it wasn't my cup of tea and the latter because it just didn't go anywhere.

Roll on Part 2!