30 Day Book Challenge: Day Twenty-Five

So Many Books, So Little Time is hosting the 30 Day Book Challenge. Each day for 30 days I'll be answering one question about books.

Day Twenty-Five: Your favorite book of last year (originally posted on 5/12/11)

It's hard for me to answer this question because I'm not sure if I should answer what my favorite book that was published last year was or if I should answer what my favorite book I read last year regardless of publication date was. If I answer my favorite book that was published last year, I'd have to say Justin Cronin's The Passage. If, however, I answer my favorite book that I read last year, I'd have to go with:

A lot of people seem to really hate Joseph Heller's Catch-22 but I adored it. It was hysterical and I found myself wondering why it had taken me so long to read it. The answer is, of course, that I'd heard so many people say that it was boring or too long or whatever else people who hate this book say. I tend not to shy away from a book just because people don't like it, nor do I tend to read a book just because everyone says it's fracking amazing. Why I did it with this book is beyond me, but I'm glad to say that I loved every minute of it and that it's definitely in my list of top 20 favorite books of all time.

-Gabe