I know the year is not over (I’m actually in the middle of the delightful Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea) but I want know which titles have been standouts for you. They don’t need to be published this year—I myself am a notorious Johnny-come-lately. Here’s my list:

The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees

Ostensibly a detective story, this novel is also the most nuanced and compassionate exploration of the Israel-Palestinian conflict I’ve ever read. I reviewed it earlier this year and I still think it’s one of the most underrated detective stories.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Certain books you have to applaud for courage, not only their stylistic inventiveness, but also the fearless way they reveal their most vulnerable selves. I wanted to be too cool for this book but I really, really wasn’t. There are moments where I think the writing’s attempt at irony is unsuccessful and the last story rang a false note, but because of its heart and the sheer relentless power of individual sentences, this book won me over.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

This book has practically eclipsed every other one I’ve read this year. So much wit, compassion, and clear-eyed dissection of faith and doubt. Every major character breaks my heart because I love them all. Warning: Mention this title in my presence and I will talk your ear off about it.

So what are your best books of 2011, Internet?