Best Books of 2011: List Includes 'A Dance With Dragons,' 'Shadowfever'

If books are a dying breed, they are not going down without a fight. With several adaptations of popular books coming out in theaters and winning accolades - see The Help, The Hunger Games, Breaking Dawn - and Amazon reporting record sales in November and December for their Kindle devices, one thing is clear: People are hungry for good reading.

Here are 10 books that made waves in 2011:

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks

The comic genius takes a look at America's future. The story, picked as a top read of 2011 by Amazon, is told from the points of view of characters of different ages.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Forman's book is the sequel to If I Stay. It was named the Best Young Adult Fiction book of 2011 by GoodReads.com.

A Discovery of Witches: A Novel by Deborah E. Harkness

Harkness' novel, the first book of her All Souls Trilogy, was picked by Amazon as a top read of 2011. The next book, Shadow of Night, comes out on July 10.

We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen

Jensen's novel made waves in the U.S. last year when it was translated from its original Danish.

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

At 1,000+ pages, the fifth book in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series gave temporary satisfaction to voracious fans. It was named the Best Fantasy book of 2011 by GoodReads.com.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Goodreads.com picked McLain's book, a fictional look at the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, as a standout of 2011.

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

The fifth book in Moning's Fever series has received acclaim from book-lovers' Web sites, including Amazon and GoodReads.com.

Eve: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend by Leigh Montville

Esquire picked Montville's biography of the famous stuntman as a top read of 2011.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Roth's book, the first book of a trilogy, was named Favorite Book of 2011 by GoodReads.com. The second book, Insurgent, comes out on May 1.

You Think That's Bad by Jim Shepard

Shepard's collection of short stories received rave reviews from Vanity Fair. The author goes back and forth in time to tell stories from the points of view of different characters.