It used to be that I equated reading with recreation. Picking up a book was something I did a lot, but I did it for fun, and I certainly didn’t do it during working hours. With the advent of 60second Recap, though, all that changed. Suddenly, there weren’t enough hours in the day for reading. And I’m not just talking about the classics. Kind publishers bestowed on me piles of tween and YA titles, which I was only too happy to read, and then feature as Picks of the Week. Hundreds of thousands of pages later, I can say that I’ve been fortunate to make my way through a lot of really terrific literature, and the occasional dud.

But part of me has forgotten what it’s like to read for fun.

Oh, sure, I still enjoy the books that I read. But let’s face it: Sometimes all the reading I have to get through can feel like running a marathon over and over. So what’s a girl, who used to read to relax, to do?

That’s where my faintly oxymoronic question comes in: What do you read when you’re not reading? Are you a person who buys trashy magazines and devours them? (Come on, now: Fess up. We’re among friends.) Or maybe you’re an avid blog follower/consumer.

Or maybe you’re like me, and when you’re not reading for work, you’re still reading—because you’ve discovered the joys of reading a cookbook like a novel. I admit that this may be a strange habit, especially since I will happily consume recipe headnotes, ingredient lists, and pages of detailed directions—even if I have no plans to ever make the dish. There aren’t enough hours in the day for reading, and there certainly aren’t enough hours for making braised octopus (not that I would anyway) from the new cookbook, A Girl and Her Pig.

And yet, late at night, when I’m too tired to plow my way through one more Pick of the Week, I eagerly read about Chef April Bloomfield’s recipe techniques, her dinners with famous foodies, and her memories of growing up in the land of trifles and bubble & squeak (otherwise known as England). There are stories in cookbooks, yes there are. And imagination.

And pictures.

Come to think of it, maybe that’s the main reason why I read cookbooks when I’m not reading: To some degree, I get a break from all those words.

Perhaps I should start looking into picture books…

As an avid—and occasionally frantic—reader of tween and YA lit, I’ve consumed more than my fair share of really bad similes. The moment I see the comparative “like” or “as” appear in a sentence, I am filled with hope. 98% of the time, what comes after said “like/as” turns my hope into disappointment—followed by a giant cringe.

You know, I get it, though: We can’t all be T.S. Eliot. But there are a lot of authors out there who just don’t know when to stop with the similes. Step away from your computers, people: Your faux writerly comparisons are hurting me.

I think “faux writerly” sums up my main gripe nicely: We can’t all be T.S. Eliot, but many writers sure are trying. Writers who have no business trying are trying, and writers who will get better with trying are trying. Personally, I am trying to have more patience with bad similes because heaven knows that writing is hard enough without some snarky critic looking over your shoulder and second-guessing the poetic comparison you just spent several hours crafting.

Thankfully for snarky critics like me, there are also writers like Pete Hautman, who seem to pop off evocative, effective similes effortlessly, thereby giving my cringing muscles a break. Maybe some people wouldn’t call his similes “evocative,” since they’re not meant to be writerly and beautiful, but rather humorous. But the images they summon are so vivid, I’m going to go ahead and give Hautman props for artistry. His imagination has certainly captured mine.

You’ll have to read his latest book, What Boys Really Want, featuring dual protagonists Lita and Adam, to fully enjoy a master simile-maker at work. But here are just a couple samples to whet your appetite:

“Lita is practically the smartest person I know, but she can be highly irrational at times. … arguing with Lita is like trying to eat an ice-cream cone from the bottom up. Very messy.”

“Arguing with Adam Merchant is as useless as climbing up a down escalator. Maybe you get to the top eventually, but it’s exhausting, and the escalator just keeps on going.”

Tell me: Who are your favorite simile-makers?

Before we get all out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new, let’s pause for, say, 60 seconds, to talk about the best books of 2011. Oh, there were some treasures this year—books that I greedily added to my already-overflowing shelves. If you haven’t read them yet, here are the top ten 2011 titles that your year wouldn’t be complete without:

10. The Berlin Boxing Club. Every year in publishing introduces us to a new angle on the Holocaust. This book, which should be especially appealing to teenage boys, offers a parts-poignant, parts-harrowing look at the life of a teenage Jew-who-didn’t-look-like-a Jew growing up in Berlin in the 1940s. Think coming-of-age-story meets sports story meets riveting Holocaust tale.

9. Blink & Caution. Love fast-paced thrillers? Blink & Caution was this year’s best. When two damaged teens join forces, there’s sure to be drama—and maybe a little romance. Throw in a cover-up involving big bad big business, and you have all the makings of one YA title you won’t be able to put down.

8. Bluefish. Now for a horse—make that fish—of a completely different color, there’s Bluefish. I wouldn’t call this book heavily plotted; it’s more interested in the emotional journeys of its two main characters, Travis and Veleeta. What this book lacks in plot, however, it makes up for in gorgeous writing and a pretty unforgettable story about friendship.

7. Page by Paige. Skeptical about graphic novels? Page by Paige may well make you a believer. Oh, to draw like Laura Lee Gulledge! This book’s charming, whimsical, and insightful take on all issues teen angst-related makes it a title I’ll be returning to—and sharing with my friends.

6. Science Fair Season. No, you won’t find the best writing of the year in Science Fair Season, but you’ll probably find the most inspiring true stories. In this speedy nonfiction read, you’ll meet the next generation of scientists, big thinkers, and teens who care deeply about their world. From nuclear reactors to solar heaters built from discarded car radiators, these projects will amaze and move you.

5. Secrets at Sea. The year wouldn’t be complete without a nod to at least one animal story, right? In the tradition of Cinderella and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, 2011’s Secrets at Sea offers up mouse drama that’s imaginative, funny, and just plain fun. Better yet: Classic Richard Peck storytelling means you can count on a story that’s both well-plotted and delightfully written.

4. The Big Crunch. To call The Big Crunch a romance doesn’t really do this tender-but-comical book justice, but that’s really what it is: the best teen romance, in fact, of 2011. Anyone who’s experienced the flush, the awkwardness, the joys and pains of first love, will enjoy watching June and Wes’s relationship develop in this lovely book from Pete Hautman.

3. This Dark Endeavor. Even if you don’t love Frankenstein, chances are you’ll love this story about young Viktor and his desperate quest to save his dying twin brother. With its dark forests, magical creatures, and nods to the original tale, Kenneth Oppel’s latest will satisfy Harry Potter fans and classics nerds alike.

2. The Watch that Ends the Night. In 2011, Allan Wolf made me love a novel in verse. He also humanized the sinking of the Titanic—a story which always seemed merely like history, until I read his brilliant take on 24 of the thousands of souls that perished (or nearly perished) in one of the most infamous catastrophes in maritime history. This book is poetry, and storytelling, at its best.

1. What Comes After. I said it at the time of filming; I’ll say it again now. What Comes After was (and is) my favorite book of 2011. Protagonist Iris Wight’s story isn’t always an easy one. But it’s also filled with beauty, grace, and moments of the most powerful storytelling I encountered this year. I can’t wait to share this book with friends and viewers in 2012…and beyond.

Happy New Year!