See what works for you. I am particularly fond of the M&P series but the XD-S is a nice strike-fired analog to the 1911.

At this point in time, my list in order of preference is:
1. M&P Shield 9
2. M&P Shield 40
3. M&P 9c
4. XD-S 9
5. 1911

The M&P Shield line is crazy affordable. I wish I'd ordered some spare mags when MidwayUSA had them for $26.66 each a couple months ago; now you're looking at $31-33 a piece for spare mags.