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Saturday, January 4, 2014

Favorite Books of 2013


For the second year, I have met my goal of reading 50 books.  According to Goodreads, I read 18834 pages in 2013, which is actually 833 pages less than I read in 2012.  Granted, this is based on "date finished" and I have about 3 half-finished books right now.  Here are my top 11, grouped by 5-star ratings first, and then 4-star ratings in the second cluster:
  • The Silver Linings Playbook - just such a great book.  Skip the movie! 
  • Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible - history and fashion are a great combination.  Plus, I just love Tim Gunn on Project Runway, and his personality comes through in this book. 
  • The Fault in Our Stars - this was my first John Green book, and I've since read most of his others.  TFIOS is still my favorite.  Make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby. 
  • Word Freak - Scrabble nerds unite!  Fun book about how crazy people can get about board games. 
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - I read the whole series this year, but book #4 was my favorite. 
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman is an amazing author that I somehow didn't know about until a couple years ago.  This is his new book and I loved it.   


Attachments - Rainbow Rowell is an Omaha-native, and she's fabulous!  I read all 3 of her books this year, and am anxiously awaiting her next one in 2014.  Attachments was my favorite of the three.  Plus I got to meet the author twice at signings (here and here)
Warm Bodies - I thought this zombie/romance was unique and cleverly written.  And I actually liked the movie version, too.  Shocking, I know. 
The Astronaut Wives Club  - this was my last book of the year.  I finished it on NYE afternoon.  I didn't know a whole lot about the astronauts or their families, and this book was so interesting.  I'm 100% convinced that I couldn't handle being an astronaut wife.      
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore - pretty much any book that RA recommends is going to be a favorite.  This wasn't like anything else I've read, and it had me hooked from the beginning to the end. 
Gone Girl - it's a trendy book to like, but I liked it.   

2013 was a good year for reading good books.  I had more in the 5-star and 4-star range than usual.  Maybe that means I'm getting a better idea of what I will like?  I also had 2 books in the 1-star category, so I highly recommend you avoid The Casual Vacancy and Diamond in the Rough
What were your favorite books in 2013?  Any I should add to my list?

5 comments:

  1. I loved the fault in our stars! Amazing.

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  2. Thanks for the recs! I've been anxiously awaiting The Ocean and Mr. Penumbra, but I added Attachmemts and Word Freak. Finally finishing the HP series is on my 2014 to do list. I've been putting it off because I'll be sad!

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  3. great great idea for a post! I'm always on the lookout for good reads, though I don't read nearly as much as you! 50 books this past year? go, girl! gone girl is on my list, my roommate recently read it. I also agree with you about skipping the Silver Linings Playbook movie. it wasn't really as good as I was expecting.

    perfectly priya

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  4. Okay, I'm going to need to find a copy of Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible. He is probably my favorite person on TV - I just love him! I'm happy to hear that his personality comes out in his book, too!

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  5. My last job was in Marketing and Sales Management in the largest bookstore in Albania so I used to read close to as many books as you do and girl 50 is A TON - you should be proud. In 2013 I probably only read about 5 books. I started at least 6-7 more. It is impossible with a baby. Especially a baby who is not a good sleeper. I'd love to read Tim Gunn's one. And I love Gone Girl - I have read it both in English & Albanian.

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