My Top 20 Favorite Reads of 2013


I surprised myself in 2013.  I only read 32 books last year.  I usually read twice that amount.  I’m a little disappointed I didn’t reach my goal of 50, but then again, I did do a lot of beta reads this past year, so in a way, I did read close to 50 books/novellas; I just can’t claim them yet.

Anyway, here are my top 20 not listed in any particular order.  Reviews will be popping up for each of them soon.

1.  Don’t know why it took me 8 years after its publication date to read it, but I’m glad I did.  I would have to say out of all the books I read this past year, it comes in at #1.

  2.  This is the second novel in a fantastic middle-grade series.  Received it as an ARC and completely fell in love with it.

3.  Talk about an emotional rollercoaster.  Ms. Ayres’ new book, 18 Truths arrives on  Jan. 28, 2014 and I can’t wait to read it in its final glory.

4.  Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.  This is book 3 in the Infernal Devices series and it’s OMGosh stupendous.

5.  The Iron Traitor, by Julie Kagawa  #2 in The Iron Fey:  Call of the Forgotten series.  I’d love for Kagawa’s books to be made into a movie.  Then again, some things are best left to the imagination.

6.  Taken by Erin Bowman.  This book blew my mind.  Fan-freaking-tastic.

7.  Requiem by by Lauren Oliver.  Not as great as Delirium in my opinion, but still a great read.

8.  The Fall:  An Autobiography of an Alter Ego by Elle.  This book had my emotions all over the place.  It’s a dark book that deals with depressive topics, yet it is so completely filled with hope.

9.  Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.  I didn’t think I’d like this one but I was so wrong.  The next in the series, Through the Ever Night is next on my TBR list.  Can’t wait to read it.

10.  Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger.  The first book in the series.  Love the fantasy element in this book and the plot is perfect for middle grade kids…especially girls.

11.  Jack & Jill Volume 1 by Jennifer Eaton.  Two lovely romantic stories that follow the lives of Jack and Jill’s Christmas romance.  These are quite endearing tales with beautiful HEA endings.

12.  Avenger, by Heather Burch.  Super fun, probably my favorite in the entire Halflings series.

13.  The Selection by Kiera Cass.  Described as The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor.  Whomever came up with that pretty much hit the nail on the head.  Loved it.

14.  After Dark by Emi Gayle.  Loved this beginning to the 19th Year series.  Filled with all kinds of fantasy goodies and a great storyline.

15.  Day After by Emi Gayle.  Second book in the 19thYear series and wow…I can’t wait to get my hands on book 3.

16.  Perry Road by Emi Gayle.  This is the first book in the Revolution series.  What do teenagers do when they find they are pawns for the new American Union?  Emotional and deeply involved plot.

17.  Eye of the Soul by Terri Rochenski.  Again, another fantastic fantasy story and I’m in love with the cover.  A perfect blend of good and evil.  Well thought out characters.  Stunning plot.

18.  Songs from the Phenomenal Nothing by Steven Luna.  I don’t know why I picked up this book but oh my, what a haunting, beautiful tale.  Talk about a tear-jerker.  Totally worth 5 stars.

19.  This is book 4 in the Heroes of Olympus series and was a fun, fast read.  It was charming, funny, and way too short.

20.  Sever by Lauren DeStefano (The Chemical Garden, #3).  I’m all over the place about this book and this series.  I wasn’t crazy about Fever but I had to see how this story wrapped up.  This definitely ends the storyline.  Like the ending of Mockingjay, it left me feeling numb, like there should have been more or something else, but it really was the only way to end it.

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16 thoughts on “My Top 20 Favorite Reads of 2013”

  1. I’ve only read a couple of those books, but from the looks of things, we have the same taste in books 🙂 I’ll definitely be bookmarking this post so I can try to tackle reading some of these myself this upcoming year!

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  2. I’ve actually read a few of these, and wrote one, too. Yay for me! There are a few titles I might want to check out. One of them made me cringe, despite being well written. Some things are written too well.

    You also make me look bad, reading all those books, but like you, I beta read and also critique for a group, so goodness knows how many total words I read on top of the published works. Great list!

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  6. I absolutely loved Emi’s 19th Year series! And Perry Road, ACK! Can’t wait to read the next one. I liked Clockwork Princess, but I could have done without the epilogue. The Under the Never Sky series is FABULOUS! I got to read the final one early, awesome ending! Taken…hmmm…not sure what I thought about this one. I didn’t love it all that much. But that will not keep me from reading the next one. And Requiem, well, I was mad at Oliver for how she organized that book and it took away from the story for me. Plus I thought the ending was flat. It just kind of ended, no true resolution, IMO. Great list!

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    1. You are right about Requiem, there was such a huge open-ended conclusion that just leaves the reader thinking WTF? Its saving grace was Oliver’s beautiful, poetic and lyrical writing style, her way of dragging me into her dystopian world. The book was full of suspense, along with a few heart-breaking twists. Despite the ending, I still thought it was worth the wait.

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    1. Thanks, Julie. I’m reading Bitterblue at the moment, Cashore’s follow up to Graceling. I am taking my time, savoring every word. I don’t want it to end. 🙂 What are you reading right now?

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