Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Books Read 2013

I've noted FAVORITES in bold type within the list. A few comments (including my top two reads of the year) are at the end of the list.

January

1. Fatal Error (Ali Reynolds Series) by J.A. Jance
2. Left for Dead (Ali Reynolds Series) by J.A. Jance
3. A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans (thoughts)
4. The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (thoughts)
5. The Fairy Godmother (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey (thoughts)
6. The Tale of the Firebird by Gennady Spirin
7. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote - FAVORITE
8. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - FAVORITE
9. Coyote's Wife (Ella Clah Series) by Aimee and David Thurlo

February

10. Murder on the Iditarod Trail (Alaska Mysteries Series) by Sue Henry
11. Aunt Dimity's Death (Aunt Dimity Mystery Series) by Nancy Atherton
12. River Marked (Mercy Thompson Series) by Patricia Briggs
13. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
14. Ganymede by Cherie Priest
15. The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest

March

16. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce Series) by Alan Bradley - FAVORITE
17. One Good Knight (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey
18. Suspect by Robert Crais
19. The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
20. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
21. The Savage Garden by Mark Mills

April

22. Damned Busters (To Hell and Back, Bk 1) by Matthew Hughes
23. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim - FAVORITE
24. Costume Not Included (To Hell and Back, Bk 2) by Matthew Hughes
25. The Last Detective (Elvis Cole Series) by Robert Crais
26. Hell to Pay (To Hell and Back, Bk 3) by Matthew Hughes
27. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (Flavia de Luce Series) by Alan Bradley
28. Fortune's Fool (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey
29. The Forgotten Man (Elvis Cole Series) by Robert Crais

May

30. The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons - FAVORITE
31. Melusine by Sarah Monette
32. The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh - FAVORITE
33. The Virtu by Sarah Monette
34. The Mirador by Sarah Monette

June

35. Corambis by Sarah Monette
36. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - FAVORITE
37. Coffin Man (Charlie Moon Series) by James D. Doss

July

38. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - FAVORITE
39. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
40. The Secret of Shadow Ranch (Nancy Drew) by Carolyn Keene
41. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
42. Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
43. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield - FAVORITE
44. The Snow Queen (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey
45. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

August

46. Earthway (Ella Clah Series) by Aimee and David Thurlo
47. Never Ending Snake (Ella Clah Series) by Aimee and David Thurlo
48. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
49. The Rope (Anna Pigeon Series) by Nevada Barr
50. The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
51. The Fault Tree by Louise Ure
52. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi
53. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

September

54. The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig
55. Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart
56. The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
57. The Sleeping Beauty (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey
58. Black Thunder (Ella Clah Series) by Aimee and David Thurlo

October

59. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
60. "The Eyes" by Edith Wharton
61. Aura by Carlos Fuentes - FAVORITE
62. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
63. The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman
64. Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks
65. Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

November

66. The Frankenstein Papers by Fred Saberhagen
67. 11/22/63 by Stephen King - FAVORITE
68. The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer

December

69. A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce Series) by Alan Bradley
70. Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin
71. Dewey by Vickie Myron
72. I Am Half Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce Series) by Alan Bradley
73. Maus by Art Spiegelman - FAVORITE
74. Spirit of Steamboat (Walt Longmire novella) by Craig Johnson
75. The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins
76. An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor

A few notes:

Apparently I read a lot of series books this year! It is amazing how quickly series books pile up in the TBR stacks. I'm hoping to read more stand alone novels in 2014 as well as some non-fiction.

Probably my favorite read, as far as sheer enjoyment goes, was 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Time travel of the best sort. King writes, in his notes, that he had the idea for this story long ago when he was quite young. I am REALLY glad that he waited to write this in his more mature years. Maturity brought a richer take on something that could have been quite cliche. And the ending … oh, the ending … sigh.

For sheer beauty, The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim was my favorite. This short novel swept me away. I could see it, feel it, smell it.

3 comments:

  1. So many of your favorites were also mine when I read them, particularly Enchanted April and The Language of Flowers. I notice you're reading Bonhoeffer now, which is also a book I loved. What a brave and honorable man. Happy New Year, Terri!

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  2. There are so many series out there it is kind of overwhelming... I hate that there are so many you read and find out the end of the book there is going to be a sequel... Or they write 'companion' books...

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  3. You had a great year in books in 2013, and you just reminded me how much I use to enjoy Sue Henry's Alaskan mysteries.

    Have a great 2014 Terri

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