Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.
This week's topic is Top Ten Books I Read In 2013. I read more books in 2013 than I expected to (especially since I got off to such a slow start). August and September were both pretty prolific months for reading, and though I did slow down at the end of the year, I think I read enough books that I can come up with a pretty decent top-ten list. A few picture books (and one novella) made it into my top 10, but I'm going to stick with full-length novels for the purposes of this post:
10.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibf8otNPJ4zrntM5TVwgC2duKXAUA6Rl9gRjsl2ccLFkgoa9akNEhyphenhyphenaKt9W_SXBhZ2s4pDdatksXZcmKNFsyiByuTdMoGTLMaLwf2Bw3HUvt7EYAgsR2hasSL9x4WyQS6raVu8RYlL01M/s1600/mini-Beastly.jpg)
3.71 out of 5
I do usually enjoy fairytale re-tellings... so I'm not sure why I don't read more of them! This modernized version of "Beauty and the Beast" incorporates elements of the original story and message and packages them in a present-day, big-city setting. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would.
9.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Do9UgKST5X4HB3jz07SclK01qfjdlBJw9sBl3w-CEC3RUQR-bdepe2nL1boPqrTfOFYg-sBmbyhzAjLTY277iOLUG55Rg-eVtDAsFGtONytTS1dL7MfJwGj7_DR7579WmItKQwmWkE/s1600/mini-TheRavenBoys.jpg)
3.71 out of 5
I'd heard a lot about this book before I decided to finally give it a try. I'd read Stiefvater's Shiver and sort of enjoyed it. I liked The Raven Boys a lot more... even though I wasn't crazy about the ending.
8.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxF8sccWUhQ9q5qG0hPgbeY-NpDkR0fiyJJd9UEOLFIRZc4hDJB02dWtofYZcvqTJt1AfRZnNgO5JuIr0pciUVGgp55xMIz4x7PxMWHbUpibSHy3u2cVbKtGIZ7mynHEcpAAJBwZzhiVU/s1600/mini-TheLakeAndTheLibrary.jpg)
3.86 out of 5
This offering by a Canadian author may not be very well known. That's a shame, because it's just as good as (if not better than) a lot of the stuff coming out of the major U.S. publishing houses for young adults. Fans of contemporary fantasy and paranormal stories will probably enjoy this one; I know I did.
7.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5V7mCFKXVYdUfAOuTMW8Z9IBPmpz64aj6Y7u7CCF7kg8wasd9l2HHn-X42Dw4yqVFXEuTfLu7U-t73dj7imhbg8U2akUdz0vHTMvK2OEC3BePo2i7r3hQEcEw-1uVmqUhMdMLJSjfpw/s1600/mini-OdettesSecrets.jpg)
4 out of 5
While I'm not generally drawn to books about the Holocaust, this verse novel based on real events and people really drew me in. The photographs were a nice touch that really helped bring the story to life for today's young readers.
6.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin21zGV9uqCqaUwzBtimLqLYbUrQGH6p6PMmyprxQOH34JhEKS7o8Cj2bDd0UUT5uX6Fjg5pKDBEXtcfpqB5XYxMFdNe2LSv2xkDvxQpLcdb3F42WdeizhI_TYpU4pDYwsRDH3ky_3iOI/s1600/mini-Absent.jpg)
4 out of 5
I'd never even heard of this book, and I only picked it up because I was looking for something fairly short. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a highly enjoyable contemporary/paranormal story.
5.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRz8DJ5KVFtgNx9TK8_4Bbn-BZ998AuY0cC-_pb_NzUZ1lrR_vGquD1dpICjnDhia17vt10MXEYnIUP7sc2Ge4WifcaQbIC0QmIWajDfnlouMOxTxxP7VHaDEzn_aV_S2yJZCFURya2Dk/s1600/mini-Skellig.jpg)
4.29 out of 5
While it's been around for a while, I'd never actually read this one. I'm really glad I finally got around to it. Its target audience may be a bit younger than that of most of the rest of the books on this list, but it still provided plenty of enjoyment for this adult reader.
4.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWW_1Vcn_zo8j_Y5c5xQktfJzbW0YSdTOxjYcKXKYvw7pFSKmVZhPagthidKgDwDi5T_2YpGf-4vk-yZxorMwon_s8r3hOWfjjVlTTqs45cvztpq0hH7iPP4B4cdJYqrC-pMk-C2PCNIg/s1600/mini-HeavenLooksALotLikeTheMall.jpg)
4.29 out of 5
While many of the verse novels I've read have tended to be about serious (often historical) subjects, this was a fun little story in the tradition of It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. I really enjoyed it.
3.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PXtds-YP8Vb1jd6rXmpQsGNFiRVcFcKF0U2W5f0z5nPUnJIlMcDIq0JvZGH5ir9_DdbYRKhARqVQbNKX0to_SJulzNSaDSO_c6n_4gtGGXKmEtr83WXYafhmTtN_DRGvoawKr93y9kQ/s1600/mini-MyBookOfLifeByAngel.jpg)
4.57 out of 5
Who would've thought that a verse novel about a young prostitute living in one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods would make my top 10? I certainly wouldn't have guessed it. And yet, this was probably the best verse novel I read all year with characters that had me thinking about the book long after I'd finished it.
2.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xrSxVqiYVvcWJpVdEhZfkEVqRT0-gSBqARogf6KUvApJpiybNGEB-QWb0rsJRAGD1uBiQol_E2631NL-VlMVA9KzYcRQ031tR9CwVC-Rmbm6NBI6Agp27R43XpJ8_p97z-Tx3r4eybE/s1600/mini-DaughterOfSmokeAndBone.jpg)
4.57 out of 5
I'm still shattered by that ending. I loved this book, but I'm hesitant to read the sequel. This author really knows how to rip your heart out... and I don't know if I can take it!
1.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmmdpY7Tl33jRdjrWmP08bbwCOURhna6IZM4u_zLQNBL2TWiZAbi3pVyHzsbl-Xu9gFC8M6FlqDuMET-4adsF4ccRqDbKN1hdxgsjGEouKL4Db-OVBZJVxFpcx4AgDFdjbvG0rlgM8wQ/s1600/mini-WarmBodies.jpg)
4.71 out of 5
This was the book that got the highest rating out of anything I read this year. It also made the biggest impression on me and had a big emotional impact. While it's not the best book I've ever read, it's definitely at the top of my list for 2013.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone.....LOVE! I haven't read the sequel either, I am waiting for the third book to come out and then I'll just rip my heart out all at one time! Sigh.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Jennifer @ A Librarian's Library--My TTT!
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is definitely a favorite of mine too! And glad you liked the Raven Boys!
ReplyDeleteHappy new year :)
Agreed about Daughter of Smoke and Bone! Laini Taylor could write prescription drug ads and I'd read them. :) I really liked Days of Blood and Starlight, too, but it reads quite a bit different from the first.
ReplyDelete