# Favorite Reads of 2013



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

It's that time of year - the time we look back on the year that was and highlight the major events as we look forward to the year to come. So, in that vein, It's time to share your favorite reads of the past year. What did you enjoy the most? If you feel like, share why you enjoyed it - or not. It's all good. 

Here are mine. I've read 147 books as of Christmas Day and these are my 15 favorites in no particular order:

1. *1635: Music and Murder* - This is the latest in a series about a small West Virginia town sent back in time to 1630's Germany and turned the Thirty Years War on its head. This one is about the introduction of 350 years of music does to the musical world.... 
2. *The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor* This is the story of Phillip Blake, his family and friends as society collapses and the zombies take over. This is his road trnasforming from a man protecting his daughter to the lunatic we know and love from _The Walking Dead_.
3. *Star Trek: The Fall* This is a 5 book series and the final book isn't out until Dec. 31 but this is one of the best Star Trek story lines since the Dominion War. It's intrigue, politics, murder ... lots of messy goodness.
4. *The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes* I've put off Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels even though I've heard great things about them. I've just read this volume this month and it's fantastic. Now I want more ....
5. *God Plays Favorites* I just enjoy Charlie Carillo and this book doesn't disappoint. This is the story told my a man looking back to his first journalism job in the late 80's for some NYC rag and the lessons it taught him about life. Very good stuff.
6. *Tell Me It's Real* This is a m/m romance but it's not a formulaic thing like so many romances - it's smart, witty, sarcastic and thoroughly enjoyable.
7. *Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles)* I almost gave up on this series as having drawn itself out too long but this one shook off all of its accumulated baggage and left me looking forward to another book or three in the series.
8. *Black Wind* This is a large portion of historical fiction with some fantasy thrown-in. Japanese American life in San Francisco in the 20's and 30's followed by a great story around World War II.
9. *The Accidental Proposal* Very entertaining Lad Lit about a guy unsure if he's really engaged and if his fiance is really into marrying him. very funny book and part of a great series.
10. *The Old Man and the Wasteland* This takes Hemingway's _Old Man and the Sea_ and sets it in the Arizona Desert 30 years after the Apocalypse.
11. *The Perseid Collapse* This is the first in an Apocalyptic military thriller trilogy and the sequel to an earlier pandemic novel. 
12. *The Given Sacrifice: A Novel of the Change* The final novel in the second series set in a world I've been reading in for a decade - with a very satisfying end for characters in both series.
13. *I Am Not Myself These Days* The memoir of a 90's era drag-queen. This is funny and disturbing and wonderful.
14. *The Edge of the World (Terra Incognita)* The only one on the list I listened to as an audio book. Complex fantasy in a world divided by religion and on the edge of an Age of Exploration.
15. *Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond* Short Story Anthology by some fantastic authors re-imagining Oz and all the characters therein.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Here's my GoodReads list for 2013, sorted in descending order by rating: the link.

Of those that were not re-reads, looks like there were only three new 5-star entries:

You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger, by Roger Hall



And two by Phillip K. Dick, Ubik and Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said:


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

*Best Books of the Year*
Fiction

1.  - suggested by Kboards member Heather Danis

2.  - suggested by Kboards member Ann Von Hagel

3.  - suggested by author Jordan Castillo Price

4.  - suggested by a friend at the Free Clinic

5.  - found on my own because I like the author

Non-Fiction

1.  - suggested by a friend at the Free Clinic

2.  - suggested by our resident psychiatrist at the Free Clinic

3.  - found after reading a review in the New York Times; Sophia Coppolla will be making it into a movie

4.  - picked up as a bargain on Julia Child's 101st birthday

5.  - I wanted to read this for a long time. It finally showed up in a Kindle Edition.

*Non-Fiction Honorable Mention*. These three books should be read together. It explains a lot of what is wrong in our country right now.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm not organized enough to know what I read when, mostly.

BUT. . . I did, just yesterday finish  which was darn near a 5 star read for me. Only not because of the usage in the translation -- sometimes felt a bit too 'conversational' when the language should probably have been more formal? But that's a minor quibble.

It's the story of Turkish Jews and others living in France during the early years of WWII -- 1941-42. The Nazis are just beginning their occupation and trying to crack down. Turkey is walking a fine line; not happy with what the Germans are doing but not wanting to alienate them, and also not wanting to throw in entirely with Britain for fear of being completely taken over. They want to remain autonomous. At the time, they're also a completely secular government and don't really care what religion one is. Lots of Jews live there because they were welcomed during the period of the Spanish inquisition. So it focuses on fictional characters but real events -- the consulates of Turkey in France and Berlin and their work to help Turkish Jews (and some that can at least pretend to be Turksih) get back to Turkey before the real crackdowns start. I very much enjoyed it.


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## deckard (Jan 13, 2011)

In no particular order:

 Mystery/thriller set in 1920s Ireland.

 Actually, three books in one volume, told from the different perspectives of major characters surrounding a farmer and killer in the Everglades of Florida late 1890s to early 1900s.

 Novel that encompasses the late days of WW2 in Europe to Turkey in the 1970s to Haiti after the revolution in the 1990s.

Deckard


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

I was thinking about this yesterday - and I think the book I enjoyed the most was Inferno by Dan Brown. Like his earlier books - I
found myself googling each location in the book as I read it to learn more about the art and architecture.. Loved it!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The above. It let me satisfy my little-boy love of dinosaurs for the first time in a long time with fascinating descriptions of how these beasts lived and what we know about the different types.



The above was my favorite fiction. Science fiction mystery stories that I really enjoyed. Plus two of them actually made me laugh out loud for a long time while reading. Something that doesn't happen often, and almost never happens in something not strictly humorous (such as Jeeves).


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

My top book of the year was without a doubt Hemingway's ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES. I am not saying it is the best or a flawless book, but I loved it, and started reading it again as soon as I finished. I didn't expect to be touched by any book like this, not any more.

The best non-fiction book, also without a doubt: David McCullough's Truman.
There were moments when I was thinking - this part will be boring, I'll just read quickly through it - but then I started reading and could not stop  That was a good read, and a tough act to follow for all other historical nonfiction in my TBR pile.


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

I read more books in 2013 than I ever have and probably ever will again. There were a lot of good books, but these stand out to me.

Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff – about the rescue efforts after a U.S. cargo plane that crashed in Greenland in 1942. I like Zuckoff’s writing, makes it less textbooky than it could be

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford – this on the other hand was very textbooky and very informative. I knew Genghis Khan had a big influence on the world but had no idea of the motives behind it, his life, why he was so successful or just how far reaching he was

The Boy in The Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol  – the 1st Nina Borg book which mixes current social issues with crime fiction

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter – This one was mislabeled as a mystery (at least when I bought it). It’s really more of a drama or southern literature. The 2 main characters were so real to me. I know there’s no more to the story but I want to spend more time with Larry and Silas

Gulp by Mary Roach – The title speaks for itself. The woman can deal with some gross stuff. “Eew” was uttered out loud many times during the reading of this book

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler – This is about a girl who develops her own ideas about God in a near dystopian future. When she loses everything, she sets about starting her own religion. I don’t read much that deals with religion even a fictional one.  Meaning I haven’t much to compare it to. I think it would hold up well against most anything though

Birdman by Mo Hayder – about a police officer whose brother was killed by a pedophile. I can take a lot in crime books but this series pushes the boundaries of what I can handle

Road to Hell by Gillian Galbraith – My favorite of the Alice Rice books. It’s a police procedural set in Edinburgh


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Off the cuff, I've not kept a list:

Angela's Ashes: Frank McCourt.  5 stars.
The Toughest Indian in the World: (in progress)
Mother Night (Kurt Vonnegut)
Collected Articles of Fredrick Douglass--very much enjoyed the essay in which he tells of his escape from slavery to Bedford, Massachusetts, where he finally regains his human dignity.


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## Lindy Moone (Oct 19, 2012)

Thank you, everyone! I just gobbled up samples of most of these books. 

Of the last 15 novels I sampled (based on my usual hit-or-miss way of finding books), exactly _one _was worth reading. 
Pretty sure I'll find a lot here...

And possibly never get any writing done.

Happy New Year!


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## TimMoon (Oct 9, 2011)

Here are some great books I read this year. 

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Fat Vampire by Johnny B. Truant
Legacy by Thomas A. Knight
The Human by Keary Taylor 
What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor
Secret Seeker's Society and the Beast of Bladenboro by J.L. Hickey
The Hunger Games (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins

Bonjour 40 by Karen A. Chase (non-fiction)
Adrift by Steven Callahan (non-fiction)


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## Nicholas Benedict (Nov 18, 2013)

Flavia de Luce is my new favorite detective. She's an eleven year old amateur chemist with a passion for poisons.
 This was a truly inspirational and uplifting story.
 This was darkly disturbing but I couldn't put it down.
 I'm not by any means a Hermeticist, but if you learn a little bit of Quantum Physics and then read this book (written a hundred years ago) it will blow your mind.
 Stephen Hawking has an enormous talent for making complex theories easy to understand.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I love the seeing the variety in these lists.

Here are some of my favorites from this year:

*Audiobooks:*

The audiobook version of this was amazing, over 40 narrators including Martin Scorsese, Alfred Molina, Alan Alda, Denise Crosby, Nathan Fillion, F. Murray Abraham, the list just goes on...

The synergy between narrator and story was outstanding.

*Non-Fiction:*

This is the same story told in the famous book Alive but told by one of the two survivors who hiked out to get help. I could not put it down.

Fascinating look at the historical Jesus in the context of those turbulent times.

Outstanding book that gives an overview of the recent findings on the ecology of emerging zoonotic epidemics. Very readable even for non-scientists.

*Fantasy:*

A beautiful story of memory, loyalty, betrayal and love. There was so much depth here in both the characters and the story. It's a stand alone instead of a series, too.

The complete opposite of a stand alone. I normally would not start the only published book of a projected ten book series but Brandon Sanderson is just that good.

*Science Fiction:*

This was the final book in the Expanse trilogy and the whole series is fantastic.


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## heidi_g (Nov 14, 2013)

I read some really good books this year  (Thank you Geoffrey and Ann for helping me out with the book covers!)

 Little, Big by John Crowley

 Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 
 The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim

 Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

 The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

 The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates 
 

 The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates

 Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates

 Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis

 The Taker by Alma Katsu


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

heidi_g said:


> (I was disappointed I couldn't figure out how to post the covers!)


There's a linkmaker we all use here.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> There's a linkmaker we all use here.


And when you're not in this thread, note that it appears in the 'readers' menu along the top, as well as right below the 'quick reply' box.


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## TechnoHippy (Feb 22, 2013)

I've posted my top 5 reads for 2013:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/my-top-five-reads-of-2013.html

And here are the books for those that don't care why


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## Nicholas Benedict (Nov 18, 2013)

drenfrow said:


> The audiobook version of this was amazing, over 40 narrators including Martin Scorsese, Alfred Molina, Alan Alda, Denise Crosby, Nathan Fillion, F. Murray Abraham, the list just goes on...


I've never tried audio books but this sounds pretty interesting. I'll have to check it out.


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

Nicholas Benedict said:


> I've never tried audio books but this sounds pretty interesting. I'll have to check it out.


And I'm not even a fan of zombie books!


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Paranormal:

 
_Three Parts Dead_ & _Two Serpents Rise_, by Max Gladstone

This series is one that somewhat defies typing into one genre, and I think it was probably the freshest thing I've read in two years or so. It's definitely one to sample first, and while the books are set in the same universe, they are not connected, so read whichever one appeals. I loved both, but liked the second one better.

(I can also second the earlier rec for _Tigana_ by Guy Gavriel Kay. That's another lush, lyrical tale that I've loved for years.)


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

My 2013 fave and the most interesting book I've read in years is Pandora' s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Melanie Warner.

The author does some wild home experiments with food such as seeing what happens when you put frozen chicken nuggets at room temperature for a couple of days (they turn into a black liquid). Her elderly mother accidentally ate some storebought guacamole she had in her fridge for three years and it hadn't changed a bit.

I read a lot about food and nutrition but I did not know most of the stuff in here like how most of the raw materials for the vitamins we take come from China and often from inedible items. I plan to read it again soon.


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## purplesmurf (Mar 20, 2012)

My top 3 reads were:

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth (still trying to finish the 3rd - not nearly as good in my opinion)

The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

purplesmurf said:


> My top 3 reads were:
> 
> Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth (still trying to finish the 3rd - not nearly as good in my opinion)


I absolutely loved Divergent and Insurgent but sadly Allegiant was my most disappointing read of 2013.


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

I posted my top 10 favorite reads of 2013 to my blog: http://hswriting.blogspot.com/2014/01/favorite-reads-of-2013.html

1. Legend by Marie Lu
2. Fire by Kristen Cashore
3. Outpost by Ann Aguirre
4. Angelfall by Susan Ee
5. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
6. The Breeders by Katie French
7. Die Trying by Lee Child
8. Mila 2.0 - Debra Driza
9. Freak of Nature - Julia Crane
10. Breathe - Sarah Crossnan


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

I don't keep a list as others have noted (I sure as heck don't remember when I've read such-and-such book, that's for sure ), but here's what I've come up with (not including re-reads):

*Adele (The Rabbi's Mother, Book 1)*: A funny as all get out mystery, that also had plenty of scary scenes.

*The Mercy Allcut series*: Another mystery (I'm using the categories on my Kindle as a guide), this is about a young woman from 1920s upper crust Boston who's tired of living in a sheltered environment and heads out to Hollywood - to live with her sister. The entire series is a hoot, and it feeds my history appetite too. 

*Death at a Drop-In (a Myrtle Clover mystery*): Funny mystery series about an octogenarian former schoolteacher who solves cases that her son, Red, can't solve. This was the next in the series (4th one, I think; I've read all but the first one, which is priced too high IMHO).

*The Pennyfoot Hotel mysteries * - Love this series! Read 2 (or was it 3?) in this series in 2013. Like the Myrtle Clover mysteries, this is an auto-buy for me. 

*The Face Down series* - An historical mystery series set in 16th century England. Fascinating look at the time period, including the MC going to places where a royal woman normally wouldn't go (a whorehouse).

*Three Odd Balls: Cue Ball Mystery series*: This 3rd in the series (read the other 2 the year before) and just as whacked out as the other 2. The 3 odd balls are the MC, her sort of boyfriend (a sheriff), and the MC's book agent (she's a romance writer). Absolutely hilarious, especially the agent, who is completely over the top! 

*Scriber*: I can't remember if I read this late in 2012 or early in 2013, so I'll throw it in.  This is an outstanding fantasy story that really tugged at my heart. Well written, I was exhausted from the emotional impact on this one. A shame the writer doesn't have any more books out, because I'd snap them up in a second. (Tho maybe he has something else out by now?)

*Star Trek Destiny series*: I had read exactly 1 Star Trek tie-in novel many years ago. These 3 were on sale near the end of 2013, so I figured, why not? Very fast paced, and tho the books jump around in time, it all came right at the end. Exciting and enjoyable. For you Trekkies - I've watched TOS, The Next Generation (TNG), Voyager, and Enterprise; never got into Deep Space Nine (too dark for my liking, except for the Tribbles go-back-in-time epi, hah!). Having familiarity with TNG seems to be the minimum to not getting too lost in this particular series.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Read my first Jack Reacher in 2013, _The Affair_. Just excellent.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I went through my list and then didn't want to post. I think peoples eyes are going to glaze over at the number of favorite reads I had. And this is the culled list.  

Sorry, I read a lot and I guess I loved a lot in 2013 

A couple of historical mysteries I loved this year
 

My favorite contemporary romances in 2013. Tangled with the unique POV from the hero, not the heroine and Lick was a fantastic example of a rockstar romance done right. 
 

A number of historical romances that were favorites 
         

Then a novella, which is special for me since I don't really like novellas. This one is fantastic and stayed with me for a long time. Contemporary romance. If all novellas were like this one, I would read more. Alas, they are not so I still don't like them. 


My mind keeps getting blow with this series. Favorite UF and this installment was just holy crap


And then there is this gem. I love a subgenre of historical romance which is historical paranormal romance. Basically set in historical times with some paranormal elements. Good ones are hard to find and this one was gripping and fantastic. 


I did try to narrow it down, I swear I did.


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## BWicky (May 18, 2013)

Hmmm... my favorites of 2013 definitely include the Milkweed Trilogy 

*Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis*


*The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis*


*A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson*


*Of Dreams and Shadow by DS Mcknight*


All of the books are rated well so I can't have that bad of taste, right  The first two are darker, alternate history type books. Tregillis has a very intense writing style. A Memory of Light was a nice break from the heavy Tregillis books. Sanderson has done a wonderful job of wrapping up the WoT series. Jordan was known to get a bit caught up in his massive world and the story can drag a bit because of it. The last book moves at a brisk pace and and I love the ending! Of Dreams and Shadow is from a lesser known author with some writing chops. A dash of paranormal, a spritz of romance, and some coming of age sums this up nicely.

Here is to 2014 and more time to read!


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## beckyj20 (Jun 12, 2010)

I only read 27 books in 2013.  They were all good, but Gone With the Wind was my favorite!


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

My favorites of 2013 in no particular order:

Ender's Game
Ender's Shadow
Gone for Good
The Midwife's Confession
A Drink Before the War
Feed
Where'd You Go Bernadette?
The Passage
Wool
Defending Jacob

I'm currently reading "The Goldfinch" and am at about 90%.  I think that would be on this list if I had finished it before the end of the year.


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## heidi_g (Nov 14, 2013)

Geoffrey and Ann, thank you for directing me to the linkmaker, I got my post all fixed up


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## Eric Mazzoni (Jan 10, 2014)

Top of the list:
*Hyperion Cantos, Dan Simmons*
 
*Children of Night, Dan Simmons*


Both turned me into a Dan Simmons Lovers. I want to be become a writer of his caliber.

Runners up include:
*Flowers For Algernon, Daniel Keyes*

*Handmaid's Tale, Margret Atwood*

*Requiem for a Dream, Hubert Selby Jr.*


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## jlee745 (Jul 27, 2010)

2013 I read 81 books beating my previous record of 76.

My favorite books this year are:


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