To end the year of 2013, I wanted to share my personal favorite reads
of the year. Out of the dozens upon dozens of books I have read this year (yeah
I couldn’t even try to count them it was so many) these are ones that I felt
need mentioning. Not all of these are YA
related, but I do read other things besides books to extend my career. So here
we go in no particular order!
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. See my post here.
This book is the latest from the greatest modern YA author, John Green. A very powerful read filled with romance,
thought-provoking philosophy, literature, and some hilarious cancer puns. The
movie comes out over the summer and I may have to see it. Get tissues ready.
Eleanor and Park plus Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. In fact Rainbow
Rowell in general. See my Eleanor and Park post here.
I just finished Fangirl which was
released in September of this year.
Rainbow Rowell is THE next John Green. Her characters and stories are
interwoven beautifully and she demonstrates exactly how rough some teens really
do have it. Eleanor, in particular, had me devastated throughout the entire
book. I did relate to Cath more (from Fangirl)
as she is a fellow introvert dealing with Freshman year of college. I feel like
Rowell knows how to tug at my heart strings. She better write more!
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. I actually read this very early in
the year – pre-dating this blog. I loved Atonement
and was excited to read McEwan’s newest work. Sweet Tooth takes place in the 1960s-1970s Cold War England and
deals with a different kind of spying from MI-6. I loved this story and it
wasn’t as depressing an ending like Atonement.
Recommend for those who love books where the main character is lover of
literature.
Heist Society series by Ally Carter. See my posts here
and
here. This was my guilty YA pleasure series of the year. In all honesty I
do not know why I am in love with this series. Each book is the exact same, the
character development is meh, and the plot is almost exactly like the Ocean’s
Eleven movies. HOWEVER, Ally Carter presents us with a fun group of books with
fun characters. They were action-packed and mysterious as well as perfect books
for tweens and teens who are reluctant readers. The real travesty is that Carter
probably will not write another Heist
Society for a while, ARGH!
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt. See my post here.
I read the School Library Journal review for this book back in June(?) and I
thought it sounded cute. It had its moments of cheese, but overall a great,
easy read. What I loved about this book was the family dynamics and the love
between the sisters (Cath and Wren in Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl also have a great relationship). (SPOILER
ALERT)Additionally, I loved that Mallory, our main protagonist, did not just
get together with the next guy she likes for a rebound, but she actually
decided to not date right away.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I read this in the beginning of the
year for an adult book club I attend. I just can’t explain my feelings for this
book. It’s like this…I hate Amy AND Nick so much that I only kept reading to
see what horrible things were going to ensue next. My mind said this, “I HATE
YOU BOTH, NOW LET’s KEEP GOING TO SEE WHAT YOU DO TO EACH OTHER!”
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte the Audiobook. See post here.
This was probably my favorite of all the audiobooks I listened to this year. I
have listened to A LOT. The narrator’s distinguishing character voices as well
as the love between Catherine and Heathcliff’s and its destruction on humanity
made this a great read.
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray the Audiobook. I just finished this
audiobook before the holidays and I haven’t had the chance to write about it,
but you should know that it was hilarious! An awesome satire for teens who are
just learning about satire (as the satire is pretty obvious). I loved that
Libba Bray did the narration herself and it was just perfect. I recommend this
book to teens who have graduated from the Georgia Nicolson series by Louise
Rennison.
Ashfall by Mike Mullin. See my post here.
Never has there been a book that has terrified me as much as this one did.
Supervolcanoes are super scary motherf*#@as! I have yet had the chance to
finish the series, but I may need to rectify that soon. Seriously this book
scared my poopless.
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. See my post here.
Some romance books are too over-the-top for me, but this romance was fun to
read. What I really appreciated about Fitzpatrick’s work is that she addresses
feelings teens have and the uneasiness that comes in talking about sexual
feelings. Samantha and Jase’s awkward discussion about virginity and the next
step felt relatable.
There are of course some honorable mentions. Golden by Jessi Kirby
(finished that 2 weeks ago), The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black,
Zombies vs. Unicorns, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Bloodlines by Richelle Mead,
and Everybody Sees the Ants by AS King.
I look forward to talking to you guys in 2014! Happy New Year!
