Friday 3 January 2014

Top Ten Books of 2013

2013 was actually a good year in terms of books read for me I beat my goal of 100 by 4 books and I know if I hadn't of slacked of in December and actually finished some books then that number would have been a lot bigger which is why I have set myself a target of 150 for 2014, if I meet this goal then it will be the most books I have ever read in one year, its going to be quite a feat for me but I think will a little perseverance, I am more than capable to doing it.

Now onto last year, as I said I read 104 books last year, some of them I liked, others I loved and some I actually obsessed over. It was really hard for me to pick just 10 books that I loved and would encourage you to read but here are the ones I would recommend you drop everything you're doing and read right away because I loved them that much.

 

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

 
Rainbow Rowell was defiantly my discovery of the year in terms of new authors, I fell head over heels with both of her books and the characters and worlds she creates. Fangirl spoke directly to my inner book nerd, I loved Caths obsessive behaviour with the world of Simon Snow, she reminded me of my younger self and my love of Harry Potter fanfiction. Rowell created a wonderful world in which Cath learns to grow and enters the 'real world', a world full of magic of its own kind.
 

2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Lani Taylor

 
I remember when I found this book, I don't think I shut up about it for weeks and I think I may have actually have fallen in love with Laini Taylor and her words when I read it. From the minute I read the first page, I wanted, no needed to know more. Taylor created a magical and beautiful world and merged it with our own, her words left me speechless and her characters were beautifully flawed, I don't know if I would recommend another book as much as I would this one. I promise you wont be disappointed.
 

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephaine Perkins

 
 This book was a breath of fresh air, it was beautiful and heart-breaking and made me want to go back to Paris and have the same experiences as Anna. I wish I could express how much I loved this book, it was beautiful and mesmerizing, Stephanie just has a way with words that creates a world and characters that I would love to experience and to know.
 

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas

 
 
This book is filled to the brim with action, tension, murder, mystery, romance and with a sprinkling of magic. Loyalty is questioned, battle lines are drawn and it is just the start to what is sure to be an epic series. Celaena is such a refreshing chance from the stereotypical characters we often see in books, she is good looking, smart and extremely skilled in combat and boy does she know it. 
 

5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

 
 
I hadn't heard much about this book before it appeared in work one day and after finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone I was eager to read something in a similar vain and let me tell you I was not disappointed. Shadow and Bone was an epic fantasy, the characters, the world building all blew me away, from the prologue to the end I was hooked, the writing was beautiful and kept me captivated throughout.
 

6. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 
I had been eager to read Eleanor and Park since I had first heard about Rainbow Rowell and I think this book is a contender for being my absolute favourite of the year. Eleanor has to be one of the best female characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about, she individual and quirky. This book gave me those butterflies in my stomach, it made my heart clench and it sent me on a roller-coaster of emotions and the ending, I think I screamed in frustration when I read it, I kept turning the page hoping for something more.
 

7. More Than This by Patrick Ness

 
More than this is an utterly compelling and wonderfully bizarre book, that will keep you hooked from the opening chapter, when our main protagonist dies whilst swimming on the beach and wakes up back in his childhood home. The events that occur throughout the rest of the book will have you second guessing everything you thought you knew. Ness keeps us on the edge of our seats and has created a diverse set of characters that you'll learn to love. More than this challenges the human nature and the fact that we are always searching for 'more than this'.


8. All my Friends are Superheroes

 
I think this was one of the shortest books I read this year and it was recommended to me by a lot of the people I work with and I loved it. It was funny and quirky, I loved all the little descriptions of the different types of superheroes that exist. It was a romantic comedy in a small little package and will leave you feeling warm inside. 

 

9. Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

 
This book was an interesting look and compelling story about a depressed teenager and what he perceives to be his last day on earth, the book jumps between different times in Leonards life and those life changing moments, as Leonard starts to say goodbye to all the people who have changed his life in some way, whether they realise it or not. It was a surprisingly sweet story and made me think about how people effect may our lives in the smallest of ways.

 

10. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

 
This was the last book I read in 2013 and from the moment I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Touch of Power is the first book in the Avery of Kazan series and if you like high fantasy then you should defiantly give it a try. Snyder has created a magical world, full of mayhem and danger, her characters are funny and loyal. Every chapter brings a new threat to Avery so its never boring. I ran out and bought the sequel as soon as I had finished it.



In other news, as I'm writing this post I am actually watching or should I say catching up on some NHL, I haven't watched that many games before but one of my close friends is a major Chicago Blackhawks fan and considering we are heading over to America in a couple of weeks and we are actually going to watch a game I figured I should get to grips with it.


Now if you didn't know I am more an NFL girl myself but I have to say once I got my head around the speed of the sport I am really enjoying watching it, I'm not sure I fully understand all the rules yet but I am sure that that will come with time. It's definitely more of an aggressive sport, its strange that fighting is actually acceptable but boy do these guys have some skill on the ice, I'm more of a grip the sides of a rink girl myself.

 

What were your favourite books of 2013? Do you agree with any of mine?

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