The Year in.... 2013

So my books from 2013 are here. But I want to highlight the best of.....


 My two favorite literary podcasts this year were Books on the Nightstand and CraftLit. I've mentioned them often and with good reason. I was rarely steered wrong with BotN. I enjoyed every book I read that they recommended. Craftlit is different, it threw me back in the past to the classics that I probably never would have read. Heather is a teacher and so good at walking everyone through the literature, telling you want to look for and giving you so much insight it's like being in an awesome literature class in college.

As for books, I think the best of the year was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I can't wait to see the movie and you will hardly ever hear me say that. It was a beautiful book, told from the perspective of Death as he handles Nazi Germany. You really must read.

Next up, Wool (Omnibus collection) by Hugh Howey. This has all books, 1-5, in one set. I heard about this from the CraftStash podcast because there is some knitting involved. But trust me when I say this isn't a knitting centered book. It's a great story of people forced to live in silos because the earth is uninhabitable.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio is a great little book about a boy who is living with a disfigurement and it's such a good story, I blew off several outings with friends to read. This was recommended through Joan of Dark's blog


Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Beautiful and painful first time novel. Please read.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne just killed me. Everytime I read about Nazi Germany, I die a bit because humanity was so bad. But then a story comes along that shows there were some good people out there.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. A departure for him but what a beautiful one. I'm very glad I took that trip.

And lastly, but certainly not least, the book I hugged because I wanted to hug the characters so bad.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. Get lost in here and just go with the characters. You'll be glad you did.

Happy Reading in 2014!