1. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
The story of quadriplegic Will and his caretaker Louisa stuck with me for days after I finished. I can’t say anymore without giving spoilers – you’ll have to read it yourself. A quick, engrossing read, Me Before You is moving and poignant.
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
A behemoth of a book (697 pages on my Nook), the tale of Jake Epping’s time travel to 1963 and his quest to prevent the assassination of JFK is riveting, poignant and tragic. It’s not your typical King horror book, so if you’ve never read one of his novels, this is the one to try. It was the first book I read in 2013 and I still think about it.
3. The Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier
Jen recommended this Young Adult trilogy to me – thanks Jen! I know I’m not the intended audience, but I found the tale of Gwenyth fast paced and fun. Who can resist a teenage heroine who suddenly finds herself a time traveler at the center of historical intrigue? Not me. I highly recommend this series for the middle or high school girl in your life as well – she’ll love it!
4. Approaching the Speed of Light by Victoria Lustbader
I read this book for the website Red Letter Reads, and I gave it an A. Jody is the most complex, wounded character I have ever connected with in a book. Relationships have the power to hurt and destroy, heal and renew – and Lustbader explores this beautifully. Can love heal all wounds, or are some beyond repair? This novel is a heavy (but hopeful) read, and I could not put it down, particularly for the last third of the book.
6. The Premonition Series by Amy A. Bartol
7. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
8. Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
9. Goodbye for Now by Laurie Frankel
10. Snow in August by Pete Hamill
I hope you’ve found my book reviews helpful this year; you can read all of them by selecting the “books” category on the side bar.
Wishing you a 2014 full of fabulous books!
I love your book recommendations! I know where to turn when I need a good read!
Come back anytime, Leah. And if you ever have a good book to recommend, let me know!
I am so excited by your list. I haven’t heard of many of the books on your list. I’m working my way through the Divergent series right now. Its somewhat like Hunger Games, but ten times better in my opinion.
I really enjoyed the Divergent series, too. There are so many great YA books out there. Another one I enjoyed was the “Matched” trilogy by Ally Condie. I do need to take breaks between those types of books, though – I like to mix it up!
The only one I read on your list was Half Broke Horses. I used to be such an avid reader…now it appears I am an avid blog reader. I need to read more books next year!
I’ve promised myself I would read while I’m waiting for my kids at practices, etc. That should give me plenty of book time!
Love these lists! We had a couple of the same ones. 🙂
We did – and I added a few of yours to my list. I love getting so many different perspectives and recommendations!
I LOVE to read so I’ll have to check out some of these books. A book that I read recently that I loved was Gone Girl. Kept me riveted.
I liked Gone Girl too. Hope you find one or two that you enjoy, Amber!
Okay- so if I had to pick ONE of these…which would it be? By the way you described each book, I want to read them ALL!!! Not realistic. How do YOU read that much? I use all my reading time for blogging… well most of it anyway. Still working on Just Like Jesus. 🙂
AND I still have my GREY TRILOGY to get to!!!!!
Jesus and Christian Grey – I think you have your hands full already, Chris! If I had to pick just one, I couldn’t. Sorry, but by the time you’re ready for a new book I’ll have more to recommend 🙂
Thanks for the picks. I’m always interested in what other people read.
I LOooooooooVE Khaled Hosseini.
And I shall order” Me Before You”. Sounds like my style!
xx
It was great – I hope you think so too!
I just finished my first JoJo Moyes novel – Last Letter from Your Lover. It was so good. I usually read things that I can fly through and require little of my attention, but this book consumed me and kept me on my toes. And of course I cried happy tears at the end. I will definitely have to check out more of her books!
Happy New Year to you!
Happy new year to you too, Kate! I actually haven’t read Last Letter from Your Lover – I’ll have to add that to my list. Thanks!
What a list! I’m not sure I read 10 non kid books this year! I do however, want to read more in 2014. I’ve got a good deal of “to reads” on my Kindle already, all I need now is the TIME!
Yep, time is the issue, isn’t it? I gave up Candy Crush, so that should give me an extra 20 minutes or so a day, and I vow to spend that reading.
not too shabby!!! you are a machine. i’ve become obsessed with the hunger games movies and so decided to read the books. i hate to admit that i’m hooked. i spend all my free time reading books for teenagers!
I love Young Adult books too, Catherine. They are a nice change from the heavier stuff, and I can read them so quickly!
Interesting picks. I haven’t read any of these. Goodbye for Now intrigues me. I will have to read this one. Based on your recommendation I now have some new titles to read. I love to read and like you I read Everything.
Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!!!
Thanks so much, Barbara – same to you!
I haven’t read any of these, with the exception of the Ruby Read Series 😉
I did get the sample of Where’d You Go Bernadette on my kindle and then didn’t pursue it any further….
For your sake I’ll give it another try, but get it from the library so there’s no buyers remorse lol.
You have put a bug in my about putting together my own list… of course I am procrastinating writing a book review that was “due” weeks ago for a book I am ambivalent about. Not the best way to start.
Thanks for the great list, I’ll stick ’em in my Kindle wishlist!
And thank you for your recommendation – those books were so fun! I’m curious as to the book you are ambivalent about – tweet me the name of it if you feel like sharing.
I figured your server was broken yesterday among the many. Yay for them getting it back up soon. But probably not soon enough for you.
I hope I can read as much as you did this year. I need to put it on my list. 😉
I’m not sure how you’ll find the time with all the sewing you’ll be doing…
You’re back! Stupid Bluehost. I LOVE(!) when Stephen King does his different thing…and haven’t read this one. Years ago, I read his one that I can’t remember the name of (wife dead, want to say Lovely Bones but that was another book by somebody else). I still think about it. Happy New Year, Dana!!! May 2014 bring you blessing and wonder!!!
Same to you, Kristi!
I haven’t read most of these! I did love Half Broke Horses and Me Before You. I’m finally going to write my list today!
Yay – heading over right now to read your list!
Thanks for the list Dana! I never read nearly as much as I want to (and maybe becoming a Netflix addict had something to do with it this year) but I have a pile of books on my nightstand waiting to be read, plus a bunch on my kindle. I’m going to add these to the pile!
Yes, television can really interfere with reading – I refuse to take on any new series in 2014!
I loved ‘And The Mountains Echoed.’ I haven’t read any of the other picks on your list, so I’ll have to add them to my never-ending to-read list! Thanks for the recommendations, Dana!
My pleasure, Nicole. You know, a flight to California would be an excellent time to read a good book. 😉
Love this!! I just downloaded Me Before You onto my Nook – can’t wait to read it!!
Wow – I have not read one of these books. Not one. I have read the Glass Castle and absolutely loved it. I tried another book by her – name escapes me – and had to give it a miss after a few pages in. I’ll give Half Broke Horses a go.
Have you read Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project? My most fave 2013 book of all.
Thanks for giving me 9 more options!
I haven’t read that, Kelly, but it’s on my list now! I just requested it from the library. There are 104 requests, so it’ll be awhile!
I’m happy to say I have read quite a few on your list and “Me Before You” haunted me for days afterward. I was SOOOOOO upset by the ending but I knew it was the ONLY ending to be had. It actually still makes me upset – can you tell? I’m giving myself back more time to read this year since I got so far away from it after I started blogging. We’ll see how this goes…
I know what you mean about Me Before You – it stuck with me too. I’m going to try to read more in 2014; blogging took a chunk of my reading time, for sure.
I’ve only read of couple of these, but it looks like you read some great books this year. I have And the Mountains Echoed sitting on my nightstand to start soon… if I can ever stop checking out library books with 3 week return deadlines!
I know…I love when no one else has requested the book and I can renew it for another three weeks!
Oh, I just noticed her comment right above mine! Haha. So I’m sure you’ve checked her out!
Yep, Kate and I go way back. 😉 I found out about Literary Junkies through her; it’s an online book club with a linkup every month if you want to.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? has been on my to-read list for awhile. I have heard so many good things about it. Have you read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty? It’s one of my all-time faves, as is Jemima J (old one) by Jane Green. Right now I’m in the middle of Liane Moriarty’s newest, The Husband’s Secret, and I am loving it.
Thanks for the book post–I am a book junkie, so I love these kinds of posts!! Kate from Another Clean Slate is a big reader, too…have you checked her blog out yet? She does some good book reviews.
I have not read What Alice Forgot; it’s been on my list for awhile. And now I added Jemima J. So many books, so little time!
I want to read “And The Mountains Echoed,” “Me Before You” and “Goodbye For Now.” I want that badly! Now to just return the library book that the library is trying to charge me $27 for…
$27? You could buy it for less than that. I’m a library gal myself, but I do like reading books on my Nook. Hope you have some time to read in 2014, Tamara!
I wish I’d kept track of how many books I read this year. Surprisingly, I only read one of your top 10- so adding the others to my reading list!
You’re not on GoodReads, Kate? It’s a great way to keep track of books and have a to-read list always handy.
I still think about Goodbye for Now. I loved it. And Where’d You Go Bernadette was great, too. Love this list and am going to check out the ones I have not read. I just finished a book called “Lies You Wanted To Hear”. SO GOOD.-Ashley
Ooh – I just added that to be to-read list. Sounds good – thanks for the recommendation, Ashley!
I just published my list today! I am currently reading Where’d You Go Bernadette, and Me Before You is next on my list. I read 11/22/63 last year and just devoured it ~ I loved the thoughts about history and the nature of the past. And the Mountains Echoed is also on my shelf… so many books, so little time!
Tell me about it, Sarah. Sounds like we have similar tastes in books – going to check out your list now!
I totally just pinned this Dana for when I am looking for a new book to read. I still want to read 11/22/63 and have it all ready to go on my iPad. So, glad to hear you liked it and might have to read it soon now! Thanks 🙂
Janine, your list of books to read must be a mile long! One of these days you’ll starting tackling it!
A friend of mine gave me his copy of Half Broke Horses months ago. It’s still sitting on my shelf but this was a good reminder that it’s there. Thank you for your book picks, Dana. I definitely know who to ask next time I am looking for a recommendation!
Did you read Glass Castle, Ilene? Read it first if you haven’t. I read Half Broke Horses on one flight from California to the East Coast. If only I flew more, I’d have so much more time to read…
I would probably enjoy The Premonition Series…Love the paranormal 😉
Thanks for a great list, I needed some book recommendations 🙂
Jen
Jen – the series is paranormal romance, which isn’t usually my thing, but they were just quick, engrossing, and entertaining reads. And only a few dollars to get for my Nook. I couldn’t find them at the library. But as soon as I finished one I immediately downloaded the next, and now I’m waiting impatiently for book #5.