Top Ten Tuesday - Top 13 of 2013

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I could probably pick ten but the Top 13 of 2013 just has a nice ring to it, plus it's my lucky number, plus it let's me talk about more books than the the ones I mentioned yesterday in my End of the Year Survey. I've you read that then many of these will not come as much of a shock. But with out further ado...

13.) The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
A non-fiction book about how small things can make a big difference. So much more enjoyable that I expected.

12.) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Amazing writing, funny, sad, heart-warming. An excellent story about love, loss, and life.


 11.) The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
A unique historical fiction novel that looks at the mid-20th century in America but frames it around comic books. Interesting characters and incredible writing. (Full Review)

10.) Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith
 A dark and gory reimagining of the story of the Magi. It's full of complex and menacing character, incredible imagery, and huge adventure. (Full Review)

9.) Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
The story of a woman who uses her overly large thumbs to her advantage. It's an amazing story about adventure, independence, and being yourself.  The writing style is unique, interesting, and poetic, and it was funny, sentimental, and deep.

8.) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
A unique dystopian novel set within a virtual reality games full of 1980's nostalgia. Interesting themes, characters you relate to, and tons of action. It was funny, sad, and interesting all at the same time.  (Full Review)

7.) Splendor (and the rest of The Luxe series) by Anna Godbersen
The conclusion of an amazing Historical Fiction series. It's Gossip Girl in the 19th Century. It's full of complex characters who walk the line between good and evil, themes that are easy to relate to, and so many love triangles it's hard to keep track. (Full Review)

6.) Rebel Angels (and the rest of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy) by Libba Bray
Book 2 in an incredible series the is hard to pin down in a specific genre. It's historical fiction, dark fantasy, coming of age, and supernatural thriller. The characters are complex, the plot is incredible, the mystery is complicated but solvable, and there are tons of amazing themes. (Full Review)

5.) The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Book two in a trilogy full of deeply flawed characters. It's a fantasy story for fantasy fans full of subtle references to known classics. It's full of adventure and interesting and complicated world-building and magical structure. It's such a unique and interesting story. (Full Review)

4.) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
An incredible contemporary story with relatable characters and situations. It's sad, sweet, and funny. The book made me feel warm and fuzzy throughout most of my reading. There amazing themes of friendship, family, first love, and acceptance. The writing style is simple but poetic and complex at the same time. (Full Review) 

3.) A Storm of Swords (and the first two in the series) by George R.R. Martin
There are no words to describe how incredibly earth-shattering this book is. I shall attempt it next week. The Song of Ice and Fire is an incredible High Fantasy series and this book (so far) is it's best book. It's funny, sad, and deep. The characters are memorably complex and are good and evil at the same time, many of them have amazing arcs throughout the series. There's amazing action and world-building. It's fantastic. 

2.) Divergent (and the rest of the trilogy) by Veronica Roth
Worth the hype. Everything about this book was perfect. Page-turning action, complex and interesting characters, and interesting themes about humanity and society. The world-building was interesting and unique and I seriously devoured it. The series does slowly fizzle as it goes on but this book was almost perfect. (Full Review) 




1.) The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
This book quickly became one of my favorite books. It was sad, sentimental, and sweet. The characters were complex and easy to relate to and the themes of acceptance and loneliness connect with the reader on a deeper level. Carson McCuller's writing style is incredibly poetic and absolutely beautiful. The book is incredible. (Full Review)



Honorable Mention to the two rereads that are two of my favorite books...

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 What were your favorite books this year? Leave me a comment if you've read any of these and what were your thoughts?