Best Books of 2013

Much to my surprise, I ended up reading 99 books this year. I’m over halfway done with #100 but it’s just not going to get finished in 2013.

My 2013 challenge was to read North and South, Dead Souls, and at least one non-fiction book.  I did read North and South but not Dead Souls. I actually read 2 nonfiction books: Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach, and The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth. 

My favorites this year are ones that really stuck with me, even months after I read it. In no particular order, the books I liked best this year are:

Binding the Shadows: Jenn Bennett – this one has the distinction of causing the biggest book hangover

Blackout: Mira Grant – the next biggest book hangover, I read then entire series this year and absolutely loved it

Nowhere But Home: Liza Palmer - pulled on the heart strings the most

Magic Rises: Ilona Andrews – another great addition to one of my favorite series ever

North and South: Elizabeth Gaskell – Thornton vs Darcy? It almost depends on which book I just finished

I Am the Messenger: Markus Zusak – my only audio book and I was surprised how much I loved this one and the narrator might have had a hand in that

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal: Mary Roach – she makes anything she writes so much fun

Written in Red: Anne Bishop – another big surprise, I borrowed it from the library and then ended up buying it in hardcover because I just couldn’t wait to read it again

Days of Blood & Starlight: Laini Taylor – this book took the story to a whole new level and I think I have to own this series now

Star Gazing: Linda Gillard – first book I read this year and I just loved it, I’ve re-read parts over and over

Honorable mention goes to:

Cinder and Scarlett: Marissa Meyer – these have become “must own” and I’m highly anticipating Cress next year

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: Mary Ann Shaffer – such a feel good story

The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves: Maggie Stiefvater – another “must own” series

Mortal Arts: Anna Lee Huber – so excited to have found another historical mystery series that I love, although I’m not so excited about the wait for book 3

For 2014, I think I’m going to try and read one nonfiction book, one “classic”, and I want to read one of the Shakespeare plays I haven’t read yet.  Along with everything else that I normally like to read, of course.

Most Anticipated books for 2014:

Murder of Crows: Anne Bishop

Banishing the Dark: Jenn Bennett

Night Broken: Patricia Briggs

Cress: Marissa Meyer

A Grave Matter: Anna Lee Huber

Dreams of Gods & Monsters: Laini Taylor

Fate can be very, very cruel

Either I have bad luck or bad habits or maybe a combination of both. I got sick last Friday night and I’m still trying to recover. That makes twice in 5 weeks. This time was bad though. I didn’t leave my house for 3 days and even now I’m still coughing and blowing my nose. I ended up watching 10 hours straight of The Walking Dead on Sunday. I kind of felt like a zombie so I figured why not? Plus, my head hurt too much to read. That much TV was a bit of a mistake. I could not sleep that night. It wasn’t because I was scared but my brain had been over stimulated or something and I couldn’t turn it off. However, I’m hooked on TWD and will be starting season 3 very soon.

Then last night I had just gotten a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep after the coughing stopped when fate stepped in and my smoke detector started chirping because the battery is low. And it was the one in my bedroom with the high ceiling that I have no way to reach. So I gathered my blanket and pillow and shut the bedroom door and tried to sleep on the couch but I could still hear the thing. At least I know I’ll be able to hear it anywhere in the house if it ever really goes off. Anyway, another long night and long day that isn’t over yet.

I guess to look on the bright side, we had treat day at work so I got to eat a piece of Larry’s fudge and my mom made me a popcorn cake so I didn’t have to make anything. The fudge and popcorn cake were delicious. And there’s only a couple hours left in the work day then I’ll get to put my pajamas back on and my sister is going to bring her ladder over so I can change a battery. Hopefully, with a little care, I will be well for Christmas and will be done getting sick for the winter.

Decorations

Yesterday I got out my Christmas decorations and dusted off my Christmas CD collection. Last year I didn’t really get into the Christmas feeling and didn’t decorate at all, but this year will be different. I actually have my own tradition of decorating my tree while watching one of the Lord of the Rings movies. Ha ha… I know that has nothing to do with Christmas. I think I started because the movie is long enough and I can take breaks to watch the parts I like but then can decorate during the battles or other parts I don’t care to watch. Anyway, that’s what I did yesterday. My tree isn’t that big, but I do like it and I like the ornaments I’ve collected for it. I think this year I might expand and get a few more ornaments. December is going to be a great month!

Stay-cation

It's Thanksgiving week and I have the whole week off from work. Considering I am getting over a cold, it's been nice to not have to set the alarm clock. I've done some Christmas shopping, errands, laundry, read books, watched tv, and whatever else I've been in the mood for. It's been fabulous. It's only Wednesday and I'm already off my normal sleeping routine which means next Monday is not going to feel good. But I refuse to think about that now. I'll be spending a lot of the rest of my stay-cation with family and that will be nice too. For now, I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon basking in the sunshine of this beautiful November day.

In the mood

Well, I can tell winter is definitely coming. It rained most of the night and into the morning. I love the rain and will never complain about that. But it was so dark driving to work this morning. It seems like it happened overnight. I was in Tuscaloosa, AL for work last week so maybe it was more gradual than I realize but it seems like yesterday it was light and today it wasn’t.

I really do love this time of year, though. I carved a pumpkin on Sunday and tonight will roast the seeds. The grocery stores are getting their pomegranates in stock and hot chocolate is going on sale. I feel like I need to get everything ready to hibernate through the winter.

Maybe it’s because Halloween is in a couple days, but I’m in the mood for dark music and gothic books. I’m reading Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart and loving it. I want to re-read some of my other gothic favorites when I’m finished. I’m listening to The Village soundtrack. It was composed by James Newton Howard and is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. I thought it was perfect for the movie, but really, it’s just perfect. It’s absolutely haunting and breathtaking.  Another soundtrack I’ve been listening to and that I think is great for this time of year is the soundtrack to Snow White and the Huntsman. I did not like the movie, but do really like the music. And I just looked it up and am not surprised to find it was also composed by James Newton Howard.

Walnuts

It’s that time of year when my dad cracks buckets of walnuts and I take them home and shell them.  It’s a pretty good process because he can crack them when he wants and I can shell them when I want. I usually just sit down with a movie and do a bucket at a time. This year I’ve been shelling the walnuts while I watch season 2 of Call the Midwife. That show got me hooked from the first episode. I’m not a huge TV watcher, and I usually watch shows hit and miss but every once in a while, I find one that really pulls me in. Anyway, I’ve really been loving Call the Midwife but that stupid show makes me cry every episode, I swear.  So I’ve been doing the walnuts with a tissue close at hand. I did read the first book the show is based on:  The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth. It was a good book, but not as emotionally involving as the TV show.  I’ve got one more buckets of nuts left to do and that should let me finish up the rest of the episodes. It’s just a matter of finding the time to sit down and do it.

Committing

So I mentioned a few weeks ago my sister and I bought airplane tickets to Cuzco, Peru. We are really going to go to Machu Picchu. Now that the excitement has worn off, I’ve started thinking.  My sister wants to hike the Inca trail. I do not like to hike all that much. I can handle day hikes but I’m not an overnight hiker. The once or twice I’ve done it wasn’t what I would call a good time.  And the real truth is that I wouldn’t be able to hike the Inca trail right now anyway. So we compromised that I am going to spend the next couple of months getting back in shape and really committing to the hike. And then when it comes time to get the hiking arrangements made, we’re going to decide if both of us really can hike it. And if not, we’ll take the bus. But if so, I may actually have to hike the thing.  

I can already tell this trip is going to be one of those excitement/dread types of things. I keep kind of laughing to myself that it will be a great experience and I will be able to say I did it. But I am also not really looking forward to it at all. I’m going to look at the positive side though, and think about all the clothes and things I will be able to shop for before I go on this trip. Because I do like to shop.