What I Read 2013

I'm finally updating what I've read for 2014, so I decided to move 2013 over to a post instead. I'm sure I'm missing a few, but this will at least give me a good idea of my literary journey for the last year. Any standouts? I have to say, for sheer joy of reading it, I loved The Night Circus. Other favorites include The Name of the Star and the Ruby Red trilogy. Any recommendations for this year?

Fiction:

  • Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski

  • Mao II by Don DeLillo

  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

  • The Magicians by Lev Grossman

  • The Magician King by Lev Grossman

  • The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Young Adult:

  • Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

  • Cinder by Marissa Meyer

  • Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

  • The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

  • The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

  • 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

  • The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

  • The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

  • Fallen by Lauren Kate

  • Torment by Lauren Kate

  • Passion by Lauren Kate

  • The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

  • The Elite by Kiera Cass

  •  The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

  •  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

  • Defiance by C.J. Redwine

  • Deception by C.J. Redwine

  • The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

  • Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

  • The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

  • Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

  • The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

  • The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

  • Ruby Red by Kerstin Geir

  • Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Geir

  • Emerald Green by Kerstin Geir

Memoirs:

  • MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche

 

To Read, Or Not To Read

At the recent APLFF New Fiction Confab (more on that later), an interesting question came up, one that I think most of us readers have considered. If you start a book, and you just don't like it, do you soldier on or do you cut your losses and walk away? I used to be the former reader, trudging through all number of terrible books, and there were many. In the last few years, I decided that my time was worth more than that, and I've started putting books down.

So what kinds of books do I put down? Two notable ones come to mind, only because they've received lots of love from friends, family, bloggers, etc. The first, The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, I just couldn't finish. I saw Jeanette speak at a charity event, and she was utterly charming. But for some reason, the book was just too much for me to stomach, and I had to walk away.

Another book I put down earlier this week was the second book in Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone saga, Days of Blood & Starlight. I don't know if it's too much fantasy for me, or if it was the transition from Prague to some other world, but this book just did not keep my interest. And when I start skimming, I know it's time to reevaluate my choice.

What about you? Do you ever walk away from a book? I must admit, I find it a little liberating.