Top 10 Books I Read in 2013

Okay, I’m breaking my rule of no blogging until I’m done with my vacation, but I wanted to share with you the top ten books I read in 2013. I was surprised to discover I read over 60 (I assumed it was closer to 40, maybe 50). And I was even more surprised as I scrolled through the titles how many outstanding stories I experienced. It was difficult for me to narrow it down to ten.

But, I did! So here we go…

10. The Selection by Kiera Cass

I had very low expectations for this book, but within the first chapter, my low expectations were shattered. The Selection is light, fanciful and truly entertaining. Give it a try!

Read my full review here.

9. Champion by Marie Lu

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this final book in the Legend series. It was a fitting ending to an outstanding story. I highly, highly recommend it to one and all!

Read my full review here.

8. Just One Day & Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Okay, I’m cheating on this one. But it’s hard to separate these two books because they go hand-in-hand, and they’re equally amazing. They’re moving, eye-opening, and one hundred percent entertaining.

Read my full reviews here and here.

7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This was the first book I read in 2013, and it stuck with me throughout the whole year. Now, normally I’m not into stories about cancer and sickness and whatnot. They’re just too sad. But this is a special story everyone should read. Plus, the movie is coming out in 2014, and you know my rule of thumb: read the book before you see the movie. So go read it!

Read more about The Fault in Our Stars here.

6. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing is more than a story about two boys kissing. It’s a story about love. And life. And appreciating love and life. It’s a story that has the power to change minds–hearts–lives.

Read my full review here.

5. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but this one was awesome! Fall of Giants kept me hooked from page one all the way to page 960! I’m planning on diving into its sequel, Winter of the World, early in the new year.

Read my full review here.

4. Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Okay, okay! I’m cheating again. But, you know what? This is my blog and I can do what I want, so there! 😉 I just finished these first two books in the Lunar Chronicles, and I’m in love! In fact, I’ve been dealing with a massive book hangover the past few days because I can’t get over them. So. Good.

I’ll  be doing full reviews for these books soon, so check back later for my complete feedback. Or, better yet, take my word for it, and go read them. You won’t be able to put them down.

3.  Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

There aren’t many books, let alone series, that I want to read more than once. But The Infernal Devices is one of them. This prequel series to Clare’s Mortal Instruments shares the same fun, rip-roaring action and smart humor, but it feels richer and more endearing. And by the last page of its final book, Clockwork Princess, I was crying (and I’m not a crier) and wishing a thousand times it wasn’t over.

Read more about Clockwork Princess here.

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Few books have touched my heart–my soul–the way Fangirl did. If you’re looking for a story that’s a perfect combination of funny and serious, and has a dash of fantasy to it, this is it!

Read my full review here.

1. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but of all the books I read in 2013, this aliens-take-over-the-world tale was my favorite. And, trust me, I’m not a fan of alien stories. But The 5th Wave was crazy good. It was addicting, terrifying and action-packed. And it made me truly believe an alien invasion could actually happen. I’m counting down the days to the release of its sequel, The Infinite Sea, due out in May 2014.

Read my full review here.

Well, that’s it, folks! I’m so excited for 2014 and all the great books I’m sure to read. I already have a nice lineup set to go, starting with Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.

Happy New Year!

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Book Review: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Synopsis

“New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.
While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.”

Jen’s Review

Moving. Mind opening. Wonderful.

Two Boys Kissing is a book that takes a controversial subject matter and casts a new, hopeful light on it. It’s a book that drives a stake of understanding, compassion and feeling into the heart of the reader. It’s a book that makes people stop and think in a different way. It’s a book that has the power to change minds–hearts–lives.

“Things are not magical because they’ve been conjured for us by some outside force. They are magical because we create them.”

Two Boys Kissing is more than a story about two boys kissing. It’s a story about love. And life. And appreciating love and life. “There is the sudden. There is the eventual. And in between, there is the living.” Gay or straight, we all journey through life experiencing many of the same things: joy and heartache, bravery and fear, acceptance and rejection, triumph and failure, love and hate, past and future, noise and silence, light and dark, ups and downs…We are all human. We are all alive. And we should appreciate that very basic, wondrous fact. No matter who you are, you are alive. You are here.

Now, I didn’t want this review to be a personal rant on the topic of homosexuality. We all have our own opinions on this subject, just like the characters in this book. Some of us support it. Some of us don’t. All I can say is I simply hope people will take the time to read Two Boys Kissing so they can gain perspective, and, hopefully, understanding. For me, I will say the biggest takeaway was this: Love is love, no matter what shape or form it comes in…Oh, and this has definitely become one of my personal mottos:

“Your humor is your compass and your shield. You can hone it into a weapon or you can pull its strands out to make your very own cotton-candy blanket. You can’t exist on a diet of humor alone, but you can’t exist on a diet without it, either.”

Jen’s Rating

Read more about Two Boys Kissing here. 

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