Top 13 Books of 2013

Best Books in "YA Fiction"

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

A contemporary stand-alone about a girl battling her eating disorder, among other inner demons, Wintergirls is the only non-fantasy novel in my top YA books read last year. Not only is it a stunning portrait of what it's like as a teen to have one's mind warped by an eating disorder, but Laurie Halse Anderson manages to draw you in and remind the reader that even in the darkest of hours, there is still hope if you're willing to let someone help.

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke (Inkworld, #3)

This beautiful conclusion to the Inworld series was unforgettable. The world Cornelia Funke creates in this jaw-dropping trilogy will stick with the reader long after they've finished, begging you to give it another go almost as soon as they've turned the final page. 

Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (The Heir Chronicles, #3)

Originally intended to be the final book in a trilogy that has since morphed into a full-blown series, I loved everything about Dragon Heir. The action was intense, the story heart-pumping, and the magic kept me desperately eager to learn more. The characters are still close to my heart and I cannot wait to read the next book in order to find out just what happens to them next.

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

This was the book that came entirely out of left field and still managed to steal the spotlight. I had never heard of this novel before picking it up, but I fell in love with it soon after. I can definitely say I'm deeply interested in learning more about Norse Mythology after reading this gem and I can't help hoping that the author will announce a sequel in the near future.

Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

I'm usually not a big fan of ghost stories, but how could I resist one written by the enigmatic Maureen Johnson? Turns out, I couldn't. This fabulous start to a trilogy that is still in the works was so much more than anything I had hoped for. Deeply creepy and packed with excitement, this was a novel I'm very happy to have fallen in love with.

Cold Spell by Jackson Pearce (Fairytale Retellings, #4)

The final book in a series I had hoped would go on for much longer, Cold Spell was everything I had hoped for in a conclusion to a lovely book series that included retellings of Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, The Little Mermaid, and (in this novel) The Snow Queen. I absolutely adored it and couldn't be happier with how well it was executed.

Classics

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

One of those books that everyone except myself seemed to have read in high school, I was excited to dive into this novel and was not disappointed by the results. An antiwar novel written unlike anything else I've ever read, I was impressed by every chapter I was offered within its binding. I see why this is a classic and I hope it remains in the hearts and minds of many generations after my own.

Non-Fiction

Full-Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti

As someone who very strongly identifies myself as a feminist, I was more than a little eager to read this one and was not at all disappointed. It's one of those books that really helps the reader uncover what feminism means and gives a nice overview to everything that falls within that realm. This is a great start for men and women who want to learn a bit more about feminism and this was the book I gave more than any other as a gift this Christmas.

Fantasy

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

A story that many of us know like the back of our hands after the movie adaptation, The Princess Bride  is a breathtakingly well-written work of art that I still cannot get over. I absolutely fell in love with this book and everything about it, from the narrator to nearly each and every character that is presented within its pages.

Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings, #1)

I have been in love with the film adaptations of these books since the first time I sat down to watch one. I have no idea what took me so long to read them, but I'm thrilled that I got around to reading the first of the trilogy. All of the characters I fell in love with in the movies are back and I can journey along with them far better here in the books than I can by watching the film. I cannot wait to read its sequels.

Children's Fiction

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

I knew, as soon as I'd seen the cover, that I would adore this book. I wasn't wrong. Patrick Ness tells the story of a boy whose greatest fear is losing his mother with such poignancy that I could hardly stand it. Not only are the words enticing and the story compelling, but the artwork that colors in the pages is so deeply stunning that I still go back just to stare at it. If there's a children's book you need to read this year: this is it.

Gustav Gloom and the People Taker by Adam-Troy Castro (Gustav Gloom, #1)

The Gustav Gloom series is exactly what I hoped it would be: fun, creepy, and dark. It's not too scary for older children, but it's just creepy enough to keep the reader eager to learn more, all while giving them that deep sense of going on the same adventure that the characters are on. I adored everything about this first book in the series and continue to love it as I read on.

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Though both books he released last year were stunning, this one has a special place in my heart for being exciting, brilliant, adventurous, and funny all at once. I immediately bought a copy for my nieces and nephew and have not ceased to hear its praises sung from every reader who has come across it. 

So there we go: my top 13 picks for last year. Did you read any of these books last year? Are you planning on adding any of them to your reading list for 2014? I sure hope you do.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep.

I picked up this beautiful copy of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five while in Barnes & Noble with a few friends a couple of months ago. It was on a table set aside for summer reading and I immediately fell in love with the volume. I had been wanting to read it for some time because I have heard so much about it in the past, so I added it to my stack of books and carted it away to the cashier.

Slaughterhouse-Five is primarily the story of Billy Pilgrim. Billy is a World War II veteran who claims to have been kidnapped by aliens called Tralfamadorians that kept him in a zoo and taught him that the way humans see time is wrong; that a person always exists in one place or another; that death isn't really as permanent as we seem to believe.

Prior to this, or because of this (it isn't made clear), Billy has managed to come "unstuck in time." Throughout the narrative, he jumps around from one point in his life to another, painting us a picture of what he experienced and every hard truth he came across.

The back of the book has this to say about the contents of Vonnegut's novel:

Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world's great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most.

"Splendid art . . . a funny book at which you are not permitted or laugh, a sad book without tears." -Life

I believe that synopsis describes it perfectly.

Going into Slaughterhouse-Five, I have to admit, I was worried that I wouldn't like it. I'm not exactly antiwar and Adult Fiction in general isn't really my forte. I hated Catcher in the Rye (though I'm told it's much better on the second read) and Slaughterhouse-Five is often clumped in with Salinger's work by being an American classic/high school required reading/banned book. The first two chapters didn't help either. I didn't know much about the book to start with and I was left utterly confused when it began as a first person narrative and morphed into third.

I ended up loving this book.

Slaughterhouse-Five is an extremely well-written look at the horrors of war as well as the inevitable nature of the insane things that happen to the average person. It is one of those books that draws you in with its oddity and its dark humor and keeps you enthralled by the wisdom it offers up throughout.

He uses Pilgrim's being "unstuck in time" as a way of keeping the reader interested throughout and gave him the ability to tell the story in a non-linear way that gave the reader insight into the things in the past that caused present and future repercussions. This way, he could focus on the main points of the story without disconnecting from the reader while also pointing out the futility of time and how quickly it moves- so that it often seems like everything is running together at once.

While one might expect this to grow confusing as the story goes on, it only becomes clearer and easier to follow after the second chapter. Vonnegut clearly put some great effort into making this technique as easily read as he did and it worked for him. I grew to love that part of the writing style almost as much as the rest of his mastery of the written word.

I could go on about how much I enjoyed this book, but I'd rather leave some of it for you to read. It's only a little over 200 pages and hardly took any time at all. If you're looking for a good read, this is definitely the book you're looking for. (And be sure to pick up the one with this cover. It's too beautiful to pass up!)

Rating: ★★★★★

Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.