And on that note I wanted to let you know what my top 10 books that I read in 2013. These are in no particular order:
**The Last Lecture* by Randy Pausch
Now I read this book while I was visiting the Thorson's in January. It was such a perfect book to read to start out my year. Now if only I had kept its message in my heart and mind throughout the year, maybe I would have had a better, more positive year.
**Warm Bodies** by Isaac Marion
I stumbled upon this book while on a stroll in Barnes & Noble and am so happy I got it. I love the message in the book, and I really like the style of the author. I will have to see if he has written anything else. Also I think this book has one of the best movie adaptations of any book I have read (and then seen.)
**Ender's Game** by Orson Scott Card
I read this book while I was making a really difficult decision in my life, and it seemed to be the perfect book to read while my life was changing at a rapid rate. Now several of my friends have recommended this book to me, and I just can't believe it took me so long to read. It is incredible! And I definitely will have to re-read it (and watch the movie.)
**Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter** by Seth Graham-Smith
Now I listened to this book on my drive to and from Oregon visiting the Thorsons in March. It was narrated by the author and oh my gosh it was so good! I have always been interested in Lincoln and this was such a great mix of a biography and fiction. Just amazing and the perfect book to drive to! (I wasn't a huge fan of the movie. I mean the book itself was 10 cd's long ... not sure how many pages that is... but the movie was like 90 minutes... not long enough to go where the book took us.)
**Wave** by Sonali Deraniyagala
I got this book after having watch 'The Impossible'. I still can't imagine living through such a horrific and tragic event. This book will rip your heart out, shred it to pieces, and not fully heal it before the book is over... but that being said I am so grateful Sonali shared her story with us, and I pray that I can be as honest with myself in the tragedies of my life.
**Civil War Love Stories** by Gill Paul
This book was a fun fast read. You get to read about a dozen couples on both sides of the war. It is always wonderful to see glimpses of life's that have finished and to see how love was in another time. I recommend it to anyone that has an interest in history and families!
**Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles** by Kevin Hearne
Now this book was recommended here in the book club AND I LOVED IT! I have read the first 3 books of the series and then I got side tracked by other books to read, but I will need to go back and read the rest!
**World War Z** by Max Brooks
Now this was my 2nd book on cd that I read/listened to this year. I listened to this one when I drove up to Oregon in October. I love the format of this book, and I love the choice of voices in the book. Another great attempt at a zombie book, but I love that this one is a take on what would/could happen if zombies are real and how the world could work together or fall apart trying to save humanity. (I also enjoyed the movie, but it was vastly different then the book.)
**Silver Linings Playbook** by Matthew Quick
Now I saw the movie before I read the book, and I have to be honest... I like the movie better than I liked the book. In the book it was harder to like the characters. But I loved the book in tackling mental disorders. The book seemed to delve deeply in the issues and I loved that... but I struggled with the interpersonal relationships. Now the movie... I loved the relationships but I don't think it tackled all the issues the book did. All in all I think you need to read the book and watch the movie to get the full picture.
**City of Bones** by Cassandra Clare
A friend of mine recommended the book series to me, and I have to say I enjoyed the first one. I got distracted with other books so I haven't attempted any of the others, and I haven't seen the movie yet, but I like the world the author created and I loved the supporting characters! A really fun summer read.
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I'd love to hear about the books you read and loved in 2013, as well as those you are looking forward to reading this year.
Also... please let me know if anyone else wants to keep up the book club? I like that sometimes someone else gets to pick a book for me to read.
