Top 10 Books I Read in 2013

December 31, 2013 Top Ten Tuesday 58

Howdy Bookworms!

Today being New Year’s Eve, it seems only appropriate that I wrap things up with the ladies at The Broke and The Bookish. It’s time to list the Top Ten Books I read in 2013. Wahoo!

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1. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (my review) This book, you guys. I want to chase people around and press copies into their hands. June is such a great character to watch come of age. And Finn and Toby and the 80s AIDS epidemic? My heart. It’s ah-mazing. Read it, read it, read it!

2. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (my review) It’s your classic tale of unemployed girl meets quadriplegic boy… I don’t care if it’s kind of sappy, I loved it. Many tears were shed with this one, my friends. Have a hanky handy.

3. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (my review) This was our inaugural selection for The Fellowship of the Worms and it was awesome! I loved this book- the intrigue and secrecy and scandal and surprises. Wonderful. (We’re going to pretend that Bellman & Black didn’t happen, mkay?)

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4. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (my review) I fell in love with Rainbow Rowell’s writing while reading Eleanor & Park. Her teenagers sound like teenagers, and high school is a big mess of awkwardness. It’s beautiful the way she makes young love feel so real- I mean, hand holding. Do you remember when hand holding was a big deal? Butterflies. She brought them back. Siiiigh.

5. Feed by Mira Grant (my review) I love zombie novels! They have the monster element and apocalyptic scenarios all mushed together. The Feed trilogy has taken the top spot in the rankings of my favorite zombie books. If you have even the slightest inclination to read these, do it.

6. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan (my review) I’ve always been partial to historical fiction, and I’ve always loved the whole “tracing famous art to its origin story” plot line. This book offers a fictional take on the back story of one of Degas’ most famous sculptures, and it’s pretty fabulous. Ballerinas were waifs because they were too poor to eat! The more you know.

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7. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (my review) Nobody does a dystopia like Atwood. The completion of the saga begun with Oryx & Crake and continued with The Year of the Flood was finished this year. Thank goodness, too, because I’d been anxiously awaiting the conclusion for 4 years. Patience is not my strongest trait.

8. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (my review) This book was a fascinating take on WWII from the point of view of two British young women and an inside look at a wartime spy operation. Friendship and war and espionage. So good!

9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (my review) I don’t know how I managed to avoid this book for so long, but I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. Christopher is brilliant, but he suffers from a form of autism, which makes “ordinary” life challenging for him. Seeing the world through his eyes was by turns fascinating, funny, and heartbreaking. Great read!

10. The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns by Margaret Dilloway (my review) I love flowers nearly as much as I love penguins. It’s an intense thing. This book focused on a woman who spent her time cultivating and breeding new varieties of roses in between dialysis appointments. She’s soon saddled with her teenage niece and a whole new life challenge ensued. Loved every minute of this.

It was tough to choose a top ten, but I think this is a pretty good list. Here’s to more awesome books in 2014!

What were some of your favorite reads this year, bookworms? 

*If you make a purchase of any of the above listed books through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*

58 Responses to “Top 10 Books I Read in 2013”

  1. Trish

    I love how varied your list is! Some new, some old. The Thirteenth Tale is a great one huh? I MUST find a copy of Tell the Wolves I’m Home. It’s making so many top lists. Happy new year!

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      The Thirteenth Tale was pretty spectacular, but I wouldn’t bother with Setterfield’s second novel. It was… Well. Pretty awful. But you absolutely MUST read WOLVES. You will love it, I just know it.

      Reply

  2. Erin G

    Have you read World War Z? How does Feed compare with that? I’ve thought about reading it but I feel like World War Z maybe ruined me for all other zombie novels.

    Reply

  3. Ciska @ Ciska's Book Chest

    I love the Thirteenth Tale. Glad to see you enjoyed it. I bough myself a copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon last week so good to see it made your this list.

    My favorites are The Rosie Project and The Night Rainbow!

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      I would highly recommend The Painted Girls to a fan of Degas. Even though it’s a fictionalized account, it gives you a taste of what it would have been like in Paris during the time Degas was working. Excellent book.

      Reply

  5. Elena

    I read The Thirteenth Tale a few years ago and I loved it! Have heard Setterfield’s last novel isn’t that good though.

    Happy 2014!

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      Yeah, Bellman & Black was a pretty huge letdown, but I’m hopeful Setterfield can get back to The Thirteenth Tale’s glory one of these days :). Happy New Year to you as well!

      Reply

  6. ReneeWritesNow!

    “My Education” by Susan Choi is a passionate and surprising account of the naivete of our twenty-something selves. A college professor, his wife, his graduate assistant and her roommate are utterly believable characters whose lives are sexually tangled until the very last page.

    Reply

  7. Sarah Says Read

    I agree with a bunch of these 🙂 I’m so glad you loved Feed so much! They’re such great books.

    And awwwww, hand-holding. I DO remember when that was a big deal! It’s so funny how long ago that seems. This is why Rowell rocks.

    Reply

  9. Loralie

    I think the best book I read this year was The Night Circus. I thought it was a beautiful book! Tell The Wolves I’m Home was so good too, Ihad put off reading it because I thought it would be sad, but it was so much more nuanced than that. I can’t wait to read some of the other books on your list!

    Reply

  11. kristinshafel

    Yay Me Before You made my top 10, too! And I’m in the middle of MaddAddam right now. I really wanted to finish that one in 2013 but oh well, I have to stop putting pressure on myself to FINISHFINISHFINISH anyway. Happy new year!

    Reply

  14. Megan M.

    Eleanor & Park, for this year. Easily my top book. My Rainbow Rowell obsession has changed my life! LOL I really want to read Me Before You, I just haven’t got ahold of it yet.

    Reply

  15. Joules (from Pocketful of Joules)

    I don’t think I read even a handful of books that I was totally wild over this year. As you know, I just finished the Divergent trilogy…which I was totally loving until the last one made me want to throw things (and text you, obviously). I’m hoping to be able to read more in 2014!

    Reply

  16. Amy @ Read a latte

    I absolutely loved Tell the Wolves I’m Home, and I’m constantly begging my friends/everyone I know to read it too! So happy to see someone else loves it as much as I do. I’ve been wanting to read Me Before You and The Thirteenth Tale for ages now, and this makes me want to get to them even faster!

    Reply

  17. Ashley Z

    TELL THE WOLVES IM HOME! that book excites me sooooo much! I have to read a few on your list but the ones I’ve read I for sure agree with you!

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      Ooooh your first Atwood, huh? There’s so many good ones, but if you’re not into dystopia, I recommend starting with Cat’s Eye. It’s my favorite non-dystopian Atwood.

      Reply

  21. Rhian

    This was an interesting exercise. I longlisted about 20, of which 8 were easy to include in my top 10, and then there were about another 5 that could have fit into the final 2 spots. So in no particular order, here they are:

    Gone Girls by Gillian Flynn
    The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
    The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
    Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
    The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
    The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
    World War Z by Max Brooks
    Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey
    The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
    Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

    Reply

  22. Jennine G.

    I haven’t read any of those! (Well #9 a few years ago.) But #2,4,5 are on my 2014 TBR, so it’s great to see them on someone’s top ten!

    Reply

  23. Katie @ Doing Dewey

    I actually haven’t read any of the books on your top ten list, but a lot of them are on my to-read list for next year. That includes everything by JoJo Moyes, whose Someone Else’s Love Story was one of my favorite books this year 🙂

    Reply

  24. Charleen

    “We’re going to pretend that Bellman & Black didn’t happen, mkay?”

    I’m with you on that. I feel so guilty for not liking it, but it was just so… blah…

    My #1 book for the year has to be The Green Mile.

    Reply

  26. Lillian Connelly

    I am pinning this list. I have been reading so much more now that I got the old Nook. Of course, I am probably going to spend all of our money on books. It’s hard not to resist buying it when all I have to do is push a button. As soon as I finish the the Game of Thrones series I am going to start on this list so I can be more modern.

    Reply

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