Books Read in 2013

71 books read this year, including kids' books I read to-- or listened to with-- The Son, book club books, and graphic novels.

Juvenile Fiction

A Hero for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

Roman Mysteries: Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence

Roman Mysteries: The Secrets of Vesuvius by Caroline Lawrence

Roman Mysteries: The Pirates of Pompeii by Caroline Lawrence

Roman Mysteries: Assassins of Rome by Caroline Lawrence

Alanna by Tamora Pierce

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

Roman Mysteries: The Dolphins of Laurentum by Caroline Lawrence

Roman Mysteries: The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina by Caroline Lawrence

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan

Roman Mysteries: Enemies of Jupiter by Caroline Lawrence

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood

Pharaoh's Daughter by Julius Lester

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Magic by the Lake by Edward Eager

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

The Time Garden by Edward Eager

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart

The Roman Mysteries: The Gladiators from Capua by Caroline Lawrence

Young Adult

Voices by Ursula K. LeGuin

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Coen and David Levithan

The Safe-Keeper’s Secret by Sharon Shinn

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

The Truth-Teller’s Tale by Sharon Shinn

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Reached by Ally Condie

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Steverner

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Dream-Maker's Magic by Sharon Shinn

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarity

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

Adult Fiction

The Help by Kathryn Sockett

Second Glances by Jodi Picoult

Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Ilium by Dan Simmons

Timbuktu by Paul Auster

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold

Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill

The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill

The Rook by Daniel O’Malley

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atikinson

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Love Songs From a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Non-Fiction

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Unearthing Atlantis by Charles Pellegrino

Lost at Sea by Jon Ronson

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

At Home: a Brief History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child by Robert J. Mackenzie

Graphic Novels

Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Sin City, Vol. I: The Hard Goodbye by Frank Miller

The Good Neighbors: Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

The Good Neighbors: Kith by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

Feynman by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick

The Vicar Woman by Emma Rendel

Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell

Hits and misses by category:

Juvenile: 

Hit: This is the toughest category to pick just one favorite, since I read so much outstanding children's fiction this year, including the Roman Mysteries series, the Kane Chronicles trilogy, the second book of the WondLa trilogy, the New Olympians series, and the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. But if you held a gun to my head and forced me to pick just one "best" book, it would have to be The Golden Compass, a truly remarkable book that deserves to be considered a modern classic of children's literature.

Miss: I already blogged about my disappointment with Alanna, so I'm going with The Edge Chronicles: Beyond the Deepwoods. The worldbuilding was cool, but you're never given a reason to care about the protagonist beyond the fact that he's the protagonist and you're supposed to care about him. There was no plot, no story goal-- just this whiney little shit stumbling from one disaster to the next. And there was not one but TWO unrelated grotesquely obese female villains, which rubbed me the wrong way, AND one scene had perhaps the most offensive extended metaphor for menstruation (and female maturation in general) that I've ever heard. I was literally yelling at the CD player: "My GOD! Ten-year-old boys are going to read this stuff, you know!"

 Young Adult:

Hit: Sorcery and Cecelia. I didn't care for the sequel, but this first book was just an utter delight. Honorable mention to Voices, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Fangirl.

Miss: Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, and Emerald Green. I have no idea why I read the whole trilogy. It was really dumb, and the protagonist got on my tits in a major way.

Adult:

Hit: The Rook. It's like The Bourne Identity meets Men in Black, with a little James Bond and Hitchhiker's Guide thrown in for extra flavor. Oh, and a female protagonist. So, so good. Honorable mentions: Ilium, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Miss: Timbuktu. Pretentious twaddle.

Non-Fiction:

Hit: At Home. Brilliant.

Miss: I feel bad choosing The Last Lecture, so I'll just say I certainly didn't think it was bad or anything, but nor did I find it as full of wisdom as everyone else seems to.

Graphic Novel:

Hit: Gunnerkrigg Court. I wasn't sure whether to include this on my list at all, since I'm reading it online, but I think of it as a graphic novel and not "just" a comic. The art is gorgeous, the worldbuilding is full of Lost-worthy mysteries, and the story is complex and constantly evolving as the characters age and mature. Bonus points for many strong female characters who are all strong in different ways. More bonus points for fearlessly melding Science Fiction and Fantasy elements. Super-duper bonus points for creating a SF/Fantasy series about teenagers in an English boarding school that is in no way reminiscent of Harry Potter. It's right below Sandman as my favorite comic of all time, and that's pretty much the highest praise I can give it.

Miss: Sin City. I knew it was dark, but I didn't know it was THAT dark. It was just bleak and hopeless and crazy-mega-violent, and I felt like I needed some kind of ritual cleansing when I was done with it. It's not a bad graphic novel, but it still counts as a miss for me.

That's the year in review! Any questions, counter-arguments, "me too!"'s?