This past year I have had the urge for reading novels again. Yes, I do frequent fan fiction (although you do have to sift through a lot to find a good story, but thats a whole other topic) but recently I have had the yearning to pick up a good book and read through the night. In 2013 I decided to try my hand at reading more books that I had never experienced, instead of just re-reading my favorites. Here are the books I newly read throughout last year:
1. The Wettest County in the World (Matt Bondurant)
2. One for the Money (Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum Series)
3. Two for the Dough
4. Three to Get Deadly
5. Four to Score
6. High Five
7. Hot Six
8. Seven Up
9. Hard Eight
10. To the Nines
11. Ten Big Ones
12. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
13. The Girl Who Chased the Moon (Sarah Addison Allen)
14. The Summer We Read Gatsby (Danielle Ganek)
15. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niefenegger)
16. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (Cassandra Claire)
17. The Girl on the Cliff (Lucinda Riley)
18. Princess Ka’iulani (Sharon Linnea)
19. The Host (Stephenie Meyer)
20. Garden Spells (Sarah Addison Allen)
Looking back, a lot of these books I read were brought to my attention by movies that had been released (i.e. Great Gatsby, The Wettest County, etc). I found enjoyed both counterparts - the movie and the book. The Stephanie Plum series, a quick but amusing series, was a great find - and yes, I loved the movie.
I was most surprised by The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I had rented the movie first but a family situation occurred while it was in my possession so I rushed through the movie. Then I forgot I had requested it from the lib ray. Three months later the book appeared in my mailbox. On one of my days off from work, I sat down to read it…and I didn’t stop. I was completely engrossed in the plot and the characters. I even had a book hangover when I finished and even after I had recuperated from the self imposed hangover, I re-read it again.
This year I have decided that, along with new books I have not yet read, I would also try to re-read some of my favorite series (i.e. Amelia Peabody Series, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc…) and see how many I could do.
Wish me luck!
PS: From the list I would recommend reading: Stephanie Plum series, The Girl Who Chased the Moon and, of course, The Great Gatsby…these were my favorites!
