I’m honored that you’re pausing in your busy holiday preparations to visit the Word Nerd. If you’re looking for something good to read after the holiday stress has passed, you’ve come to the right place. (And, can you pass the tape? I’ve still got loads of presents to wrap.)
Thanks to everyone who contributed their favorite books of 2013 to my giveaway. With your help, we’ve generated an interesting and eclectic reading list for 2014. I’m including links to Goodreads; click each title to find synopses, reviews, and information for how to get each book.
Favorite Books of 2013
Remember, these were books read by word nerds in 2013, not necessarily published in 2013.
Young Adult/ Middle Grade:
- Walls Within Walls by Maureen Sherry
- Flying the Dragon by Natalie Diaz Lorenzi
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Coldest Girl in Cold Town by Holly Black
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
- Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
General Fiction
- Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg
- The Partner Track by Helen Wan
Mystery
- Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence by David Levinson
- The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbreath/ aka JK Rowling
- Dust by Patricia Cornwell
- Sycamore Row by John Grisham
Historical Fiction
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King
- The House Girl by Tara Conklin
- The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morten
- The Promise by Ann Weisgarber
- And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Non Fiction
- The Mother of All Meltdowns by Crystal Ponti, Nicole Goodman, et. al. (motherhood)
- Culture of Honor by Danny Silk (religion)
- In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran by John Taylor
- Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (writing craft)
- Story Engineering by Larry Brooks (writing craft)
What a great list! And now, I’m happy to announce the winner of my Favorite Things Giveaway…
Congratulations to Crystal Fravel! She won a copy of one of MY favorite books of 2013, or a Barnes and Noble gift card.
Which book do you plan to read off of this list? Any last-minute additions? Please share with all your book lovin’ buddies!
Thanks again to everyone for participating, and Merry Christmas!
Julia
Hi Julia! I’m finally catching up after my 6 week hiatus. It looks like y’all had a fabulous time in Maui! I hope you got a bunch of reading done. I read a book a day while we were in St Martin in November. That’s my favorite kind of vacation 🙂
A good NF book you’d enjoy is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Easy to read and thought-provoking.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, and hope we can get together SOON!
Susan, it’s wonderful to hear from you. I’ve actually heard of Blue Like Jazz– a speaker at Camp of the Woods recommended it. I’m looking for a spiritual read for the New Year- thanks for the suggestion. Have a very Merry Christmas and blessings to you and your family. We will catch up after the holidays…
Thanks for compiling this list! I’m hoping to spend some quality time curled up with my Kindle over the next few weeks, and now I have some new ideas to add to my list! And thanks for sharing The Mother of All Meltdowns! Of course, I’m partial to this book, but it’s a fun, easy read for mamas from all walks of life. And for those without kids, it might be the best birth control on the planet!
Happy Holidays, Julia! So glad we ‘met’ this year!
Julia, thank you for this list. 😉 I always value seeing these lists from you. 😉 The Culture of Honor has been a topic of discussion lately in our home — great insight and truth for our culture that lacks much honor.
My oldest son is reading a book/novel right now (which he now says is his new ‘favorite,’) – it’s about two jewish boys who are best friends, “The Chosen,” by Chaim Potok- maybe you’ve read it too. He insists I must move this one to the top of my reading list. 😉
Bless you Julia and God bless you in 2014.
Love, Hester 😉