Top Ten of 2013

It wouldn't be the end of December without a list of the top ten books I read this year (I'm anticipating 62 to be my final number). So, in no particular order, I give you my 2013 favorites (please note that rereads, like The Handmaid's Tale, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Macbeth won't appear despite my appreciation of them all):


1. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann- This book is the perfect example of achieving the perfect trifecta- exemplary writing, characters, and plot.

2. The Interestings by Meg Wollitzer- A group of summer camp friends grow up and see how their lives change and intertwine.

3. Blindness by Jose Sarramago- The world is overcome with an epidemic of blindness.

4. Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple- A young girl must deal with her eccentric mother. It's just plain well-written fun.

5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot- A nonfiction story of how Lacks' cells changed the medical industry.

6. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller- The funniest, most absurd satire I've ever read.

7. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri- A beautiful written story dealing with traditional thematic concepts involving family, honor, death, independence, and age.

8. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- A brilliant commentary on what it means to be an African living in the United States.

9. Night Film by Marisha Pessl- This book was definitely not perfect, but I love Pessl and appreciated her inclusion of multimedia aspects into her text.

10. The Circle by Dave Eggars- While there were a few parts I rolled my eyes at, the message it sends about social media is incredibly powerful. The novel kept me interested from beginning to end.

A few that came oh-so-close:

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi
Fathermucker by Greg Olear
Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

A few to stay away from:

Lord of Misrule by Jaime Gordon
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky 
Necessary Errors by Caleb Crain

11 comments:

  1. I love your taste in books! It's so varied, and I like that.

    I have to admit, I never really gave Let the Great World Spin much consideration, but now I'm curious to give it a try.

    Also, I totally agree with your opinion on The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I never saw what the big deal was.

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  2. Nice list! :) have to check them out! :) ;)

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  3. Yay, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. That was a good book, I'm glad it had such a surge in popularity.

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  4. I haven't read The Interestings, but I read a similar book long ago by acclaimed South African author Marita van der Vyver, Breathing Space. I loved it although it was probably a bit too mature for me at the time. You might enjoy it, or I might be way off.
    Henrietta Lacks was probably one of my bests of the year too. I read it from the library and loved it so much that I actually bought a copy the other day.

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  5. I've seen Bernadette on so many top 10 lists (including my own). Henrietta Lacks and The Interestings are two books I keep eyeing up. I think I will have to read them both soonish as I have read such excellent reviews of both. Great list and so handy to know which to stay away from too!

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  6. Great list! You mentioned a lot of titles I hope to get around to in the near future, lol. I remember seeing your review for Necessary Errors but thanks for the heads up about it!

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  7. Oh I JUST read The Bell Jar the other day! It was awesome! :D

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  8. I loved Adichie's earlier books so much that Americanah was a bit of a disappointment to me. I just didn't like the blog posts in the book. They seemed a little too preachy. Maybe just me....

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  9. I love Catch-22, it's one of my favorites left over from required reading in High School. I like that you also added books to stay away from. Great list, and Happy New Year!

    My Top Ten Tuesday

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  10. Blindness sucked me in also, great picks.

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  11. I've read Bernadette and Catch-22 and want to read a lot of the others. Happy reading :)

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