2014 Reading List!

In books I have traveled, not only to other worlds, but into my own.

It wasn't too long ago that I had opened Evernote and made a list of thee 52 books I'd read in 2013. The year is coming to an end and it's about that time again. But before I dive into my new list of books I'd first like to reflect on the pages I've traveled during 2013.

I read some 55 books this year! That much I am happy about; however, I didn't even come close to completing the list I originally made. My original list had a lot of difficult reads.That's not really a bad thing. Still, I've learned that it is much better to alternate between easy/fun reads and the more esoteric of reads. When I wasn't incorporating the easier books into my schedule, the reading became more of a chore than a hobby.

But I digress, the following is a list of  books I've either learned something from or thoroughly enjoyed.

Best Science Fiction Books of 2013:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I sincerely hope you haven't gone out and spoiled a great book for yourself by seeing that god awful movie. I wasn't a big science fiction/ fantasy person prior to reading this book. I read Ender's Game as one of my first books in 2013 and that snowballed into my reading of much more Orson Scott Card as well as other science fiction books.

I quickly learned that The Ender Saga is a unique kind of read within its genre. I read through many science fiction books this year in search of something to fill the void the book created.

What's the book about? Think Artemis Fowl meets Starwars and the has a double date with Independence Day and The Truman show, then you have maybe the vaguest idea of how awesome this book is. The novel is based on an alternate future of Earth where we were attacked and nearly destroyed by an alien enemy we refer to colloquially as the buggers. By chance we were able to defeat the enemy and force them out of earth and back to their home planet. However, the years later Earth is still afraid of the return of the buggers and, as a consequence, the smartest of children are trained to become starship fighters and will lead the fight against future bugger invasions.

 Best Trilogies of 2013: 

The Pine Deep Trilogy by Jonathan Maberry

The Pine Deep Trilogy is probably one of the first horror series to give me a scare in awhile. It can be quite difficult to work up a scare from only reading a few pages in a book. Maberry, of course, has no problem  with doing this.

There's nothing entirely new or unconventional about this trilogy. It's the same old story about an old town with dark secrets which are all unveiled during the month of October and days leading up to Halloween. Nonetheless, what makes The Pine Deep trilogy interesting lies more in how the story is told rather than its content. Some of the absolute BEST villains I've read about in a long while. I loved Karl Ruger. He was the kind of bad guy you hate seeing lose even though you know he is pure evil, among other things.

I can't say a lot more about this book because that would lead to spoilers. It's definitely worth the time of anyone who enjoys horror!

My Favorite YA Novels: I do not ever want to grow out of enjoying Young Adult books. For whatever reason, the authors of young adult novels appear to be so much more imaginative than those who write for older audiences. While I do enjoy the heavier texts written for adults, I can never go too long without missing the whimsical worlds created by YA authors. Here are my favorite young adult novels that I've read in 2013: 

The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I binge read all seven of these books over a period of a week and a half. If you are a church goer or someone familiar with Christianity, then the title of this series may ring a bell to you. The series is loosely based off the Matthew 16:19 verse:  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Like most young adult novels, a young boy named Aurthur is entrusted with tremendous power and responsibility. He is named the heir to magical keys, one corresponding to each day of the week, and he battles within the house of the universe  to stop the universe-ending plans of the "Morrow Days".

These books are drowned in allusions to Christianity and other religious ideologies. Nonetheless, it does so in a manner which remains subtle. The religious elements actually serve more to add interest and layers.
It's far off from being Nix's best and at times the story line seems rushed. Still, the series was definitely worth the time and money invested. ♥



Books I want to Read in 2014 (in no particular order): \

I'm going to make it a goal to do a write up of each book I read this year. =) I believe in me!

1. The Hobbit
2. The Fellowship of the Ring
3. The Two Towers
4. The Return of the King 
5. The Vampire Lestat
6. Queen of the Damned
7. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking
8. The Gate Thief (Orson Scott Card)
9. Fall of Giants
10. Winter of the World
11. Dragonslippers: This is what an Abusive Relationship Looks Like 
12. The Sea of Tranquility 
13. Alice in Wonderland
14. Through the Looking Glass
15. American Gods
16. The Gate Thief (Orson Scott Card)
17. Jonathan Strange
18.  Death's Apprentice
19. Dark Places
20. Gone Girl
21. Kafka on the Shore
22. Neverwhere
23. The Future of Life
24. The Anatomist's Apprentice
25. A Brief History of Time
26. Wedding Night
27. His Majesty's Dragon
28. Gypsty Rizka
29. The City of Ember
30. The People of Sparks
31. The Prophet of Yonwood
32. The Diamond of Darkhold 
33. The Amulet of Samarkand
34. The Golem's Eye
35. Ptolemy's Gate
36. The Ring of Solomon
37. The Pillars of the Earth 
38. Cloud Atlas