Holiday Reading Challenge 2013

Welcome to the Holiday Reading Challenge 2013! You too can participate by going to Karin's Book Nook!

ACTIVITY 2: Top 13 Picks of 2013

For today's activity, please post your Top 13 books of 2013.

Here's my book cover collage:

I really enjoyed all of these books - and there were probably another five beyond the top 13 that could really be interchangeable with many of these, but if I were going to rank the top 5, they would be:
#1 - Wonder, by RJ Palacio
#2 - Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
#3 - Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
#4 - Siege & Storm by Leigh Bardugo
#5 - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell



I still have three books to finish before end of year, so I'll be sure and update this list if my mind changes over the rankings!


ACTIVITY 1: Create a Word Cloud

I used Wordle to create mine, and I used the text from my Goodreads review of Jonathan Maberry's most excellent young adult novel, Rot & Ruin. Cool!

I can't write; I'M READING! Part II: Guilt doesn't work

Just a quick update.

I thought that by going public about how far behind I am on writing book reviews (see post April 9th), I would guilt myself into knocking them out.

Yeah. That was a fail, but in happier news, I've read three more books since then . . . to assuage my guilt, of course. Thoroughly enjoyed:

 5 out of 5 stars - life after death story. Ending could be frustrating for those who need clear answers and conclusions, but I loved it. Can stand alone or easily be made into a series. Great characters.

5 out of 5 stars - another life after death story, but COMPLETELY unique concepts. Cool world-building and definitely leaves readers hankering for the next book in the series.

4 out of 5 stars -- Awesome building of parallel worlds and ending promises book 2 will ramp up the action. Can't wait!

  
As always, I'm open to discussing and/or answering questions about any of the books I've read, so let me know if there's a title about which you simply must know my feelings. That would get me cranking again. Yep. That would do it.