Favorites Of The Year 2013: Books
I begin my Favorites Of The Year list by giving you my favorite Books of 2013.
2013 was the year of Jo Nesbø; I met and interviewed the man and started reading all of his Harry Hole books that are available in English. I might be late in joining the Scandinavian crime hype but once I'm in, I don't think I'm eager to leave. This is also the year of re-reading, as you will see at the end of the list, and a year of extreme geekery as most of the books I read are genre- and geek-oriented. I have no shame in admitting this because my hobby is fun. Everyone would do well to follow my lead and move over to the dark side! We have fairy tale remixes, djinns in the Arab Spring, and statistics...
Without further ado, move on below to see what genre/geek stuff you might want to consider reading...
Favorite Books In 2013
Note: This list doesn't contain solely books released in 2013. This list is simply a list of books that I enjoyed reading in 2013, regardless of their publication date.
1. Tim Leong's Super Graphic
To explain why I love this book, read my review. Or, simply click on these images below and you will know why this book is super awesome.
2. G. Willow Wilson's Alif The Unseen
A story set in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, with mystical beings, religious musings and politics, Alif The Unseen is not only a wonderfully thrilling book to read, but it also strengthened my own spiritual faith to God. It's originally published in 2012, but still very relevant today, and will continue to be relevant as technology and the internet grow in significance in our global society. Brilliant title too!
3. Neil Gaiman's The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
Neil Gaiman has a way with words. We all know this. In The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, he works those words create a deeply emotional impact on me. A highly personal tale masked by descriptions of mystical beings, there's no one way to describe this book. Thin, perhaps, because it's not the thickest of Gaiman's novels. Also whimsical, lonely, melancholic, nostalgic, emotional and powerful. This book will mean different things to different people. It's not Gaiman's best for many, but certainly one of the most memorable.
4. Rick Riordan's House Of Hades (Heroes Of Olympus #4)
When it comes to Rick Riordan, I have nothing else to expect but page-turning fun. House Of Hades is definitely page turning, but fun? Perhaps not. A dark fourth installment of Percy Jackson's second saga with gods and monsters, House Of Hades is all about confronting fears. One such fear is the fear of coming out of the closet. But the character in question did so bravely, making Riordan's novel the first mainstream intermediate fiction I've ever read to have an explicitly queer character. This is super brave. I'm proud to be a fan of Riordan because he wrote this.
5. Robert Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling
Dear JK Rowling,
No matter what name you write under, you will always have a tell. But please don't stop writing this Cormoran Strike series. I find the physically flawed Cormoran as equally fascinating as Harry was, and wow, you really do love your LL-initialed females, don't you? Anyway, you had me thoroughly fooled with the culprit in this whoddunit. Brilliant work, as always. Keep them coming.
Sincerely,
Me
6. Brandon Sanderson's The Rithmatist
This is where I blabbed and gushed about the book. I had no idea a book inspired by geometry could be so much fun. And I also couldn't believe it took me THIS long (2013!!!) to read Brandon Sanderson. There's another book of his out this year that I enjoyed called Steelheart but it doesn't come close to the awesomness of The Rithmatist.
7. Jo Nesbø's Police
After meeting Jo Nesbø, naturally I devoured his books. I love the Harry Hole series (which, I was told, became popular long before Lisbeth Salander was born from the mind of Stieg Larsson) and I would pay to see all of the movies based on the book, if any. Harry is a very interesting character and I'm glad to have met him in the pages this year. I picked Police, the latest book in the series, as my favorite despite reading 9 others simply because Harry is at his very best here.
8. Ben Aaronovitch's Broken Homes
Seriously, I have this to say: HOW DARE YOU LEAVE US THERE, MR. AARONOVITCH, AND WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK COMING OUT?! I have #PeterGrantFeels. I'm still not recovered enough to write a coherent anything. Enough said.
9. Chris Colfer's The Enchantress Returns (The Land Of Stories #2)
Chris Colfer's second Land Of Stories novel is brilliantly funny and bravely bittersweet. Even though he parodies known (mostly Disney) fairy tale characters, he comes up with the most interesting plots and situations for them. Since Hollywood is intent on remaking more fairy tales into films, I suggest producers to look to Colfer's works as reference: he knows how to do it better than most filmmakers.
10. Marie Sexton's Fear, Hope and Bread Pudding
The long awaited sequel to Marie Sexton's Strawberries For Dessert, this short book deserves a place in the Top 10 simply because of my love for Jonathan and Cole. It's also a realistic portrayal of fears of being parents, something that anyone would have (myself included), and despite the fluffy ending, I still think that it's a poignant chapter in this couple's journey. My heartstrings were tugged a lot but oh, what a ride!
Honorable Mentions
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - A must read for book lovers, and technology enthusiasts, all around the world. It would've been in the top 10 but I haven't finished reading it so it can only have an Honorable Mention. But the fact that it's already on my Favorite list should tell you something...
The Long Earth by Stephen Baxter & Terry Pratchett - A dimension-hopping sci-fi story, this book is flawlessly written. The plot is more like a promise of things to come, but with this kind of premise and with this kind of writing, the book is a huge delight.
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - At first glance, this looks to be yet another Twilight/The Hunger Games wannabe. But the world Shannon created is so much darker that it's jarring. I plan on re-reading this.
Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life As Weapon by Matt Fraction, David Aja & Javier Pullido - A deeper look into Hawkeye, the precision archer dude in Marvel universe. I love the art style and the story is quite cheeky, in addition to being brilliant and immensely fun.
Black Hearts At Battersea by Joan Aiken - Where has this author been all my life? Joan Aiken is apparently one of those authors I should've known in my childhood but didn't. This book is just brilliant and I can't wait to read more.
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann - It's the first book I read in 2013 and one that I enjoyed a lot. Creepy thrills abound and the ending kind of punches you in the gut.
Inferno by Dan Brown - This book restored my faith in Dan Brown after the utter stupidity that was The Lost Symbol. Brown should just keep writing about Robert Langdon adventuring in Italy. Clearly, he's more in his element in Italy than anywhere else.
-------------------------------------
Once again, I do not have any favorite M/M list this year (ever since I quit the bookstore, there hasn't been a lot of chance for me to read M/M), so for the second time around, I give you this one:
Favorite Movie Books of 2013
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is one of the most illuminating books I've read this year. The best 'moral story' we can all get from reading how GdT works on his projects is this: DREAM BIG, AS BIG AS YOU CAN. Which is why the Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters is an essential piece for my movie reading this year. The book is akin to Harry Potter Film Wizardry, but less gimmicky and more informative in because, unlike Potter, Pacific Rim's canon is only in the movie. This book gives us deeper insight on that canon. It's also a fine example of Del Toro-style world building. Although, one must never forget that Travis Beacham, co-writer of the movie and the writer of the comic book Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero, also contributes a lot to that canon.
Meanwhile, Thor: The Dark World - Art Of The Movie is useful to me as a reference on the Asgardian designs that so fascinated me in the movie. Sure, Thor doesn't have 42 iron armors at his disposal, but how about that hover craft of his? Or the cannons mounted on pillars? Or the Dark Elves' uniform? If there was a book on Asgardian architecture, this would be it.
And I love The Hobbit: Chronicles series. I just adore the many Alan Lee and John Howe conceptual illustrations in all of these books, as well as the full description of the thirteen Dwarfs in Thorin Oakenshield's company. Whatever you don't find in the actual books by Tolkien regarding those Dwarfs, you can find here. No matter how fanficcy the film gets in The Desolation Of Smaug, there's no question about how thoughtful the design aspect of the second Peter Jackson Middle Earth trilogy is.
-------------------------------------
Finally, here's a list of Favorite Books I Read AGAIN in 2013:
1. All seven books in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. All three books prior to House Of Hades in the Heroes Of Olympus series by RIck Riordan
5. All three books prior to Broken Homes in the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch
I hereby end this gigantic list of books and stop you from getting bored to tears. Next up: Television
2013 was the year of Jo Nesbø; I met and interviewed the man and started reading all of his Harry Hole books that are available in English. I might be late in joining the Scandinavian crime hype but once I'm in, I don't think I'm eager to leave. This is also the year of re-reading, as you will see at the end of the list, and a year of extreme geekery as most of the books I read are genre- and geek-oriented. I have no shame in admitting this because my hobby is fun. Everyone would do well to follow my lead and move over to the dark side! We have fairy tale remixes, djinns in the Arab Spring, and statistics...
Without further ado, move on below to see what genre/geek stuff you might want to consider reading...
Favorite Books In 2013
Note: This list doesn't contain solely books released in 2013. This list is simply a list of books that I enjoyed reading in 2013, regardless of their publication date.
1. Tim Leong's Super Graphic
To explain why I love this book, read my review. Or, simply click on these images below and you will know why this book is super awesome.
2. G. Willow Wilson's Alif The Unseen
A story set in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, with mystical beings, religious musings and politics, Alif The Unseen is not only a wonderfully thrilling book to read, but it also strengthened my own spiritual faith to God. It's originally published in 2012, but still very relevant today, and will continue to be relevant as technology and the internet grow in significance in our global society. Brilliant title too!
3. Neil Gaiman's The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
Neil Gaiman has a way with words. We all know this. In The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, he works those words create a deeply emotional impact on me. A highly personal tale masked by descriptions of mystical beings, there's no one way to describe this book. Thin, perhaps, because it's not the thickest of Gaiman's novels. Also whimsical, lonely, melancholic, nostalgic, emotional and powerful. This book will mean different things to different people. It's not Gaiman's best for many, but certainly one of the most memorable.
4. Rick Riordan's House Of Hades (Heroes Of Olympus #4)
When it comes to Rick Riordan, I have nothing else to expect but page-turning fun. House Of Hades is definitely page turning, but fun? Perhaps not. A dark fourth installment of Percy Jackson's second saga with gods and monsters, House Of Hades is all about confronting fears. One such fear is the fear of coming out of the closet. But the character in question did so bravely, making Riordan's novel the first mainstream intermediate fiction I've ever read to have an explicitly queer character. This is super brave. I'm proud to be a fan of Riordan because he wrote this.
5. Robert Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling
Dear JK Rowling,
No matter what name you write under, you will always have a tell. But please don't stop writing this Cormoran Strike series. I find the physically flawed Cormoran as equally fascinating as Harry was, and wow, you really do love your LL-initialed females, don't you? Anyway, you had me thoroughly fooled with the culprit in this whoddunit. Brilliant work, as always. Keep them coming.
Sincerely,
Me
6. Brandon Sanderson's The Rithmatist
This is where I blabbed and gushed about the book. I had no idea a book inspired by geometry could be so much fun. And I also couldn't believe it took me THIS long (2013!!!) to read Brandon Sanderson. There's another book of his out this year that I enjoyed called Steelheart but it doesn't come close to the awesomness of The Rithmatist.
7. Jo Nesbø's Police
After meeting Jo Nesbø, naturally I devoured his books. I love the Harry Hole series (which, I was told, became popular long before Lisbeth Salander was born from the mind of Stieg Larsson) and I would pay to see all of the movies based on the book, if any. Harry is a very interesting character and I'm glad to have met him in the pages this year. I picked Police, the latest book in the series, as my favorite despite reading 9 others simply because Harry is at his very best here.
8. Ben Aaronovitch's Broken Homes
Seriously, I have this to say: HOW DARE YOU LEAVE US THERE, MR. AARONOVITCH, AND WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK COMING OUT?! I have #PeterGrantFeels. I'm still not recovered enough to write a coherent anything. Enough said.
9. Chris Colfer's The Enchantress Returns (The Land Of Stories #2)
Chris Colfer's second Land Of Stories novel is brilliantly funny and bravely bittersweet. Even though he parodies known (mostly Disney) fairy tale characters, he comes up with the most interesting plots and situations for them. Since Hollywood is intent on remaking more fairy tales into films, I suggest producers to look to Colfer's works as reference: he knows how to do it better than most filmmakers.
10. Marie Sexton's Fear, Hope and Bread Pudding
The long awaited sequel to Marie Sexton's Strawberries For Dessert, this short book deserves a place in the Top 10 simply because of my love for Jonathan and Cole. It's also a realistic portrayal of fears of being parents, something that anyone would have (myself included), and despite the fluffy ending, I still think that it's a poignant chapter in this couple's journey. My heartstrings were tugged a lot but oh, what a ride!
Honorable Mentions
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - A must read for book lovers, and technology enthusiasts, all around the world. It would've been in the top 10 but I haven't finished reading it so it can only have an Honorable Mention. But the fact that it's already on my Favorite list should tell you something...
The Long Earth by Stephen Baxter & Terry Pratchett - A dimension-hopping sci-fi story, this book is flawlessly written. The plot is more like a promise of things to come, but with this kind of premise and with this kind of writing, the book is a huge delight.
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon - At first glance, this looks to be yet another Twilight/The Hunger Games wannabe. But the world Shannon created is so much darker that it's jarring. I plan on re-reading this.
Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life As Weapon by Matt Fraction, David Aja & Javier Pullido - A deeper look into Hawkeye, the precision archer dude in Marvel universe. I love the art style and the story is quite cheeky, in addition to being brilliant and immensely fun.
Black Hearts At Battersea by Joan Aiken - Where has this author been all my life? Joan Aiken is apparently one of those authors I should've known in my childhood but didn't. This book is just brilliant and I can't wait to read more.
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann - It's the first book I read in 2013 and one that I enjoyed a lot. Creepy thrills abound and the ending kind of punches you in the gut.
Inferno by Dan Brown - This book restored my faith in Dan Brown after the utter stupidity that was The Lost Symbol. Brown should just keep writing about Robert Langdon adventuring in Italy. Clearly, he's more in his element in Italy than anywhere else.
-------------------------------------
Once again, I do not have any favorite M/M list this year (ever since I quit the bookstore, there hasn't been a lot of chance for me to read M/M), so for the second time around, I give you this one:
Favorite Movie Books of 2013
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is one of the most illuminating books I've read this year. The best 'moral story' we can all get from reading how GdT works on his projects is this: DREAM BIG, AS BIG AS YOU CAN. Which is why the Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters is an essential piece for my movie reading this year. The book is akin to Harry Potter Film Wizardry, but less gimmicky and more informative in because, unlike Potter, Pacific Rim's canon is only in the movie. This book gives us deeper insight on that canon. It's also a fine example of Del Toro-style world building. Although, one must never forget that Travis Beacham, co-writer of the movie and the writer of the comic book Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero, also contributes a lot to that canon.
Meanwhile, Thor: The Dark World - Art Of The Movie is useful to me as a reference on the Asgardian designs that so fascinated me in the movie. Sure, Thor doesn't have 42 iron armors at his disposal, but how about that hover craft of his? Or the cannons mounted on pillars? Or the Dark Elves' uniform? If there was a book on Asgardian architecture, this would be it.
And I love The Hobbit: Chronicles series. I just adore the many Alan Lee and John Howe conceptual illustrations in all of these books, as well as the full description of the thirteen Dwarfs in Thorin Oakenshield's company. Whatever you don't find in the actual books by Tolkien regarding those Dwarfs, you can find here. No matter how fanficcy the film gets in The Desolation Of Smaug, there's no question about how thoughtful the design aspect of the second Peter Jackson Middle Earth trilogy is.
-------------------------------------
Finally, here's a list of Favorite Books I Read AGAIN in 2013:
1. All seven books in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. All three books prior to House Of Hades in the Heroes Of Olympus series by RIck Riordan
5. All three books prior to Broken Homes in the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch
I hereby end this gigantic list of books and stop you from getting bored to tears. Next up: Television