ElaineJ Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Now that we are reaching the end of the year, I'd love to hear some of the Hive's favorite books from 2013. (They don't have to have been published in 2013, just read by you during the course of the year.) If you could list one work of non-fiction and one work of fiction that really stood out for you, what would they be? I think my choices would be The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor for non-fiction and The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene for fiction. Share your reading highlights! :) Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Favorite fiction: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen and Prodigy by Marie Lu Favorite non-fiction: Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick and The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 My favorite fiction: The House at Riverton by Kate Morton Non-fiction: Home in Time for Breakfast: A First World War Diary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by O. Burkeman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Fiction: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski Non-fiction: The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElaineJ Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by O. Burkeman I'm fascinated by the title! :001_smile: Going to look this one up on Amazon......... Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I'm fascinated by the title! :001_smile: Going to look this one up on Amazon......... Elaine There's an npr interview with the author...off to look for the link... eta:http://www.npr.org/2012/11/13/162742151/antidote-prescribes-a-negative-path-to-happiness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Non-fiction: Quiet Fiction: 3 Musketeers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by O. Burkeman I have to read this!!!! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 So I went and looked at my Goodreads list for 2013 and I'm initially shocked at how little I've read this year. Makes me sad. But, I had three books that I absolutely loved this year: Fiction: Cloud Atlas Wool Omnibus Non-Fiction Everyday Saints and Other Stories - it moved and encouraged me profoundly. off to check out some of the others... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElaineJ Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 Non-fiction: Quiet Is this Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a world That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain? And Sadie, are you referring to this book also? Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Fiction: The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis (female chess prodigy novel which makes chess matches super exciting), although Story of Your Life; and Others by Ted Chiang has the best written story I've read all year (the title story, although the Tower of Babel and several others were also amazing). Story is intellectual science/speculative fiction with a lot of Christian themes (not Christian fiction, questioning, turning a lot of things upside down, but I thought respectful when taken as a whole). Both highly recommended. Non-fiction: Probably Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. It wasn't as well-written as The Adderall Diaries, but it has so much heart. That woman is a nut, but she really cares about people and gets to know them. I felt like I got to know them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I read a lot of non-fiction, so I have a lot of favorites there but my favorite one this year (possibly favorite ever!): -- Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Favorite fiction this year: -- Grapes of Wrath (trying to read through all the classics I've not yet read) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 This is a hard one because I read a lot of books and loved most of what I read. Also, since 2013 isn't over yet I might still read my "favorite" book of the year. Fiction: In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez (fictional account of a true story) Classic Fiction: Anna Karenina Non-fiction: Do You Believe in Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine, Dr. Paul Offit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Fiction: Rebecca Non-Fiction: Adrift Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou. I have no idea why it took my this long to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Is this Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a world That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain? And Sadie, are you referring to this book also? Elaine Yes. It wasn't earth-shattering news to me, but I enjoyed the style and pace (and topic). :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 There's an npr interview with the author...off to look for the link... eta:http://www.npr.org/2012/11/13/162742151/antidote-prescribes-a-negative-path-to-happiness I may have to get this one for my dh. ;) Glad you mentioned it! Fiction: Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being. Loved it and recommend it to whoever will listen :) :iagree: I read it this year & absolutely loved it too (& I've also recommended it many, many times). Cloud Atlas :iagree: I read Cloud Atlas last year & completely loved it. (Loved the movie too.) This is another book I've recommended so many times. I've read quite a few books this year that I have loved. It is so hard to whittle it down. So, I'm posting more than one. I haven't had enough coffee this morning to be able to make such rash decisions as cutting books out of my list. ;) :laugh: (Otoh, maybe there's something for almost everyone on there. Ha!) Fiction: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif (Pakistani Air Force & assassination satire -- biting & wonderful) The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt (gorgeous set of fairytales for adults) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Japan's surrealist master, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this one unless you've read at least some of his other works) The Iron Will of Shoeshine Cats by Hesh Kestin (tough-talking, fun, 60s NYC Jewish mafia book) A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Booker Prize finalist; I adored the teen Nao as she navigates her teen years & tells the story of her feminist Buddhist great grandmother) All Men are Liars by Alberto Manguel (Do we ever really know the truth?) Altazor by Vicente Huidobro (Funky, strange, soaring surrealist poetry) The Fan-Maker's Inquisition by Rikki Ducornet (searing historical fiction) If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino (a masterful author creating a labyrinth of overlapping, reality-shifting stories) Borges and the Eternal Orangutans by Luis Fernando Verissimo (fabulous & sharp Borges-style/homage mystery) Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway (rip-roaring fun -- WWII, spies, clockwork devices, & a race to save civilization; has the best elderly, kick-a** spy you'll ever meet) The Complete Works of Marvin K. Mooney by Christopher Higgs (for fans of experimental literature) The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner (Nat'l Book Award finalist; so evocative of the 70s, motorcycle racing, the art scene in NYC, ...) Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn (a charming, dry wit look at utopia -- heaven, maybe?) Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff (mystery/thriller/sci-fi mental twister of a story) I don't read nearly as much non-fiction, so my list is shorter for that. LOL. Non-fiction: The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 I read "Christy" aloud to my kids this year and remembered why I love the story so much. Cried at the end as usual. I'm sure I've read some non- fiction this past year, but I can't remember any of it at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElaineJ Posted December 12, 2013 Author Share Posted December 12, 2013 Looks like A Tale For the Time Being is definitely a winner! I'm looking forward to reading some of these favorites. Thanks to everyone for sharing. Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I can't just do one either Non-fiction: A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman Desiring the Kingdom by James K. Smith Fiction: The Light Between Oceans by M.L.Stedman And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I also have too many favorites, but here are a couple that jumped out when I scanned my list. Fiction: Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore -- not spectacular writing but a lot of fun. Non-fiction: The Black Swan-- I talked about this a lot while I was reading it and so much has stuck with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmama Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Non-fiction: Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosario Butterfield Fiction: Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead. Didn't get much reading in this year! Missed it immensely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Non-fiction: Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosario Butterfield Fiction: Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead. Didn't get much reading in this year! Missed it immensely! I read Byzantium many years ago and LOVED it. It was a great book. Other Lawhead books weren't as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 I love threads like this. :) Choosing favorites in either category is hard! Fiction - this one is really difficult for me to choose. I'll go with The Beginner's Goodbye, but there are a few others that are very close. Non-Fiction: The Invisible Wall - this is a memoir, so therefore I consider it non-fiction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Fiction: Deathless was probably my favourite. I've read mostly fiction this year so I can't think of a non-fiction, I've started reading Math for Three to Seven which I'm loving but haven't fniished yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 I didn't get a lot of reading for pleasure done this year, but one book I read that made an impression was "The Lost Life of Eva Braun." by Angela Lambert. I've always been curious as to what kind of woman she was, and when I found this book amidst the junk in the biography section of our library (I mean, really, who wants to read the bio of Chloris Leachman?) I grabbed it. And honestly, she was really a rather unremarkable person. It was an interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 It's so hard to pick a favorite! I'm going to go with Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Murakami, it just edges out his Kafka on the Shore :) If I was picking favorite new release, it would be Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane (but I haven't finished Goldfinch). And favorite series would be the EarthSea Cycle, by Le Guin. :) I didn't read much non-fiction this year, just Kettlebell for Women. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 non fiction: why students don't like school (suggested by the hive) Fiction: the casual vacancy (after reading the thread on this book, please don't stone me...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 It's so hard to pick a favorite! I'm going to go with Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Murakami, it just edges out his Kafka on the Shore :) If I was picking favorite new release, it would be Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane (but I haven't finished Goldfinch). And favorite series would be the EarthSea Cycle, by Le Guin. :) I just read The Ocean at the End of the Lane and it was wonderful. The best Gaiman I've read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Fiction: The Circle by Dave Eggers -- It wasn't particularly well-written and it was certainly crass in several places, but it really made me think. Since finishing I've thought a lot about social media, online "connections", following blindly, herd mentality, narcissism, privacy, how and why people seek validation, the effects of technology's intrusion into even the most mundane areas of our lives (hello, Instagramming pictures of your Starbucks cup?). Should be required reading for opening a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account. ;) Non-fiction: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell -- Inspired quite a few interesting conversations between DH and I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&NMom Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 My hands down favorite read of 2013 was Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I loved it!! Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Weird but I enjoyed this a great deal: Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 There's no way I could pick just one of each. Fiction Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Non-Fiction Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Schindler's Ark by Keneally(it's fiction but based on true story) The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (old sci-fi) God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World by Prothero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 I loved three memoirs this year: Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert (by Rosaria Butterfield), The Little Way of Ruthie Leming (by Rod Dreher), and Holy is the Day (by Carolyn Weber). Holy is the Day was my favorite book of the year. For fiction, I loved Sally S Wright's Ben Reese Mysteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 For fiction I've recently discovered the Isabel Dalhousie mystery series by Alexander McCall Smith. For non-fiction, Jungian centered books and various books on education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 For fiction I've recently discovered the Isabel Dalhousie mystery series by Alexander McCall Smith. I love this series and just started reading them this year. I should have probably listed her as my favorite also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I know isn't it great! I love the attention to detail and the musings on the vagaries of the 'moral heart' combined with the wonderful descriptions of the Scottish landscape. And the pace is perfect for me :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 One of my favorite fiction books of the year was The Rosie Project: A Novel by Graeme Simsion. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Fiction: I didn't read much good fiction this year, to be honest. I read a lot of fiction, but most of it was pretty blah, so I'll have to go with Foundation, by Isaac Asimov. Not the first year I've read it, but better by far than the other stuff on my list for the year. Non-fiction: Another vote for Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Fiction: The Story of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert Non-Fiction: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Fiction: Little Women. Amazingly, I had never read this book before. I am absolutely in love with it. Non-Fiction: Unbroken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Code Name Verity was the best book I read this year. The Parasol Protectorate series was my favorite (five books in all). I also liked the Wool series a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Fiction: Joe Hill's NOS4A2 really stood out for me. I started a few non fiction books this year but never finished. Hangs head in shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic by Ramesh Menon. I am still busy reading it, actually, but I'll declare it my favourite, mostly because I didn't expect to find it so enjoyable and uplifting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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