2013 Reading Year in Review

JANUARY

1. Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
2. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
3. A Winter’s Dream by Richard Paul Evans
4. Come Home by Lisa Scottoline
5. Private: London by James Patterson and Mark Pearson
6.  Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson

FEBRUARY

7. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
8. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
9. Private: Berlin by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

MARCH

10. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
11. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
12. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
13. The Forgotten by David Baldacci

APRIL

14. Edge of Dawn by Lara Adrian
15. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
16. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

MAY

17. Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
18. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
19. Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson
20. Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris
21. Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline
22. No Way Back by Andrew Gross
23. Inferno by Dan Brown

JUNE

24. The Hit by David Baldacci
25. Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts
26. Lover at Last by J.R. Ward
27. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
28. 12th of Never by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

JULY

29. The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
30. Suspect by Robert Crais
31. Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
32. Hidden by Catherine McKenzie
33. Family Pictures by Jane Green
34. Second Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
35. 9th Girl by Tami Hoag
36. Unseen by Karin Slaughter
37. Legend by Marie Lu

AUGUST

38. Prodigy by Marie Lu
39. Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich
40. Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
41. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
42. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

SEPTEMBER

43. The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
44. Always Watching by Chevy Stevens
45. The Never List by Koethi Zan
46. Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
47. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

OCTOBER

48. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
49. The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot
50. Reconstructing Amelia by Kim McCreight
51. Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison

NOVEMBER

52. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
53. Abandoned by Lisa Scottoline
54. Gone by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

DECEMBER

55. King and Maxwell by David Baldacci
56. Cross My Heart by James Patterson
57. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
58. Champion by Marie Lu

No. 28 for 2013

Title: 12th of Never
Author: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Rating: 3/5
Book: 28/50
Pages: 394 pgs
Total Pages: 12,090 pages
Version: Book
Next up: The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

There’s nothing overly special about this book, just another typical Patterson book. As much as I enjoy the Women’s Murder Club, it seems like this series is also on a slow descent down as Patterson seems to be running out of material.

About The Book:

Lindsay Boxer’s beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career.

A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she’s ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he’s convinced is real. Lindsay doesn’t believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor’s description to the last detail.

Lindsay doesn’t have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life.

No. 27 for 2013

Title: Wedding Night
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Rating: 4/5
Book: 27/50
Pages: 446 pgs
Total Pages: 11,696 pages
Version: Book
Next up: 12th of Never by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

I have always enjoyed Kinsella’s books, especially the Shopaholic series. Her books are full of fluff, wit and humour and I have found myself laughing at various points in each books. Kinsella’s books are a great choice if you are looking for something light and fun. This book delivers everything a typical Kinsella books does. My only complaint is that it seemed to be a little repetitive at parts but overall, it’s a great read.

About The Book:

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.

Their family and friends are horrified. Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, knows that Lottie can be impulsive—but surely this is her worst decision yet. And Ben’s colleague Lorcan fears that this hasty marriage will ruin his friend’s career. To keep Lottie and Ben from making a terrible mistake, Fliss concocts an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night. As she and Lorcan jet off to Ikonos in pursuit, Lottie and Ben are in for a honeymoon to remember, for better . . . or worse.

No. 26 for 2013

Title: Lover at Last
Author: J.R. Ward
Rating: 5/5
Book: 26/50
Pages: 591 pgs
Total Pages: 11,250 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

I love this series. I love the vampires in this series and I always have trouble picking my favourite one. I love them all.

Another great book! The book moved the plot along and it has left many unanswered questions for the next book. I have always liked Qhuinn and Blay so I was very happy to read Qhuinn’s story.

Overall, a terrific read! I can’t wait for “The King” now!!!

About The Book:

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another….

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young—just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand.

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions… but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together… finally become one.

No. 25 for 2013

Title: Whiskey Beach
Author: Nora Roberts
Rating: 3/5
Book: 25/50
Pages: 458 pgs
Total Pages: 10,659 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Lover at Last by J.R. Ward

There was nothing special about this book. Nora Roberts is getting very repetitive. While I liked the characters, the plot was lacking. A good 80% of the book was just watching Eli brood and for this book being classified as a mystery/suspense novel, well, there just wasn’t that much mystery and suspense.

About The Book:

For more than three hundred years, Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach, guarding its shore—and its secrets. But to Eli Landon, it’s home…

A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an intense year of public scrutiny and police investigations after being accused of—but never arrested for—the murder of his soon-to-be-ex wife.

He finds sanctuary at Bluff House, even though his beloved grandmother is in Boston recuperating from a nasty fall. Abra Walsh is always there, though. Whiskey Beach’s resident housekeeper, yoga instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist, Abra is a woman of many talents—including helping Eli take control of his life and clear his name. But as they become entangled in each other, they find themselves caught in a net that stretches back for centuries—one that has ensnared a man intent on reaping the rewards of destroying Eli Landon once and for all…

No. 24 for 2013

Title: The Hit
Author: David Baldacci
Rating: 3/5
Book: 24/50
Pages: 390 pgs
Total Pages: 10,201 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it. The plot seemed to drag at times and the really short and choppy sentences started to get on my nerves. Overall it was a good read but not Baldacci’s best.

About The Book:

Will Robie is a master of killing. A highly skilled assassin, Robie is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate the worst of the worst-enemies of the state, monsters committed to harming untold numbers of innocent victims. No one else can match Robie’s talents as a hitman…no one, except Jessica Reel. A fellow assassin, equally professional and dangerous, Reel is every bit as lethal as Robie. And now, she’s gone rogue, turning her gun sights on other members of their agency. To stop one of their own, the government looks again to Will Robie. His mission: bring in Reel, dead or alive. Only a killer can catch another killer, they tell him. But as Robie pursues Reel, he quickly finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. Her attacks on the agency conceal a larger threat, a threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world.