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. 23 for 2013

Title: Inferno
Author: Dan Brown
Rating: 4/5
Book: 23/50
Pages: 464 pgs
Total Pages: 9,811 pages
Version: Book
Next up: The Hit by David Baldacci

This was a very excellent book. It had me at the edge of my seat and wanting more. I don’t think that it was quite as good as Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code but it was good and definitely worth the read. The only gripe I had with the book is that the big event at the end seemed to be glossed over and the consequences of the event didn’t really have a resolution. Perhaps it was done on purpose by Brown for Book 5, I’m not sure.

About The Book:

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

No. 22 for 2013

Title: No Way Back
Author: Andrew Gross
Rating: 4/5
Book: 22/50
Pages: 339 pgs
Total Pages: 9,347 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Inferno by Dan Brown

Another great book by Andrew Gross. I’m so glad that Gross has stepped out from behind James Patterson’s shadow and is publishing his own works. Gross is a master at mystery. He knows the exact pace a book should go and when to throw twists and turns at his readers. This is a definite recommendation for anyone who loves a good mystery!

About The Book:

A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends in a shocking murder. Wendy Gould is an average mom–and the only witness. Nanny Lauritzia Velez knows a shocking secret that could prove to be deadly. Both of their lives in danger, this unlikely pair must work together against a network of dangerous men who want nothing more than to see them dead.

No. 21 for 2013

Title: Don’t Go
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Rating: 4/5
Book: 21/50
Pages: 374 pgs
Total Pages: 9,008 pages
Version: Book
Next up: No Way Back by Andrew Gross

This is the second book of Scottoline’s that I have read and this book did not disappoint. While I didn’t find it as thrilling as <i>Come Home</i>, this book certainly did deliver some great twists. I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a good mystery.

About The Book:

When Dr. Mike Scanlon is called to serve as an army doctor in Afghanistan, he’s acutely aware of the dangers he’ll face and the hardships it will cause his wife Chloe and newborn baby.  And deep inside, he doesn’t think of himself as a warrior, but a healer.

However, in an ironic turn of events, as Mike operates on a wounded soldier in a war-torn country, Chloe dies at home in the suburbs, in an apparent household accident.  Devastated, he returns home to bury her, only to discover that the life he left behind has fallen apart.  His medical practice is in jeopardy, and he is a complete stranger to the only family he has left – his precious baby girl.  Worse, he learns a shocking secret that sends him into a downward spiral.

Ultimately, Mike realizes that the most important battle of his life faces him on the home front and he’ll have to put it all on the line to save what’s dearest to him – his family.

No. 20 for 2013

Title: Dead Ever After
Author: Charlaine Harris
Rating: 1.5/5
Book: 20/50
Pages: 338 pgs
Total Pages: 8,634 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This book doesn’t deserve a review. I’ve never seen a bigger “f-you” from an author than what I just read. Harris butchered one of my favourite series. Not to mention there is reference to something disturbing that is now permanently etched in my brain.

Thank you Charlaine Harris. I will never buy/read any of your other books ever again.

About The Book:

Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.

Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough….

No. 19 for 2013

Title: Alex Cross, Run
Author: James Patterson
Rating: 3/5
Book: 19/50
Pages: 407 pgs
Total Pages: 8,296 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

While I definitely enjoyed this book more than I have the last few Cross books, I definitely feel as though Patterson is running out of material for this series and is feeling burned out. A lot of the book felt like filler to me and there was little plot. The earlier Cross books kept me on the edge of my seat but this one, not so much.

About The Book:

Detective Alex Cross arrests renowned plastic surgeon Elijah Creem for sleeping with teenage girls. Now, his life ruined, Creem is out of jail, and he’s made sure that no one will recognize him–by giving himself a new face.

A young woman is found hanging from a sixth-floor window, and Alex is called to the scene. The victim recently gave birth, but the baby is nowhere to be found. Before Alex can begin searching for the missing newborn and killer, he’s called to investigate a second crime. All of Washington, D.C., is in a panic, and when a third body is discovered, rumours of three serial killers send the city into an all-out frenzy.

Alex’s investigations are going nowhere, and he’s too focused on the cases to notice that someone has been watching him–and will stop at nothing until he’s dead.

No. 18 for 2013

Title: Lover Reborn
Author: J.R. Ward
Rating: 5/5
Book: 18/50
Pages: 617 pgs
Total Pages: 7,889 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson

I really enjoyed this book. After book 9, I was feeling like Ward was getting a little burned out by the series but she’s back in full force with this book.

I have always loved Tohr and I was heart-broken when he lost his shellan, Wellsie. I was really happy when he returned to the Brotherhood and even more so when I found out that book 10 was about him. It was hard to see Tohr go through his grief over loosing Wellsie but this book was a real gem. I enjoyed watching two broken souls, Tohr and No’One, find their way to each other and find ways to move on with each other. I was shocked at an event near the ending and I didn’t see it coming at all! I think I turned a few heads at Starbucks today when I reacted to it.

Overall, it’s a great read and I can’t wait to read book 11!

About The Book:
Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been a heartbroken shadow of the vampire leader he once was. Brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel, he fights again with ruthless vengeance, unprepared for a new tragedy. Seeing his beloved in dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld—Tohr turns to the angel Lassiter to save his former mate. The only way to rescue her is for Tohr to love another. As war with the lessers rages, and a new clan of vampires vie for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between an unforgettable past and a hot, passion-filled future. But can his heart let go and set all of them free?

No. 17 for 2013

Title: Lover Unleashed
Author: J.R. Ward
Rating: 3/5
Book: 17/50
Pages: 537 pgs
Total Pages: 7,272 pages
Version: Book
Next up: Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward

I really wish that Goodreads allowed us to rate using half stars as this book is a solid 3.5 rating for me. It’s halfway between “I liked it” and “I really liked it”.

This book was definitely a filler book in the series but I did enjoy reading it. I liked seeing V’s interaction with Jane and seeing one of the brothers having work out marital difficulties like most mortals do.

Payne was an interesting character but something was missing about her. There are several parts in the book that I felt was a little far fetched but I’m hoping that maybe Ward had a reason for writing it the way she did. Time will tell, I suppose.

I’m still very much enjoying the series and I can’t wait to continue!

About The Book:

Payne, twin sister of the Black Dagger Brother Vishous, suffers a devastating injury, and brilliant human surgeon Manuel Manello is called in to save her. Their attraction is instant, and as powerful as it is dangerous. But as human and vampire worlds collide, a centuries- old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in jeopardy.