2013 Reading Review

At the end of 2012 I promised myself that I was going to try to read more books in 2013, and write more reviews.

I did manage to read a few more more books than in 2012 (according to Goodreads I read 25 books total, with A Memory of the Light being the longest) but I failed miserably at writing more reviews.

That's an issue that I find myself wrestling with, and ultimately is the reason I haven't written as many this last year.  I feel like I'm not really "qualified' to "review" books.  I don't know why though.  What makes one "qualified" to write a review?  Further, does what I actually write about a book qualify AS a review?  I don't know how to answer these questions, and I kind of fell off the wagon, so to speak, and didn't even try.  But I do enjoy talking about books, so this year I'm going to TRY to try harder.

And If that doesn't say commitment, folks, I don't know what does!

But you know what I mean, I'm sure.  So - on to the books!!

In 2013 I read 25 books in total.  Somehow, this year became the "Accidental Young Adult Year," because 13 of those books, or 52%, were YA.  (I think?  Again the definition is somewhat nebulous to me).  And while I have been somewhat indifferent to YA in general, after reading so many this year, I believe I'm beginning to understand why they are so popular among "Adult Adults."

I've always had the impression that YA books are always written from the POV of females, usually teen girls - like The Hunger Games or Divergent.  And while there's nothing wrong with that and I applaud the fact that there are so many books for, by, and about girls and young women, I have to admit that I found it very refreshing to find YA books with a male POV (like Beautiful Creatures), or a POV that shifted between the male and female POV (like the Sky Chasers series), providing what to me feels like a more balanced approach to storytelling.  But without a doubt, my eyes have been opened and I no longer feel that YA books are somehow "less than" Adult novels.

I've noticed a lot of bloggers talking about their reading plans and goals for 2104.  I think that's a great idea from a blogging viewpoint, but not so much fun from a reading viewpoint.  I don't want reading to feel like a chore.  Ever.

But having said that, of course, here's my reading plans for 2014:
1.  Read whatever the heck I want.
2.  Revisit some of my old favorites.
3.  Continue reading what I like.

The last few years I've noticed that I've gotten super caught up in trying to stay current with what's being published.  Unfortunately, I just don't have that much time, and as a result I've neglected some of my faithful friends that I like to pull out and reread every few years.  In fact, I've already started!

I've started rereading Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn, one of my all-time favorite fantasy novels, and while I'm not going to treat it like an actual "Read and React" feature, I am going to try to put the book down every couple of chapters and talk about it here on the blog as I work my way through it.  If anyone would like to join me in discussing it I think that would be fantastic and I would welcome your thoughts and comments!  But more about that later; let's get on with what I read in 2013 before this becomes the never ending blog post!

So, here's my list of books read in 2013:

	Title	Author	My Rating	Date Read
	The Kingdom of Gods   (The Inheritance Trilogy, #3)	Jemisin, N.K.	4 of 5 stars	Jan 26, 2013
	A Memory of Light   (Wheel of Time, #14)	Jordan, Rober	5 of 5 star	Mar 27, 2013
	Notorious Nineteen   (Stephanie Plum, #19)	Evanovich, Janet	3 of 5 stars	Apr 05, 2013
	Gone   (Gone, #1)	Grant, Michael	3 of 5 stars	Apr 22, 2013
	Hunger   (Gone, #2)	Grant, Michael	3 of 5 stars	May 09, 2013
	The Emperor's Soul	Sanderson, Brandon	4 of 5 stars	May 14, 2013
	And Then There Were None	Christie, Agath	4 of 5 stars	May 21, 2013
	Allanon's Quest   (Paladins of Shannara, #1)	Brooks, Terry	3 of 5 stars	May 22, 2013
	The Weapons Master's Choice (Paladins of Shannara, #2)	Brooks, Terry	3 of 5 stars	May 24, 2013
	Perfect Shadow   (Night Angel, #0.5)	Weeks, Brent	3 of 5 stars	May 26, 2013
	Firstborn	Sanderson, Brandon	3 of 5 stars	May 30, 2013
	Theft of Swords   (The Riyria Revelations, #1-2)	Sullivan, Michael J.	4 of 5 stars	Jul 2013
	City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1)	Clare, Cassandra	4 of 5 stars	Jul 17, 2013
	Divergent (Divergent, #1)	Roth, Veronica	4 of 5 stars	Jul 21, 2013
	Rise of Empire   (The Riyria Revelations, #3-4)	Sullivan, Michael J.	4 of 5 stars	Aug 26, 2013
	Insurgent   (Divergent, #2)	Roth, Veronica	3 of 5 stars	Sep 15, 2013
	Lady of Ashes	Trent, Christine	3 of 5 stars	Oct 03, 2013
	The Black Irix (Paladins of Shannara #3)	Brooks, Terry	3 of 5 stars	Oct 05, 2013
	Beautiful Creatures   (Caster Chronicles, #1)	Garcia, Kami	4 of 5 stars	Oct 28, 2013
	Born   (Born, #1)	Brown, Tara	3 of 5 stars	Nov 06, 2013
	Steelheart   (Reckoners, #1)	Sanderson, Brandon	4 of 5 stars	Nov 20, 2013
	Catching Fire  (The Hunger Games, #2)	Collins, Suzanne	4 of 5 stars	Nov 29, 2013
	World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War	Brooks, Max	3 of 5 stars	Dec 18, 2013
	Glow   (Sky Chasers, #1)	Ryan, Amy Kathleen	3 of 5 stars	Dec 27, 2013
	Spark   (Sky Chasers, #2)	Ryan, Amy Kathleen	3 of 5 stars	Dec 31, 2013

Did you read any of these books this year?  Do you have a favorite among them?  What are your thoughts about the whole "qualified to review" issue, and what a "review" should actually be?  Let me know in the comments - I'd love to hear all y'all's thoughts!  And stay tuned for the first look at Dragon Prince - coming soon!

Merry Christmas 2013

I've been MIA a lot here lately, (I completely forgot the last TWO Teaser Tuesdays - I'm so embarrassed!), but I wanted to make sure to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten all you readers, and to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Stay safe, drive carefully, and enjoy the holiday!

Teaser Tuesday - World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I started reading World War Z last week, and so far it's OK.  I'm not 100% sure that I'm down with the format, or style of the writing, but so far it's pretty good. 

The Tease:

"I looked up, through the car's window, the hole in the dead man's skull, and the window on the other side, and that's when I saw the first one.  I spun around and saw five more coming at me from all directions.  And behind them were another ten, fifteen.
I took a shot at the first one, the round went wild."

 -World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I've just started World War Z this weekend.  I've been wanting to read it for awhile, then kind of forgot about it, then my interest was renewed when the movie came out earlier this year, then I forgot about it again until this weekend when I found it on sale!  So far it seems to be pretty good, though I've just barely started.

The Tease:

"The driver's eyes had a different look, the same one as me, the look that maybe money wasn't going to be much good for much longer.  I slipped the man an extra fifty and wished him luck.  That was all I could do."

 -World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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After finishing Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson, I decided that I had better try to get Catching Fire read before I see the movie.  I think almost everyone in the world has already read this years ago, so many of you will recognize this Tease, I'm sure!

The Tease:

"I've spent all these weeks getting to know who my competitors are, without even thinking about who my teammates are.  Now a new kind of confidence is lighting up inside of me, because I think I finally know who Haymitch is.  And I'm beginning to know who I am.  And surely, two people who have caused the Capitol so much trouble can think of a way to get Peeta home alive."

 -Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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This week I'm continuing to read Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson.  It's a very good story and I'm quite enjoying it! In this scene, David comes face to face with Steelheart for the second time in his life.

The Tease:

"He'd changed little in the decade since he destroyed the bank.  He had that same arrogant expression, that same perfectly styled hair.  That inhumanly toned and muscled body, shrouded in a black and silver cape.  His fists glowed a soft yellow, wisps of smoke rising from them, and there was a hint of silver in his hair.  Epics aged far more slowly than regular people, but they did age."

 -Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson

What's your Tease?

Movie News - Poster Reveal: Maleficent

Several exciting things happened this week.  This was one of them:

I'm loving this new poster!  But even better, the first Trailer was also released this week!!  You can see that here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYemY3xFsB4

I can't wait to see Angelina Jolie as Maleficent!  What do you think? 

Teaser Tuesday - Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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This week I'm reading Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson.  So far it's a fascinating read. 
From Goodreads:
There are no heroes.
Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.
But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.
Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.
And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.
He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

The Tease:

"The video image showed the ground, with me waving my hand in front of the lens.  Then it turned on Nightwielder and my heart leaped.
I tapped the screen, freezing the image."

 -Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Born, by Tara Brown

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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Last week I started reading Born, by Tara Brown, which had been highly recommended to me by a friend.  I'm almost to the end of it now, and I have quite enjoyed it, but it's very different from the type of novels I usually enjoy and I've had a few issues along the way, trying to get comfortable with the author's writing style.  In spite of that, I've had a difficult time putting it down at night!  Today's Tease is from the very opening of Chapter 1, and sets the mood nicely...

The Tease:

"They say that the world is built for two, but in the silence of the old cellar, two feels like a long lost dream.  It's an ice cream cone on a boardwalk with the sun above and the sea below.  It's the wind rolling around you gently, trying to persuade in all the directions at once and mixing sand over your feet as your toes dig in.
It's a perfect place none of us tries to remember."

 -Born, by Tara Brown

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I'm currently reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia.  I saw the movie earlier this year and quite enjoyed it, and didn't even realize it was based on a novel until after watching the film.  This will be the last Tease from Beautiful Creatures, as I finished it today. In this scene, Ethan finds himself in the middle of a violent confrontation that he has little chance of surviving...

The Tease:

"Fire is loud, full of rage and chaos and destruction.  And fire was all around me.  The smoke in the air was so thick, I was choking on it.  The heat was singeing the hair right off my arms.  It was like a vision from the locket, or worse, like the last of my nightmares - the one where Lena was consumed by fire."

 -Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

What's your Tease?

Looking Forward To - Dracula and Grimm

I'm mildly intrigued by the new TV series Dracula that premiere's tonight (10.25.2013).  My first thought when I heard about it was, "Do we really need another Dracula/vampire show?"

Then I realized Jonathan Rhys Meyers was in it, so I'll give it a shot and see how it is. 

Also premiering tonight, Season 3 of Grimm.

Friday night is (hopefully) about to get interesting again...

Teaser Tuesday - Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I'm currently reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia.  I saw the movie earlier this year and quite enjoyed it, and didn't even realize it was based on a novel until after watching the film.  Since I found out, I've been wanting to read at least the first book in the series to see if it was any good, and so far I'm quite enjoying it.  In this scene, Ethan visits the grave of the owner of the mysterious locket...

The Tease:

"I walked back over to the hole and reached into my pocket.  I opened the handkerchief with the familiar initials, and lifted the locket up by its chain.
Nothing.
  No visions, and something told me there weren't going to be any more.
  The locket had led us here, showed us what we needed to see."

 -Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

What's your Tease?

TV News - Shows I'm looking forward to...

Another new show this season that I can't wait to see debuts tonight on the CW:

What are you looking forward to, or what new TV shows have you liked so far this fall?

Teaser Tuesday - Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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So I'm currently reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia.  I saw the movie earlier this year and quite enjoyed it, and didn't even realize it was based on a novel until after watching the film.  Since I found out, I've been wanting to read at least the first book in the series to see if it was any good, and so far I'm quite enjoying it.  In this scene, Ethan, the main POV character, finds himself in a very uncomfortable situation at a dinner party with unwanted guests...

The Tease:

"I tried to make eye contact with Lena, but her eyes were fixed on Ridley.  And they were fierce.  I just hoped Ridley was the only one her anger was directed at."

 -Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I finished Lady of Ashes last week, and spent part of the weekend trying to decide what to read next, and finally settled on Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia.  I saw the movie earlier this year and quite enjoyed it, and didn't even realize it was based on a novel until after watching the film.

The Tease:

"No matter how hard I scrubbed, I couldn't get my heart to stop pounding.  And over the smell of the Ivory soap and the Stop & Shop shampoo, I could still smell it.  Just barely, but I knew it was there.
Lemons and rosemary."

 -Beautiful Creatures, by Kami Garcia

What's your Tease?

TV News - Shows I'm looking forward to

I can't wait to see The Vampire Diaries! This season looks like it will be intense. 

I'm also quite looking forward to watching The Originals.  I don't know if it will last, but it could be good.

What are you looking forward to watching this fall?

Teaser Tuesday - Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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As you know, I'm reading Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent, and quite enjoying it!  This Tease makes me glad I'm not a woman living in the 1800's.

The Tease:

"Thankfully, after nearly three hours of questioning, Violet was permitted to leave.  She needed to return home immediately and get out of her corset, as she hadn't been breathing in more than short gasps all day.  The boning was probably permanently imprinted on her skin."

 -Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent

What's your Tease?

Teaser Tuesday - Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I finished Insurgent by Veronica Roth over the weekend, and honestly I'm not quite sure what I think of it.  But more about that later - Onward to the Tease!  I'm gone back to Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent, and in this Tease she finds herself in a rather horrifying situation...

The Tease:

"She attempted to work the fingers of her right arm, which sent brilliant lightning flashes of agony up her arm, so she stopped, letting her arm dangle uselessly next to her.  I need help was her last thought before going unconscious again, a sweet relief from the agony in her arm."

 -Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent

What's your Tease?

TV News - Doctor Who 50th Anniversary

Most of you have probably already seen this, but yesterday the title of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special was announced with this poster.

The image is stunning, and it looks like Clara and Rose might meet. (Maybe?  Please?)  I can hardly wait to see what happens!

What do you think of this new teaser poster?

Teaser Tuesday - Insurgent, by Veronica Roth

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

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I'm about a quarter of the way through Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent, but had to set that aside when a library e-book became available. Here we have a Tease from about halfway through Insurgent: 

The Tease:

"Blood is a strange color.  It's darker than you expect it to be."

 -Insurgent, by Veronica Roth

What's your Tease?