TTT: 2013 Favorites!

Top Ten Tuesday: List favorite books read in 2013.

Favorite novel:
-Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan---This book appeals to the nerd in me. It is very quirky, but so fun. It was an Alex Award winner last year, an adult book that appeals to teens. (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2012)

Favorite book club selection:
-Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver---Kingsolver has a way of writing fiction that demonstrates her deep research on a subject.  She also is able to get the reader to see both sides of issues. This book about climate change was no exception. (HarperCollins 2012)

Favorite YA novel:
-Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell---Rowell tackles very difficult topics in a very sensitive way. After reading Fangirl, Rowell's second book published this year, I especially appreciate her boyfriend characters, who are thoughtful and kind. (St. Martin's Press, 2013)

Favorite poetry books, a tie:
-Ten Poems to Change Your Life by Roger Housden---Housden helps the reader out by adding his own thoughts about the poems he selected. I read them to myself and reread them to my husband. (Harmony, 2001)
-Dog Songs by Mary Oliver---Oliver is my favorite poet and dogs are one of my favorite subjects. It makes for a winning combination. (Penguin Press, 2013)

Favorite graphic novel (set):
-Boxer/Saints by Gene Luen Yang---two volumes telling the story of two individuals caught on opposites sides of the Boxer Revolution in China. Yang is a master of the graphic novel. (First Second, 2013)

Favorite audiobook:
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, read by Barrett Whitener---Whitener captures the voice of Ignatius J. Riley perfectly. He also reads the book using the intricacies of the New Orleans dialect. We had a lot of fun listening to this book. (Blackstone Audiobooks, 2005)

Favorite nonfiction (tie):
-Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand---the story of an American hero and Olympian, Louie Zamperini. (Random House, 2010)
-Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: the Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan---Edward Curtis is the famous photographer of Native Americans. This is the story of what it took for him to get those photographs. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011)

Favorite Memoir:
-Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler---Hartzler recounts his early years being raised by very conservative Christian parents. (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013)

Favorite reread:
-The Fault in our Stars by John Green---I listened to the audiobook of this favorite book from last year. It was the Odyssey Award winner for excellent audiobook. This is also the most popular book in the library right now. (Brilliance Audio, 2012)

Favorite book in a series:
-The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater---book #2 in the Raven Cycle series. (Scholastic Press, 2013)

Honorable Mention:
-Far Far Away by Tom McNeal---a fairy tale whose narrator is Jacob Grimm. This book has everything a good story should have. (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013)
-The Paris Wife by Paula McLain---I became fairly obsessed with Hemingway and Fitzgerald after reading this book and attending the author event in our town. (Ballantine Books, 2011)
-Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell---I like this author so much. I want to read everything she has or will write. (St. Martin's Press, 2013)

Here is The Scholastic List of Lists, the Best of 2013. Check out all the links.  My favorite is the NPR list.