2014 Reading Challenge
As you may have seen over in the right-hand sidebar, I joined the Goodreads 2014 reading challenge. Each year for the past three years, I’ve increased the number of books I’ve read, and I want to do that again this year. In 2013, I read 42 books. I’m challenging myself to do 50 this year.
Along with that, I want to challenge myself as to what I’m reading as well—I need to branch out more, read different genres, new authors, old favorites, and classics that, as an English major, I should have read but never did. So in addition to challenging myself with a number goal, I’m challenging myself with different categories as well.
So here’s how I’m breaking those down, along with the books I either know I want to read, the books I’ve already read, or options for books I might want to read that fall into those categories. If you have suggestions for any of these categories in addition to those I’ve listed, and I’d love your input!
2014 Reading Challenge Categories
| Category | Suggested Titles |
|---|---|
| 1. From my Books to Sample list | Rosings by Karen Aminadra Delia’s Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer At the Bride Hunt Ball by Olivia Parker Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught |
| 2. Classic American Literature | Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman |
| 3. Classic British Literature | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott Idylls of the King by Alfred Lord Tennyson The Virginians by William Makepeace Thackeray |
| 4. Classic “Other” Literature | My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin (Australia) Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant (France) Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Germany) The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela (Mexico) |
| 5. Inspirational Contemporary Romance | Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck If the Shoe Fits by Sandra D. Bricker Made to Last by Melissa Tagg A Wedding Date in Hot Springs, Arkansas by Annalisa Daughety |
| 6. General Market Contemporary Romance | Dangerous Curves Ahead by Sugar Jamison Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi Me Before You by Jojo Moyes Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee |
| 7. Fantasy | The Hero’s Lot by Patrick W. Carr Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch Merlin’s Blade by Robert Treskillard |
| 8. Historical Fiction (non-romance) | Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes The Forbidden Queen by Anne O’Brien The Inquisitor’s Wife by Jeanne Kalogridis The Agincourt Bride by Joanna Hickson |
| 9. Inspirational Historical Romance | The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen Love Comes Calling by Siri Mitchell Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer |
| 10. Lifelong Favorite (re-read) | (too many options to list!) |
| 11. Mystery | Spider Woman’s Daughter by Anne Hillerman A Royal Pain (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #2) by Rhys Bowen Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith |
| 12. Nonfiction: History or Biography | Zealot by Reza Aslan Prairie Fever: British Aristocrats in the American West 1830-1890 by Peter Pagnamenta Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England by Sharon Marcus I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai |
| 13. Nonfiction: Literary Criticism | COMPLETE: What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan |
| 14. Nonfiction: Writing/Professional Development | The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster Teaching Unprepared Students by Kathleen F. Gabriel Nuts & Bolts: A Practical Guide to Teaching College Composition, Thomas Newkirk, ed. |
| 15. Horror/ Paranormal | The Stand by Stephen King Amish Vampires in Space by Kerry Nietz |
| 16. Romantic Suspense | Suggestions appreciated! |
| 17. Science Fiction | The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein Hyperion by Dan Simmons The Songs Of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke |
| 18. Young Adult | COMPLETE: Divergent by Veronica Roth |
| 19. New-to-Me Romance Author | Currently Reading: Lisa Kleypas, Secrets of a Summer Night |
| 20. New-to-Me Non-Romance Author | There are so many on this list already—I will most likely use one of the books listed in another category (which I don’t read for that category) and count it here. |
| 21. General (non-romance) Fiction | S. by J. J. Abrams Six Years by Harlan Coben Dangerous Women, George R.R. Martin and Gardner R. Dozois, eds. |
| 22. Nonfiction: Religious or self-improvement | Rise of the Time Lords: A Geek’s Guide to Christianity by Michael Belote Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women by Sarah Bessey Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love & Fashion, Virgie Tovar, ed. |
| 23. Time Travel | Return of the Rose by Theresa Ragan Lightning by Dean Koontz 11/22/63 by Stephen King Doomsday Book by Connie Willis |
| 24 & 25. SHU-WPF Common Core Book | Spring: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Fall: TBD |
| 26. Other | When He Was Wicked (Bridgertons #6) by Julia Quinn |
| 27. Other | It’s in His Kiss (Bridgertons #7) by Julia Quinn |
| 28. Other | On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgertons #8) by Julia Quinn |
| 29. Other | Marriage of Mercy by Carla Kelly |
| 30. Other | Darling Beast (Book 7, Maiden Lane Series) by Elizabeth Hoyt (Fall 2014) |
| 31. Other | |
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| 49. Other | |
| 50. Other |
Books Read in 2014: WHAT MATTERS IN JANE AUSTEN? by John Mullan
What Matters in Jane Austen?: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved by John Mullan
Book Description (from Amazon):
Which important Austen characters never speak? Is there any sex in Austen? What do the characters call one another, and why? What are the right and wrong ways to propose marriage? In What Matters in Jane Austen?, John Mullan shows that we can best appreciate Austen’s brilliance by looking at the intriguing quirks and intricacies of her fiction. Asking and answering some very specific questions about what goes on in her novels, he reveals the inner workings of their greatness. …
Written with flair and based on a lifetime’s study, What Matters in Jane Austen? will allow readers to appreciate Jane Austen’s work in greater depth than ever before.
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My Review
4 of 5 stars
- Goodreads Bookshelves: books-read-in-2014, nonfiction-regency-era, nonfiction-biography, non-fiction-literary-criticism
Read from January 06 to 15, 2014
I haven’t quite finished this one yet, but it’s going to be one of those books I can pick up, read a chapter, be satisfied, and then come back to it weeks or months later without losing anything.
Each chapter focuses on a topic present in Austen’s writing—sisters, mourning, weather, etc.—and then presents examples both from her fiction and from her letters, drawing conclusions and inferences on how and why these topics were important.
As a work of literary criticism, it’s subtle. It really is an exploration to derive and infer what was important in the life of Austen herself by looking at twenty narrowly focused ideas/themes in Austen’s writing, rather than philosophizing on the stories, the characters, etc. It’s a good look at the psychology and sociology of the society in which Austen and her characters find themselves in early 19th Century rural/suburban England.
As I look to get back to writing something set in this era, it will be a great resource for me to both refresh my memory of and teach me about the unique aspects of the late-Georgian/Regency era.
Table of contents from the book:
- How Much Does Age Matter?
- Do Sisters Sleep Together
- What Do the Characters Call Each Other?
- How Do Jane Austen’s Characters Look?
- Who Dies in the Course of Her Novels?
- Why Is It Risky to Go to the Seaside?
- Why Is the Weather Important?
- Do We Ever See the Lower Classes?
- Which Important Characters Never Speak in the Novels?
- What Games Do Characters Play?
- Is There Any Sex in Jane Austen?
- What Do Characters Say When the Heroine Is Not There?
- How Much Money Is Enough?
- Why Do Her Plots Rely on Blunders?
- What Do Characters Read?
- Are Ill People Really to Blame for Their Illnesses?
- What Makes Characters Blush?
- What Are the Right and Wrong Ways to Propose Marriage?
- When Does Jane Austen Speak Directly to the Reader?
- How Experimental a Novelist Is Jane Austen?
And by reading this, it prompted me to go back and binge-watch all 100 webisodes of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries last weekend. If you’ve never watched it, you should, even if you don’t consider yourself a Jane Austen or Pride and Prejudice fan.
Books Read in 2014: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
Divergent by Veronica Roth; audiobook read by Emma Galvin
bookshelves: audiobook, books-read-in-2014, young-adult
Read from January 01 to 13, 2014
Story: 3 stars
Narrator: 3.5 stars
This book starts with a bang but, unfortunately, ends with a whimper. At first, I was captivated by this newish image of a future dystopia where castes are determined not by social standing but by personality type. Tris’s journey from Abnegation (the ruling Amish-lite caste) into Dauntless (the daredevil/militaristic caste) was fascinating at first as she learned about life outside of the small world in which she’d been raised. The idea of a drug that could be injected and create hallucinations (simulations) that another person could observe—and that a computer could record—had the potential for great plot development.
And then . . . training started. And it went on and on and on and on ad nauseam until I got to the point about 2/3 of the way in that I wondered aloud if any of what had happened so far was going anywhere, or if the whole series would be one contrived “action” scene after another.
This book didn’t work for me as an action/adventure/suspense story the way The Hunger Games did, because the whole book was focused on the training exercises that got very repetitive very fast. And then there are Tris’s Mary-Sue like tendencies. She’s special. She’s better than everyone else. But of course that means that the baddies must be out to get her. There were also aspects to her personality that emerge after she’s in Dauntless that I didn’t like: the thrill seeking, the self-centeredness, the way she lays blame on everyone else when her relationships get strained because of her own actions but she never reflects on how she might need to change or what she needs to do, beyond “pretending to be vulnerable” to fix those relationships. Up until the very end, after the initiation ceremony, everything that happens to her is contrived not to move a plot forward but merely to create conflict between Tris and the other initiates. And that got very old and annoying.
This book also did not work for me as a romance. There was no relationship building that happened between Tris and Four. Sure, he was described as enigmatic and hawt, but he has almost nothing redeeming to his characterization, especially with the way he treats her occasionally (bordering on abusive) and very little, if any, actual personality. The sexy-time scenes were awkward—but not in the way they were meant to be. There’s no intellectual connection between them to lead me to believe there is long-term potential. It comes across as a very self-centered teen crush that will fizzle and die quickly.
I’m still looking forward to seeing the movie; and if it is better than the book, which it very well could be, I’ll watch the sequels. But I’m not going to read the other two books. I’m just not that interested or invested in this world or the characters that inhabit it.
What should I blog about?
Y’all, I’m at a loss.
I have no idea what I should be blogging about now that I’m not actively writing fiction. Not that I’ve stopped—I’m just taking a break from it for a while.
But because I’m not writing right now, there aren’t really any topics coming readily to mind begging to be blogged about.
So since I want to provide content that you want (within reason), I’m throwing this out to you:
What should I blog about?
Fun Friday: Movies I Want to See in 2014
What can I say? I’m a movie girl! Here are the movies I want to see in 2014, which kicks off with Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, which the girls and I will be going to see on MLK Day next weekend.
Unless otherwise indicated, movie blurbs are from IMDb.com.
2014 Movies I Want to See
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (1/17/14) — Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. Starring Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner, and Kenneth Branagh.
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Ride Along (1/17/14) — Fast-talking security guard Ben (Kevin Hart) joins his cop brother-in-law James (Ice Cube) on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta in order to prove himself worthy of marrying Angela, James’ sister.
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I, Frankenstein (1/24/14) — Frankenstein’s creature (Aaron Eckhart) finds himself caught in an all-out, centuries old war between two immortal clans. Also starring Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck), and Miranda Otto (Lord of the Rings).
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The Monuments Men (2/7/14) — An unlikely World War II platoon are tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. Starring Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bill Murray, and John Goodman.
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Winter’s Tale (2/14/14) — A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her. Starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), and Russell Crowe. Featuring Matt Bomer (White Collar), Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt, Lucy Griffiths (Robin Hood), and Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves).
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RoboCop (2/14/14) — In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman)—a loving husband, father and good cop—is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jennifer Ehle, and Samuel L. Jackson.
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Pompeii (2/21/14) — A slave turned gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him. Starring Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost), Kiefer Sutherland, and featuring Sasha Roiz (Grimm).
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The Grand Budapest Hotel (3/7/14) — The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Wilkinson, Harvey Keitel, and F. Murray Abraham. (Whew! And those are just the top billed actors.)
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Grace of Monaco (3/14/14) — The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly’s crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainier III and France’s Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.
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Divergent (3/21/14) — Beatrice Prior, a teenager with a special mind, finds her life threatened when an authoritarian leader seeks to exterminate her kind in her effort to seize control of their divided society. Starring Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Theo James (Downton Abbey), and Kate Winslet.
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Noah (3/28/14) — The Biblical Noah suffers visions of an apocalyptic deluge and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood. Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins.
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Captain America: The Winter Soldier (4/4/14) — Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier. Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smulders, Dominic Cooper, Emily VanCamp, Robert Redford, Hayley Atwell, and Sebastian Stan.
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Belle (5/2/14)
Godzilla (5/16/14) — An illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle. Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Reid, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton and Tom Felton.
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X-Men: Days of Future Past (5/23/14) — The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants. Starring Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, and Halle Berry.
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Maleficent (5/30/14) — The “Sleeping Beauty” tale is told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent and looks at the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora. Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Imelda Staunton, and Sharlto Copley.
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How to Train Your Dragon 2 (6/13/14) — It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons. (From the official website.)
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Hercules (7/25/14) — Having enduring his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord. Starring Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, and Rufus Sewell.
Guardians of the Galaxy (8/1/14) — In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill finds himself the object of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan. Starring Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper (voice), Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel (voice), Karen Gillan, and Benicio Del Toro.
The Hundred-Foot Journey (8/8/14) — When an Indian family moves to southern France and opens an Indian restaurant 100 feet across the street from a Michelin-starred French restaurant, a culinary battle ensues between the two that ultimately tests the power of family, loyalty and love. (Blurb from The Hollywood Reporter.) Starring Helen Mirren. Produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.
Into the Storm (8/8/14) — A group of high school students document the events and aftermath of a devastating tornado. Starring Richard Armitage.
Dracula Untold (10/3/14) — Explores the origin of Dracula, weaving vampire mythology with the true history of Prince Vlad the Impaler. It seeks to depict Dracula as a flawed hero in a tragic love story set in a dark age of magic and war. (from MovieWeb.com). Starring Luke Evans and Dominic Cooper.
Mockingjay: Part 1 (11/21/14) — Katniss Everdeen reluctantly becomes the symbol of a mass rebellion against the autocratic Capitol. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and introducing Natalie Dormer, Julianne Moore, and John Cusack (rumored).
Exodus (12/12/14) — A film by Ridley Scott that explores Moses’s role in leading the Israelite slaves out of Egypt. Starring Christian Bale (as Moses), Aaron Paul (as Joshua), Joel Edgerton (as Rhamses), Indira Varma (as Miriam), and Ben Kingsley (as ??).
Paddington (12/12/14) — Follows the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British, who travels to London in search of a home. Starring Colin Firth as Paddington (voice), Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, and Jim Broadbent.
The Hobbit: There and Back Again (12/17/14) — The Company of Thorin has reached Smaug’s lair; but, can Bilbo and the Dwarves reclaim Erebor and the treasure? And, if so, can they hold on to it? Starring . . . pretty much everyone.
Into the Woods (12/25/14) — A witch conspires to teach important lessons to various characters of popular children’s stories including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. Starring Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Tracey Ullman, and Meryl Streep as the Witch.
Release date TBD:
Pinocchio (Tim Burton/Robert Downey Jr.)
Are there any of these you’re especially looking forward to? Anything not on my list that’s on yours?
2013 Movies in Review
If you know me at all, you know I love movies (and TV, but movies are easier to do an annual retrospective of). So here is my look back at the movies of 2013 that struck my radar in some manner.
2013 Movies I Saw at the Cinema
The date that follows the title is the movie’s published release date, not necessarily the date on which I saw it. I think I’ve listed everything, but my friends can (and will) correct me in the comments if I missed any movies.
- Warm Bodies (2/1/14) – best ZomRomCom I’ve ever seen! 😉 4/5 stars
- Jack the Giant Slayer (3/1/13) – a cute fairy tale in a live-action movie. 3/5 stars
- Admission (3/22/13) – one of the best RomComs I’ve seen in a long time. 4/5 stars
- Iron Man 3 (5/3/13) – the only one of the trilogy I saw in the theater, and my favorite by far. 4.5/5 stars
- Star Trek Into Darkness (5/17/13) – Not quite as good as ST2009—not as many scenes with Karl. 4/5 stars
- Man of Steel (6/14/13) – And thus ended my infatuation with Henry Cavill. The movie was redeemed, for me, from being an absolute bomb by Kevin Costner as Clark Kent’s father. 2/5 stars
- The Lone Ranger (7/5/13) – Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer make good cheese together. 3.75/5 stars
- Red 2 (Advanced screening prior to 7/19/13 release) – FABULOUS. The only thing keeping me from saying it was better than the first movie was the absence of Karl Urban. 4.5/5 stars
- R.I.P.D. (7/19/13) – I think this one will fare better on DVD/TV/Netflix. It was cute, but not necessarily worth the price of admission. 3/5 stars
- Lee Daniels’ The Butler (8/16/13) – Excellent movie. Forest Whittaker should be up for an Oscar for this. 4/5 stars
- Austenland (8/16/13) – I read the book a few months after it came out, but while cute, it didn’t stick with me too much. The movie was wonderful—so much funnier than I expected. My favorite comedy of the year (because the romance aspect of it didn’t do much for me). 4/5 stars
- Thor: The Dark World (11/8/13) – What can I say? It’s my Boyfriend #1 (Chris Hemsworth) as a demigod. Still . . . too much Natalie Portman and not enough Jamie Alexander for me to give it a higher rating. 4/5 stars
- Catching Fire (11/22/13) – I couldn’t believe it, but the second movie was better than the first (which is exactly opposite how I felt about the books). My favorite movie-seen-in-the-theater of the year. 5/5 stars
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (12/13/13) – The pacing in this second installment was much better than in the first, so it didn’t seem to drag on and on and on like that one did. 4/5 stars
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Released in 2013, but watched on disc at home:
- Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton) — Fun in the way the TV show Supernatural is fun—but nothing new or groundbreaking beyond that. And JRenn was cute (which was really the main draw for this title). 3/5 stars
- Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon and the Whedonites) — This is my FAVORITE Shakespeare play, and I have two other versions of it on DVD at home already (a very old early ’80s BBC version—you know, the kind that looks staged even though it was a movie—and what was, until now, the penultimate Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson version). I loved Joss & Co.’s take on the Bard’s best dark romantic comedy even better than the Branagh/Thompson version. It’s amazing not only how well the story/Shakespearean dialogue translates to the modern setting, but how natural it sounded coming from these actors, all favorites of Joss Whedon for this very reason—they are as at home slaying vampires, being space cowboys, and being super spies for SHIELD as they are delivering lines in Elizabethan English. While Catching Fire is my favorite 2013 movie I saw at the cinema, Much Ado About Nothing is going down as my favorite 2013 movie of all.
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Released in 2013, haven’t seen yet, but want to:
- Emperor (Matthew Fox, Tommy Lee Jones – WWII era story)
- Olympus Has Fallen (Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman)
- Into the White (Rupert Grint, Florian Lukas – another WWII story)
- The Heat (Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock)
- Despicable Me 2 (but I need to rewatch #1 first)
- Pacific Rim (Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam)
- The Hot Flashes (Brook Shields, Wanda Sykes, Daryl Hannah, Camryn Manheim)
- In a World… (Lake Bell, Jeff Garlin)
- The World’s End (Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike)
- Riddick (only because Karl Urban reprised his role as Vaako, which is the only reason I’ve seen the first one)
- Diana (Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews)
- Gravity (Sandra Bullock, George Clooney)
- Last Vegas (Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline)
- About Time (Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy)
- The Book Thief (Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emma Watson)
- Philomena (Judi Dench, Steve Coogan)
- Frozen
- Saving Mr. Banks (Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks)
- The Invisible Woman (Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander – a biopic about Charles Dickens)
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Was 2013 a good movie year for you? What was your favorite 2013 movie that you watched?
What Are You Reading–and What Are You Looking Forward to Reading in 2014?
Open Book by Dave Dugdale
We’ve looked back at 2013, so now it’s time to look at (and forward to) 2014 and what we’re currently reading, planning on reading, and looking forward to reading.
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- What are you currently reading and/or listening to?
- What’s the next book on your To Be Read stack/list?
- What are some books coming out in 2014 that you’re looking forward to reading? Or what books that are already out do you want to finally get around to reading this year?
2013 – Reading in Review
Yesterday, I posted my ranked list of the audiobooks I listened to in 2013. Today, it’s time to look at the books I read. And when I say “books,” I mean ebooks. Yes, as of 2013, I’m fully an ebook convert. Everything on this list is something I read on my Kindle. I tried several new authors this year, some of whom became (obvious) favorites, while others didn’t impress me as I’d hoped. I also tried (both in listening and reading) to expand out into genres other than romance. I did a better job of it with the audiobooks than with these, but I did try.
As I did with yesterday’s list, these are ranked in order of my rating, the titles link to my review on Goodreads, and anything marked with an asterisk was a re-read.
Books Read in 2013
- A Cast of Stones (The Staff and the Sword, #1) by Patrick W. Carr. Rating: 4.5
- Marrying the Royal Marine (Channel Fleet, #2) by Carla Kelly. Rating: 4.5
- Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4) by Julia Quinn. Rating: 4.5
- The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1) by Courtney Milan. Rating: 4.5
- The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons, #2) by Julia Quinn. Rating: 4.25
- An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3) by Julia Quinn. Rating: 4
- Catching Fire* (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins. Rating: 4
- The Governess Affair (Brothers Sinister, #0.5) by Courtney Milan. Rating: 4
- To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgertons, #5) by Julia Quinn. Rating: 4
- A Kiss For Midwinter (Brothers Sinister, #1.5) by Courtney Milan. Rating: 3.75
- Marrying the Captain (Channel Fleet, #1) by Carla Kelly. Rating: 3.75
- His Enemy’s Daughter by Terri Brisbin. Rating: 3.5
- Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. Rating: 3.5
- The Surgeon’s Lady (Channel Fleet, #2) by Carla Kelly. Rating: 3.5
- Gentleman of Her Dreams (Ladies of Distinction, #0.5) by Jen Turano. Rating: 3
- Lord Greville’s Captive by Nicola Cornick. Rating: 3
- Angelfall by Susan Ee. Rating: 2.75
- Her Warrior King by Michelle Willingham. Rating: 2 (DNF)
- The Winter Queen by Amanda McCabe. Rating: 1 (DNF)
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So, I actually listened more than I read in 2013, but overall, I read so much more in the past year than I did in each of the previous four or five years (not counting books I “read” while working as an editor—as I was editing them) with 42 titles read/listened to in 12 months. I’ve already started my first two books for 2014 (audio and reading) and I have a few things floating up to the top of my TBR list . . . but we’ll get into that tomorrow.
How many books did you read in 2013? Did you read in hardcopy, ebook, or a combination of the two?
2013 – Audiobooks in Review
I know it’s the first Monday of the month, and you probably came here expecting the regular “What Are You Reading” post. But, since it’s the first Monday of the year, we’re going to use today as our retrospective to discuss what we read in the twelve months that comprised 2013. If you commented on the First Monday posts last year, just click here to go back and look at what you posted.
I’m going to break mine down into categories instead of doing it chronologically (for that, you can visit me on Goodreads and look at my Books Read in 2013 list). And since my list is pretty long, I’m going to break it into two posts, today and tomorrow.
Audiobooks
If it weren’t for audiobooks, there would have been a few months of 2013 in which I didn’t do any reading. Here are the audiobooks I listened to in 2013, ranked by my rating. Each title is linked to my Goodreads review page. Those marked with an asterisk were re-reads.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; read by Jim Dale. Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
- The Boleyn Inheritance* by Philippa Gregory; read by Davina Porter, Bianca Amato, and Charlotte Parry. Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
- The Tudor Secret* by C.W. Gortner; read by Steve West. Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Under The Dome by Stephen King; read by Raul Esparza. Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale; read by Nicholas Boulton. Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir; read by Stina Nielsen, Davina Porter, Bianca Amato, Jenny Sterlin, Jill Tanner, Gerard Doyle, & Robert Ian Mackenzie. Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Sycamore Row by John Grisham; read by Michael Beck. Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
- The Dead Travel Fast* by Deanna Raybourn; read by Charlotte Parry. Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
- The Tudor Conspiracy by C.W. Gortner; read by Steve West. Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane, #3) by Elizabeth Hoyt; read by Ashford McNabb. Overall Rating: 4.125 Stars
- Thief of Shadows (Maiden Lane, #4) by Elizabeth Hoyt; read by Ashford McNabb. Overall Rating: 4.125 Stars
- Seduction & Scandal* (The Brethren Guardians, #1) by Charlotte Featherstone; read by Helen Stern. Overall Rating: 4 Stars
- The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #7) by Arthur Conan Doyle; read by Alan Cumming. Overall Rating: 4 Stars
- The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir; read by Simon Prebble. Overall Rating: 4 Stars
- Duke of Midnight (Maiden Lane series, Book 6) by Elizabeth Hoyt; read by Claudia Harris. Overall Rating: 3.75 Stars
- Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #1) by Rhys Bowen; read by Katherine Kellgren. Overall Rating: 3.75 Stars
- The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory; read by Bianca Amato. Overall Rating: 3.75 Stars
- I Thee Wed by Amanda Quick; read by Barbara Rosenblat. Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
- Lord of Darkness (Maiden Lane, #5) by Elizabeth Hoyt; read by Emma Taylor. Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain; read by Kathe Mazur. Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
- The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir; read by Davina Porter. Overall Rating: 3.25 Stars
- The White Queen (The Cousins’ War, #1) by Philippa Gregory; read by Susan Lyons. Overall Rating: 2 Stars
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; read by Davina Porter. Overall Rating: 1 Star
This very robust list of audiobooks taught me a few things this year, the most important being that a narrator can make or break a book (see the reviews for Lord of Darkness and I Thee Wed) and even a great narrator can’t save a book I just don’t like (see the reviews for the last three on the list—despite good narrators, one of which did two of these three books—I couldn’t finish them).
Did you listen to audiobooks in 2013? What were your favorites? Who are your favorite/least favorite narrators?
Your Top 10 “Stuck with Me” Books
I saw this on Facebook and thought it would be a fun task for a stormy, wintery weekend.
List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes and don’t think too hard—they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.
I’ll admit, I had to think a little harder than I expected to come up with a list that satisfied me (and a couple are series and one is a short story—click the cover images for more info). But it was fun, so I hope you’ll play along!
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#10. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Click to read full story on Project Gutenberg
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#9. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
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#8. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
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#7. Practically Seventeen by Rosamund Du Jardin
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#6. Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood
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#5. The Velvet Series by Jude Deveraux
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#4. These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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#3. White Jade by Willo Davis Roberts
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#2. Victoria by Willo Davis Roberts
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#1. Persuasion by Jane Austen
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