Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Books of 2013

Finally! Time to list my favorites of the year! Check out hundreds of other lists and link your list up over at The Broke and the Bookish today.

As is my tradition, I will list ten favorites in both the adult and YA categories. However, I can't list them in any particular order, because they are all so wonderful. Also, instead of linking to my review, I thought I'd just include a snippet of it and quote myself. Fun? I thought so. (P.S. Pay no attention to how many times I use the words intense and awesome. Okay?)

Adult Books

1. Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson: Have I mentioned the romance yet? In comparison to Edenbrooke, I thought the tension and chemistry were much more intense in this one, which I of course, liked very much.

2. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder: Though the romance that WAS there was one of the best things about this book. You know, that slow burning kind? The kind where you know the sparks are flying but both parties are in major denial? The kind where the "bad" guy is the good guy? The kind where if they don't just admit it you think you will scream? Yeah, that kind.

3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: I loved this book! If you haven't read it, do put it on your pile and do NOT be scared of the science of it, because it is very well done as far as making us "normal" people get it.

4. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini: Beautiful writing, beautiful story. I loved it. This author has me. I will read anything he writes.

5. Fiesta of Smoke by Suzan Still: Oh my word! It's so good! The writing is totally wonderful with that rich, beautiful, flowing style that makes you feel totally immersed in the story and the world and feel the passion and emotions of these fascinating characters.

6. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss: It's an awesome story with some awesome characters and a confusing plot that makes you think... in a good way!

7. The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne: In fact, the whole melding of all these elements make for a fascinating memoir of this basically ordinary guy who just happens to be an LDS weightlifting librarian with Tourette's!

8. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield: Ah... it's weird stuff. Creepy too, in a strange subtle simple way. Which basically means....I totally enjoyed it!

9. Visiting Tom by Michael Perry: It's so simple, and yet, the stories are so profound and so meaningful and so heart warming. I love it. It makes me want to write this way and tell the stories of my own grandparents. 

10. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter: There are so many moments in history touched upon here! I sometimes thought the author just put in every little passion he had about anything in this book....movie stars, WWII, Donner party, Italy, play writing, cabins in Idaho, etc. etc. It pretty much has it all!

And in the YA category:

1. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy: And that sets up situations where you are dying to turn the page and scared to turn it at the same time. The biting fingernail sort of feeling. And the anxiety, which is lovely while reading actually. And that feeling of needing to pause between chapters to catch your breath. Ah. I love it.

2. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi: Roar is one of the most awesome characters ever!  Dark, and funny, and sweet and silly, and... remember when I talked about swagger the other day? Swagger, he has it! Besides which, he and Aria have this connection that is very jealous-making for poor Perry.

3. Fragments by Dan Wells: The crazy stuff they go through, and the crazy stuff they eventually learn?! Oh my. I was dying. THEY were dying!

4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys: I found it to be quite a hard one to read. At the end of nearly every chapter I had to close the book and just breathe for bit, before I could continue on.

5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: The writing is beautiful and rich and passionate. I loved that this is one of those "use your brain" type YA books. You will not find fluff here! But you will find a fascinating, mythical story full of dynamic and interesting characters. Awesome.

6. Legend by Marie Lu: It's awesome. It's awesome because the action is intense, the relationship is intense, the story is intense and the characters are unique and wonderful. And the writing is a blast too. 

7. Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta: These books are full of rich wonderful fantasy plots and characters! They are complicated and wonderful. They are intense and beautiful. They are harsh and graphic and violent.

8. Transparent by Natalie Whipple:  I loved it! I loved the mix of normalcy with strangeness. I loved the characters  There's an awesome family of crazy boys that will have you laughing a ton.

9. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein: Just like Code Name Verity, this book is written with over the top emotion and images that you won't soon forget. The characters are amazing. It's just simply a wonderful book, a terrible moment in history, but a wonderful way to portray it.

10. Pivot Point by Kasie West: Because, of course, there are many complications and there's a bad guy and stuff happens, really bad stuff, and there are two guys, of course, so it's kind of like a love triangle, but NOT, and you start cheering for a certain choice, but you just can't be sure if it's really the best one even yet, and... yeah... it gets a bit intense!

Do we share any books as our favorites this year? I look forward to seeing what your favorites are!