Favorite Books of 2013

Woo hoo! I just recorded and reviewed on Goodreads the last two books I read, and officially reached 85 for the year. I'd randomly set a "goal" of 60 books for the year; I clearly kicked that in the butt. I have no idea why that would be something to be proud of, but it feels like an accomplishment of some sort. I won't bore you by including my entire reading list (if you want to see it, I'd be happy to be friends with you on Goodreads), but I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a few particular favorites. They're listed in reverse order of when I read them (most recent first), and not in any sort of preferential order. 

1. The Slaves Have Names: Ancestors Of My Home by Andi Cumbo-Floyd
2. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks 
3. Chains (Seeds of America, #1) by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods by Christine Byl 
5. Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
6. Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
7. Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams 
8. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
9. Learning to Fly: An Uncommon Memoir of Human Flight, Unexpected Love, and One Amazing Dog by Steph Davis 
10. Call of the White: Taking the World to the South Pole by Felicity Aston
11. The Moon by Whale Light and Other Adventures Among Bats, Penguins, Crocodilians and Whales by Diane Ackerman
12. Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy #1) by Ken Follett
13. Dolls Behaving Badly by Cinthia Ritchie
14. The Way Winter Comes by Sherry Simpson 
15. Steller's Island: Adventures of a Pioneer Naturalist in Alaska by Dean Littlepage 

Whew. That was harder than I thought it would be. There were certainly lots of other books on my list that I enjoyed. I guess I just quickly chose those that I would recommend to you without reservation. If the book I chose is the first in a series, it's safe to assume I enjoyed the rest of the series, too. I'm going to be lazy now and not tell you any more about any of them. Each one is linked to its Goodreads page, and I wrote a review for each one. Trust me, they're good. 

Which books did you read in 2013 that you'd recommend? What's on your reading list for 2014?

I'm going to start off by finally finishing Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay. After that, who knows? I need your ideas.