6/25/2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten of 2013 So Far


Top Ten Tuesday is a feature created and hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic has made me realize that I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to be able to pick a top ten for the year like I did for 2012. It was already tough for me to make this list with only 10 books and we're only just over halfway through the year. The end-of-year list will be a little torturous for me. But at least that can wait for later. For right now, here are my Top Ten Books I've read (*and reviewed*) in 2013 so far.

Note: The Archived by Victoria Schwab and Belladonna by Fiona Paul would totally be on this list, but I haven't yet reviewed them, so I'm making it easier for myself and limiting it to those I've reviewed.

Code Name Verity 
by Elizabeth Wein.
A heart-wrenchingly beautiful story about friendship set during World War II?
Read it, loved it, cried over it.






 by Cat Winters.

A gothic ghost story does not really seem like my kind of thing, but I was absolutely captivated by this one set during WWI and the Spanish Influenza.




Tarnish
by Katherine Longshore.
I love my Anne Boleyn stories but this one totally blew me away and gave me a totally new view on the girl behind all the legends.





by Dianne Salerni.
Exactly what about this one really made me love it, I'm not sure. Maybe the way the author took a love triangle and showed us how it's done. Maybe the beautifully developed character relationships. Maybe everything.





17 & Gone
by Nova Ren Suma.
Another one that is generally totally not my thing, but it seems that going out of my comfort zone is really paying off so far this year! This was eerie and mysterious and absolutely beautifully written.





by Una LaMarche.
The contemporary novel that got me interested in contemporary again. Wouldn't be fair to leave this one off the list! The friendships that tie this story together were amazing in their honesty.


Born of Illusion
by Teri Brown.
Magic (real and fake), mystery, 1920's, good-looking guys, and a compelling but painful mother-daughter relationship. Where's the bad?





by Megan Shepherd. 
Another gothic tale, this time a retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau. Definitely had the creep factor, but the emotions the characters brought out in me are what really made this book a winner.




Grave Mercy
by Robin LaFevers.
A lot of people raved about this one, so I knew I had to read it and luckily it was definitely worth it! No way could I turn down assassin nuns.








by Jennifer McGowan.
I was so lucky to be on the blog tour for this one and loved the girls and the story of Meg becoming a spy for a fabulously portrayed queen.








Let's just take a minute to note how EIGHT of my top ten so far are historical fiction in some sense. That's crazy. Clearly I love the genre. Didn't hurt that I spent a whole month reading and reviewing them for my Into the Archives April event, but still. I'm expecting to have a very hard time narrowing down my top ten of the whole year, so I'll just enjoy the minimal struggle that was this list.
What's on your "Best of 2013 So Far" list?

20 comments:

  1. In the Shadow of Blackbirds is on my list too! I need to get my hands on all of the other HF books that you liked as well! This is such an awesome list!
    My TTT

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    1. Absolutely loved that one! And yeah, lots of great hist fic to choose from here :)

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  2. I still need to read 17&Gone, Born of Illusion and 5 Summers. All 3 are on my Kindle! My TBR is out of control. Good to know they are all worth reading. Great list!
    Natflix&Books' TTT

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    1. They are definitely worth the read. I loved them all!

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  3. Born of Illusion is on my TBR list. It sounds so good, and that cover is to die for!

    TTT @ Krista's Dust Jacket

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    1. The cover was definitely what drew me to it in the first place. I'm just glad the insides matched! :)

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  4. A bunch of these are on my TBR and I can't wait to read them, especially 17 & Gone. Great list! My TTT.

    Vyki @ On The Shelf

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    1. 17 & Gone was fantastic for making you question what was going on and what you thought you knew. Definitely a great read!

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  5. I recently started Grave Mercy but was so bored I had to put it down. The Madman's Daughter just about made my list too but I chose something else. But it's definitely up there for me. And I can't wait to read Born Of Illusion- that cover is just so amazing and the whole story sounds awesome.

    My Top Ten

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    Replies
    1. There are so many books to love that it's hard to only pick ten! I recommend Born of Illusion for sure, though.

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  6. Grave Mercy and Code Name Verity are two of my all time favorites! So glad they made your list.

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    1. Awesome! I'm glad you love them too :)

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  7. EEEEE!!! LOVE THIS LIST <3 There are so many books here which I wish I could've read-- Code Name Verity, 17 & Gone, Five Summers, The Madman's Daughter, Grave Mercy.... Everyone's been singing praises for them :) I was lucky to join in the Maid of Secrets tour as well, and I thought that book was pretty fast-paced and exciting!!

    Alicia @ Summer Next Top Story

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    1. Haha thank you! I'd definitely bump all of those up on your to-read pile because they were fantastic! And I agree that Maid of Secrets was exciting. I'm looking forward to the next one :)

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  8. I JUST finished Born of Illusion this morning and want to add it as a last minute addition to my list! I LOVED IT.... Oh my goodness. Tarnish looks AMAZING. I loved Gilt and am so excited to get my hands on the next one! And In The Shadow of Blackbirds is on the top of my TBR at the moment... I can't wait! Thanks for stopping by!

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    1. Yes! All three of those get so much love from me, and for good reason. I personally thought Tarnish was even better than Gilt, and that's from someone who really enjoyed Gilt. All awesome books :)

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  9. Hi Jessica,
    Don't remember how much kleenex I've used while reading Code Name Verity...A beautiful story!
    Lucie
    http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr/

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    1. I feel the same way, it was such an emotional read!

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  10. Gah!! Code Name Verity!!! I SOOO still need to read this! I must make it one of my next reads, for sure.. I loved Gilt, so excited to get to Tarnish! Also really enjoyed Born of Illusion as well. Great list!

    Thanks for stopping by my TTT last week!

    Michele | TTT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Code Name Verity and Tarnish should definitely be way up on your list! They were both so fantastic. I loved Tarnish even more than Gilt, so hopefully you love it too! :)

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