Last Minute, Last Few Books of 2013!

Hey there!

Anyone still out there? So, silly optimistic me way underrated how much of my life would be sucked away by this adorable little sweetheart:

 (yes, she does have awesome hair - and it really does stick straight up like that; I don't style it that way! :D)

Blogging has stopped being a priority and while I don't feel guilty (I'm loving every second with my beautiful girl) I do miss it and want to keep touching bases occasionally because I'm sure someday I'll want to come back full-time.

Anyway, give or take a couple books (I lose count, especially when I just grab a book to reread off my shelves) I've read 31 books since I last blogged. There's NO WAY I'm going to be able to catch up! So, instead I'll give you a few favorites:

(Clicking on the image will take you to its goodreads page) 

I read Speaking From Among the Bones (the fifth book in the Flavia de Luce series) and thought no mystery could ever be better. I LOVED it! Then I heard The Dead in their Vaulted Arches (not released until January 14th) was on Netgalley. I requested it and checked my email constantly until I was approved! Hooray! And it was the best Flavia de Luce mystery yet. Harriet! Buckshaw! Dogger! Oh my goodness the mystery, the hilarity, the sibling rivalry!

If you haven't met Flavia de Luce yet, you really need to. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is first! Go check it out.

Did it occasionally sound like a commercial for Mattel's line of Ever After High dolls? Yeah. I've never known Shannon Hale to describe hair/clothes/accessories like that. But somehow she pulls the whole thing off with aplomb. I was sucked right into what turned out to be a very interesting story, and so beautifully set in typical Shannon Hale fashion. I loved the characters! Raven Queen turns out to have surprising depth and even Apple White is not the airheaded, spoiled little princess I first thought she might be. In general, actually, it's not the "popular" kids at Ever After High who succeed or accomplish anything interesting. It's the misfits, the not perfectly beautiful ones, the ones hiding secrets of their own. I'd call this a really great book for tween-aged girls (my own nine year-old ate it up). Plus, it's hilarious! Maddie Hatter has the uncanny ability to hear the narrator and they have several conversations which had me in stitches! Highly recommended.

Percy and Annabeth make their way across Tartarus and it couldn't be more fascinating/dangerous/terrifying. And hilarious (thanks to titan-turned-janitor Bob). The rest of the crew enjoy their share of adventures and all my favorites have fantastic moments (Leo. Oh how I love Leo.). Can't wait for number 5! Last book in the series!

 While it didn't have the amazing twist that Code Name Verity had, Rose Under Fire was incredibly moving. I liked that Rose was a poet, and I loved the way she sang through her journey (especially because so many of the songs she sang were ones I learned at Girl's Camp). Absolutely worth the read, but be prepared to be put through the wringer - this is a concentration camp book.

 I had never read The Scarlet Pimpernel before. What was I thinking waiting this long??? The intrigue! The disguises! The feeling that there was no way he was going to get out of that last situation! I loved it. It's really not that long either. If you need a good classic to read next year, I highly recommend it. Then when you're done, pair it up with.....

Oh did I love this book! Diana Peterfreund has done it again after last year's near-perfect For Darkness Shows the Stars. She nails the retelling thing and I loved watching for all my favorite scenes from The Scarlet Pimpernel. She reinterpreted it so well and I loved Lady Persis. And I must say, Justen Helo was much more interesting than Marguerite in the original story. The futuristic setting is excellently done - nicely scientific, providing some really great ethical dilemmas for the characters. It just rounded out the story and made it that much better. And BONUS! Characters from For Darkness Shows the Stars make an appearance! Anyway, I'm sold and I can't wait to see what Diana Peterfreund does next. I hope, hope, hope she does another book in this series!!!


That's all for now! I'm trying not to make empty promises here, but I'll try to get my book year-in-review up soon and hopefully another post after that with what books I'm most looking forward to reading in 2014.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!