#1 Best Read of 2013

Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary! I started this blog a year ago on December 31st. What a great decision as it should remain fairly easy to remember.

In the running:

• Angela's Ashes
• Purple Hibisbus
• Wonder
• Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven
• Under the Feet of Jesus
• Vampire Academy: Book 1
• The Help
• Perks of Being a Wallflower
• Lola and the Boy Next Door

(To read my review of the above titles, please visit my Book Rants/Reviews page.)

I was torn between The Help, Bag of Bones, and Purple Hibiscus  as all three are books I thoroughly enjoyed this year. They're also completely different genres, which makes choosing one even harder!


However, in the end the award for #1 Best Read of 2013 Award goes to . . .

Purple Hibiscus

(Read my full review here.)

Why I Loved It:

1) Felt a connection to the West African setting as my family is from The Gambia.

2) I fell in love with the protagonist, Kambili, as well as the other characters.

3) Adichie's writing is enchanting and I was irrevocably hooked from the very first line.

What was YOUR most loved read of 2013? Share in the comments!

Newly Added to TBR Shelf

I had planned on a Hannibal Lecter movie marathon this weekend with Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Hannibal Rising, and Red Dragon. However, I remembered that I had Thomas Harris' Hannibal in my To Be Read pile on the floor. We all know how I feel about reading the book first whenever possible. Alas, this plan is to postponed until I read the novel. Speaking of To Be Read, here are a few gems that I've added in the last couple of months:

• Some Stephen King in the form of Salem's Lot, Joyland, and Carrie. I wonder if I can muster up some steel nerves to watch the movies, Carrie and Salem's Lot.
• Elie Wiesel's Night
• Scott Westerfield's Uglies. This has been on my to be read list since high school! 
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I had tried reading this in high school and abandoned it. However, my mentor teacher from this semester absolutely adores this novel, so I felt I should give it another chance.
• Divergent Series  by Veronica Roth.
• Fault in Our Stars by John Green.