All day long, I’ve done what I could only dream about doing this time last year: I’ve sat on the couch reading a good book. Last December, I yearned for some good fiction after a few months of reading a bunch of how-to and reference materials. So at the close of the year, I looked over the books in my personal library and made a list of titles I hoped to read in 2013. It was a pretty ambitious list, one that I knew I probably wouldn’t finish, but I took a good stab at it. I did read seven of the fourteen books from my list, plus an additional ten that I hadn’t planned on reading.

I have to add a quick note about one of these unplanned books: I edited a novel called Brightleaf this year, and it was published in September. The author is my friend Raleigh Rand, and although I didn’t read this book in the traditional sense of sitting down and reading it for pleasure, I enjoyed every moment of editing it and would highly recommend it. (There’s a story behind this book, but that’s for another blog.)

So when thinking about my book list for the upcoming year, I waited until after Christmas. I can always count on someone to come through with a great book or three, and I had a sneaking suspicion (mainly because he asked me right out what I wanted) that my husband would get me Veronica Roth’s Divergent. I wasn’t disappointed. I went ahead and bought the next two books – and it’s a good thing. I started reading it this morning and am already more than 140 pages in – I’ll be done before 2014.

In addition, an unexpected gift was a book of Mark Twain’s writings from my friend Georgene. I promised that I would quote it a bunch this year, so that’s on the list. Also, my aunt ordered Bess Streeter Aldrich’s The Rim of the Prairie for me, a book I’ve read before, but alas, it was borrowed. Also (and I’m bragging now), I received two books that are a writer’s best friend – hand-crafted, leather-bound blank books. My sister-in-law convinced my husband to splurge on one (thank you!), and my aunt bought the other – they know me so well. When I’m not reading, I’m usually writing, and I can’t wait to fill them.

This year’s list will be composed of three kinds of books – the ones I still have to read from the 2013 list, books that I want to re-read, and brand new ones. And, as happened this year, I am sure that other books will pop into my life and expand my literary horizons still further.

Click on the links below to read more about these books, and if you purchase one from one of my links, you’ll support my blog.

Books I read in 2013:

• Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
• Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
• Artemis Fowl The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
• Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health by William Davis, M.D.
• The Coconut Oil Miracle, 5th Edition by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D.
• Voyager (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon
• Drums of Autumn (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon
• The Fiery Cross (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon
• A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon
• The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel (The Dark Tower) by Stephen King
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
• A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation by Noah Lukeman
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• Brightleaf by Raleigh Rand
• Divergent (Divergent Series) (still reading!) by Veronica Roth
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

My 2014 Book List:

• The Rim of the Prairie (Bison Book) by Bess Streeter Aldrich
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
• An Echo in the Bone: A Novel (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon
• 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King
• Lisey’s Story: A Novel by Stephen King
• Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy Series Set: (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) (The Girl Who Played with Fire) (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest) (Millennium Trilogy) by Stieg Larsson
• The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer
• Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini
• Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini
• Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini
• Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini
• The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) by Rick Riordan
• The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus, Book 2) by Rick Riordan
• The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus, Book 3) by Rick Riordan
• The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus, Book 4) by Rick Riordan
• Insurgent (Divergent, Book 2) (Divergent Series) by Veronica Roth
• Allegiant (Divergent Series) by Veronica Roth
• The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
• Mark My Words: Mark Twain on Writing by Mark Twain

Do I really think I’ll finish all these books? Not a chance. (I still do have to feed my kids and clean the house, after all.) But it will be fun trying. What books do you plan to tackle in the new year? Happy reading!

Related articles

• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Book 1) – Book Review (hpssmartlibrary.wordpress.com)
• 30 Day Challenge: Day 2 (firstdraftofanything.wordpress.com)
• End of Year Book Survey (nadiareads1.wordpress.com)