Discovered in 2013

As this year comes to a close I wanted to reflect on the books that I was fortunate to come across this year - many were recommended to me and others were stumbled upon (okay FREE Kindle Books) but hey, at least I was reading right? Many people think they won't or don't enjoy reading and I always say maybe it's because you haven't found the type of book you enjoy. So I encourage everyone to read ANYTHING: Newspapers, Magazines, Children's Books, Internet Articles, and for the really bored or inquiring minds. . . .cereal boxes! (While you the eat cereal you can read the back of the box and the nutrition label - don't laugh, I know you've done it too!)

As I mentioned, many of the books I read are recommendations but I try to look to other sources to find new and interesting books that I may not have chosen for myself. (Hawaii only has one bookstore left on the island of Oahu - I sooo miss the "browsing" thru the store. . .touching the books, the smell of the new books and maybe the cafe nearby). I even read the books from my daughter's english class reading list. I am trying to make it a point to read books from the banned book list  http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/  This site has many different categories to choose from so I'm sure everyone can find a good book there. And YES, I am promoting reading from this list!!! OBVIOUSLY, I don't agree with banning books. . . . I mean if you don't like a book or a subject matter then JUST DON'T READ IT! Why should everyone suffer from one person's or groups particular prejudice on a subject? Isn't this America? Isn't is our CHOICE destiny as a human to learn all that we can? Can't we make up our own minds?

I take after my father on this subject - tell me NOT to read a book and I will probably read it just out of  spite. When I was younger my father read an article about how Clan of The Cave Bear was on the Banned Book List and I asked why. . . he read the reason stated in the article and I said "Well that's stupid!" wasn't too long after that I read the book and now LOVE the Earth Children's Series by Jean Auel (don't get me started on the last book). So I'm guessing that was my humble beginning to becoming a "Book Rebel". On this note: I currently haven't read 50 Shades of Grey . . .Yet. . .Why Not? I don't know. I did think because it is so popular I wanted to boycott the "popularity" of it but then again I've read other books because of this very reason. (BTW: I read the Twilight Series long before it became wildly popular!) Is it because I'm being prudish? I sure hope not! But maybe it's because I fear I will really get into it! Will I become absorbed in the ambiance of Erotic Romance? (is this what's it's called now-a-days?) Not to say that I will never read it. . .maybe I'm just NOT in an erotic romance kinda mood. If you have read this book please share your thoughts on it. I would really LOVE to hear them.

As you will be able to tell, my choices are "All Over the Place! Sometimes it's my mood that decides the type of book I'll read and sometimes I'll pick a good one and just know I'm gonna LOVE IT from the first paragraph. After a really heavy story (The Secret History or Anne Rice Novels) I tend to want something light and funny (think Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Plum novels or Sophie Kinsell, Confessions of a Shopaholic) but overall I'm open to anything - except traditional Love Stories - see first blog. One word of advice: don't read more than one "murder mystery" at a time - I was trying to read two at once and kept mixing up the detectives and the killers from the stories. I know I know - you're saying WHAT? You read more than one book at a time? Yes, I do! if I forget the one I'm currently reading I'll start another at work or wherever I may happen to be and sometimes I do it just to find the one I really like and sometimes I'll have an actual book in hand and then I will start reading from my Kindle too. (My book loyalties have no boundaries).

Here's my list (in order):

Genesis - Mark Taylor Prequel

The Family Fang

The Fault in Our Stars

The Secret

The Devil's Deep

Cruel Justice

The Secret History

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

Forever Black

The Lion, The Lamb, The Hunted

Double Trouble

The 24th Letter
Let Us Prey

Through Smoke

Inferno

Muder Deja Vu

Reliquary

Silken Prey

Below

The Phantom Tollbooth

Gathering Blue

Notorious Nineteen

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

The Mole People

The Reluctant Bachelorette

Where the Red Fern Grows

Harold and The Purple Crayon

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Caps For Sale

Madeline

The Story of Ferdinand

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Stone Soup

Corduroy

The Cat In the Hat

The Hundred Dresses

Urashimo Taro

The Giving Tree

Strega Nona

Make Way for Ducklings
Thirteen Reasons Why

And Tango Makes Three

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me

The Giver

Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Next Accident
Alone**
Bossypants**
Love Him or Leave Him (But Don't Get Stuck with the Tab)**
If You Take A Mouse To The Movies**
Noel**
Harold and the North Pole**
How Santa Lost His Job**
Christmas Mice**
Max's Christmas**
Newfangled Fairy Tales - Little Bad Wolfe and Red Riding Hood**

So don't be afraid to pick-up a book, magazine or your favorite cereal box and JUST READ! Please feel free to share your book list too as I'm always looking for a new good book and I promise I'll add it to my list, but just know it may take awhile for me to get to it. I have to read the books in the order received - oops, did I just reveal my OCD? 

*OMG, I just counted the books and I'm two short. . . gotta go now . . . . gotta read two more books!*

**completed after I wrote this blog but before the end of the year