This is a list of my favourite books that I read this year (2013). Not necessarily books that have been published in 2013, and not in any particular order. That would have needed too much thought and decision-making. It was hard enough just to narrow it down to ten. Here they are:
Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens – An unlikely bond between an elderly woman with a little girl leads her back to the town she grew up in and all the memories it holds. You need lots of tissue for this one.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce – You’re never too old to do something meaningful that will change your life. Warm and fuzzy.
February by Lisa Moore – A family’s life in the aftermath of the Ocean Ranger disaster in Newfoundland, 1982. Beautiful writing.
Above All Things by Tanis Rideout – A day in the life of George Mallory’s wife as her husband and his team attempt to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest in 1924. This one gave me butterflies.
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier – A brave Quaker girl in a whole new world of America and the Underground Railroad. Quick and engaging.
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell – An intricate look at the lives of the people of Italy and the Jewish immigrants during World War II. I learned a lot from this book.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks – This story follows the life of a rare book called the Haggadah and the people involved in its survival over the centuries. Fascinating.
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer – A WWII story predominantly focusing on the Jewish people of Hungary. Unforgettable.
Annabel by Kathleen Winter – A haunting coming-of-age story that takes place in a small town in Labrador. Very moving.
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden – This book chronicles the conflict between the Huron Nation and the Iroquois in the 1600s, and so much more. I couldn’t put it down.
What are some of your favourites from this year?
Consumed by Ink 
Good list, Naomi! One or two of those titles did not seem to get the attention they deserved (A Thread of Grace, for instance). I haven’t yet read a couple of the titles on the list, so for Annabel and The Orenda I might have substituted The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell, and…hmm…The Light Between the Oceans by M L Stedman?… or The Harvest by Jim Crace? … or Mary Coin by Marisa Silver….or The Son by Philip Meyer. Need to try and remember the library titles (The Son was one)… Was it last year that I read The Light Between Oceans?… I clearly am not properly prepared for this… ;(
You should make your own list and post it as a comment! I’ll have to borrow the David Mitchell book from you. As you know, several of the books from my list were borrowed from you. 🙂
I just love year-end book lists. Thanks for sharing yours, and I definitely want to look some of those books up! Many of my favorites were not 2013 books either. In fact, I just ordered a whole bunch of 2013 books to read in 2014 😉 One of my favorites was A Fort of Nine Towers, a low-profiled memoir written by an Afghan man, a very warm coming of age story. I feel that it should have gotten more attention than it did. I also loved The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which was a blockbuster when it came out some years ago. I just got around to reading it this year and it lived up to the hype. I’ll be posting something similar soon!
I love the book lists too. Especially from people who read a lot of books. There’s an excellent chance that their favourite books are going to be good.
Funnily enough, I have never heard of the book that you say was a blockbuster, but I have heard of A Fort of Nine Towers. I read about it a while ago now, but had forgotten all about it, So thanks for reminding me! Looking forward to your list!
I haven’t read any of these! I will clearly have to get to work on them! Thanks for stopping by my blog to comment.
Happy to visit your blog! Thanks for returning the favour! If you read any of these, I hope you like them as much as I did!
I thought People of the Book was a really interesting read. I’d no idea about the situation there at all so it was a bit of an eye opener for me!
It was for me too! I love to be able to read a good story and learn something new at the same time. Thanks for ‘visiting’!
I’d say we have a similar taste in books. Not that I know all of those on your list but just reading your brief descriptions tells me so and I’ve got some on my piles. And there’s February of course. I have Geraldine Brooks scheduled for my readalong next year and almost included another one of Boyden.
I thought the same thing when I was looking at your book list. Good to know!