My Favorite Books of 2013

The year 2013 has turned out to be a year of confusion.  I read alot of great books during the year and many of them came to me in a very roundabout way.  Usually I browse the bookstore looking for new titles.  Of course I keep up with the bestseller lists in the New York Times, USA Today because I love lists. I looked at the top 100 books of 2013 on Amazon and surprisingly I hadn't heard of most of them and had actually read only about 5.  Lists can make me feel out of touch but I'm hoping my list will put some new life into your own reading choices.

The Best Book by those of the Same Title:    Life After Life by Jill McCorkle
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson was released to much acclaim on the same day as the novel of the same title by McCorkle.  I read them both because of the intrigue.  You will find the title by Atkinson on many of the best book lists, but I didn't like it at all. Neither did my sisters. Repeating  Ursula's life over and over, tired me.  Life After Life by Jill McCorkle portrayed brilliantly what it feels like to be young and grow old. 

The Funniest Book:  The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window by Jonas Jonasson
The title says it all.  The 100 year old man climbed out the window of the old folks home and found the adventure of his life.  As I said before, its a cross between Forest Gump and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Laugh out loud, funny.

The Book with the Most Publicity that Should be Skipped:  The Cukoo's Calling  by Robert Galbraith
Or was it really written by J.K Rowling?  It doesn't matter who wrote it.  Dull.  Skip it.

The Best Self Help Book that Wasn't:  The Book of Why by Nicholas Montemarano
With a title like that, it's easy to understand why I thought this was a self help book.  It's a novel full of help understanding the mysteries of life.  I adored it.

The Best Books for Women:  I couldn't decide between The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison and The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit
The Husband's Secret is on all the best books list as it should be.  Loved it.   I couldn't remember the title at first so The Silent Wife came up instead on my search.  This novel shows up on very few lists and it needs to be on more.  A great read! The Wives of Los Alamos will be released after the first of the year.  Pre order it!  You will not be disappointed and you will learn a few things about the history of WWII.

In 2013, I read many more fascinating books, some good, some bad, and the rest only OK.  They couldn't all make the list. A few made other well known lists but couldn't make my cut.  My resolution for the New Year is to read only good books.  Let's see how that works for me!  Happy New Year.  Happy Reading!

The Book of Why by Nicholas Montemarano

The Book of Why by Nicholas Montemarano

I recently decided it was time to read The Book of Why again.  A variety of changes in my life recently must have bee the trigger.  I retired, some health scares, a new puppy who I love but is driving me crazy just to name a few things.  I loved the story even more the second time around.  So I'm posting my review once again.

I got The Book of Why as an advanced reading copy.  When I started reading it I honestly thought it was a self help book.  It wasn't until I went to Amazon to see what other reviewers thought did I realize it was a novel.  Sounds stupid, doesn't it?  Let me explain.

The Book of Why is the story of Eric Newborn, an author of self help books.  The story starts out when a stranger comes to town, looking for him, a man who no longer wants to be found.  Living in an area without street signs aids in his deception.  When he takes the stranger, Sam, a woman, out to search for the famous author, the car slides wildly out of control on the snowy, icy roads.

The book he has written is titled There Are No Accidents.  The accident sets the stage for Eric to return to a life of helping others.   A life he has given up on.  He calls himself the man he doesn't recognize.  Yet so many people continue to reach out to tell him how much his book has helped them.  Yet he struggles to find the same comfort in his own life.

I found so many thought provoking moments in this book.  And one struck me deeply.  He and his wife are deeply in love.  She is dying.  He decides he will never leave her side, always touching her warm, soft skin.  And then the dog needs to be walked, meals to be cooked, bills to be paid.  It's the same thing that happens to all of us.  Life.  

Maybe it was the way the story was written, or the perfect combination of words, in a precise order that were meant for me at that one special moment. Or maybe the stars and planets were aligned. Instead of a book full of bullet points and daily exercises, something deep and meaningful occurred. Everything happens for a reason. There are no accidents.

The Book of Why is written softly, gently, mirroring every person's life.  Ordinary things, in an ordinary day that keep us from our full potential. But they also are the lessons that send us soaring to new heights.