It’s the time of year where I pretend to be a blogger and self-important and write my two annual reports. The first is my famous hall of fame ballot, which I have been doing for probably 10 years in some form or another. The second is my top read books of the year. This will be my second annual. Why so few? Well, probably because I really only became a somewhat consistent pleasure reader a few years ago.

Following my very successful top 12 of 2012, I am presenting my top 13 of 2013.

Why 13 you ask? Well again, that is exactly how many books I read this year. If unfamiliar with the format, I will again rate the book on a five-star system:

• 1 star means I hated it and likely didn’t finish.
• 2 stars means I disliked it, but suffered my way through it.
• 3 stars means I liked it but it was nothing that rocked my world.
• 4 stars means that I really enjoyed it.
• 5 stars means that I loved it.
• 6 stars are off the charts, meaning that it was “off the charts” good.

Given that Stacie reads close to 100 books a year and has a better idea than she lets on as to what I would like and what I wouldn’t, she does much of the groundwork for me and so it is rare that a book I read will be less than three stars. Between the two of us, a lot of thought goes into picking my next book, so am generally rewarded.  (I believe that Stacie had rated every book I read this year at least four stars.)

3 Stars:

Inside, by Alix Ohlin
This book earned a borderline three stars. I bought it based on the IFOA (International Festival of Authors) reading that Alix did last year for the book. I really enjoyed listening to Alix speak. In the end, I didn’t dislike the book and it was a good story, just did nothing more for me. I believe part of my problem is that I read very few books with a female protagonist. So, maybe I had trouble relating. Further, it was heavy on the psychology. The characters were extremely strong and I enjoyed the character development. It was a good book and one that I can see many reviewing higher (it received a 3.5 average Goodreads review).

Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker
This is another book I chose based on the reading done by Karen at last years IFOA event. This book examined the concept of time and it’s effect. In this story, the world is slowed, meaning that everyday becomes longer. The 24-hour day as we know it slowly turns into a 40-hour day, with long periods of darkness and sunlight. It’s an interesting look at human behavior and how we choose to adapt. The book was also written from the point of view of a pre-teen girl, another subject that I may have trouble relating to. I was expecting to enjoy the book more than I did, so for that reason, I left the rating at three.

3.5 stars:

Three-and-a-half isn’t on the legend. Well, it’s my list and I don’t have to conform to rules!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer
This was an excellent book, but unfortunately it took me till close to the end to realize that. I struggled through the beginning but it got better as I went. I think I had expectations far too high, which is putting this book lower on the list than it otherwise should. The book is about a young kid whose father is killed in the World Trade Centre attacks of 9/11. It traces the mystery that the young child tries to solve when he finds a key in his father’s closet. He goes on a quest to find the lock that the key opens. Through his quest he meets very interesting people along the way. It is a nice story that was later made into a movie with Tom Hanks. The more I write about it, the more I fondly remember the book, but I will leave it with the three stars for now. (Stacie is shaking her head as she reads this – she gave it 6 stars!)

Jackie Robinson: A Biography, by Arnold Rampersad
I read this book in anticipation of watching the movie 42, which I have still yet to see. Jackie Robinson is arguably my favourite athlete that I have never seen play. What he stood for and his story is always one that loved and wanted to know more about. When I interview students with no experience, I often ask them who in history they would want to meet and have a cup of coffee with. My answer has always been Jackie Robinson. The book did not disappoint and offered me everything I was looking for in terms of history. It was long and informative. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic. I gave it 3.5 stars (which still means I enjoyed at recommended it) as it didn’t wow me or take me to a place I didn’t expect to go. In terms of biographies however, it was an excellent book and a strong recommendation to anyone looking to learn more about this iconic sports figure.

4 Stars:

Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese
This was an excellent book and my first venture into Canadiana. It’s a story that details life as a native Canadian in western Ontario, near the Manitoba border in the 1960s. Its tough to believe that this is representative as to how native Canadians were treated in this country. The story is an excellent read about playing hockey, life in the residential schools that were created for the native people and racism. I strongly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in Canadian and specifically native history. The book is fictional but rings far too close to home for many native Canadians. I would rate this book slightly higher than the next one on this list, but am too lazy to re-jig the order.

City of Thieves, by David Benioff
This is another book that falls within the historical fiction genre. This one takes place during the siege of Leningrad in the 1940s. The concept in the story is simple. After being arrested, the two main characters are given a chance to save their lives by securing a dozen eggs for the colonel. The book takes a horrifying look at what life in Russia was like during this time. An excellent read and I strongly recommend.

4.5 Stars

A House in the Sky, by Amada Lindhout
This book was unfortunately not one of the fictional variety, but is the true story of Amanda Lindhout. It’s the story of an adventurous young woman who loved to travel the world. Except, she loved to explore some of the most dangerous, unexplored, war-torn countries in the world. From Latin America, India, Pakistan she adventured out to countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and finally Somalia, “the most dangerous place on Earth.” The story is told from Amanda’s perspective as she was kidnapped and held hostage for 460 days in Somalia. This true story is one that was difficult to read and difficult to put down.

The Maddaddam Trilogy, by Margaret Atwood (Oryx and Crake, Year of the Flood and MaddAddam)
I debated 5 stars on this one. What’s not to love about an amazingly written dystopian trilogy? As I write this, I too am surprised that I didn’t give it 5 stars as I enjoyed living through the lives of these characters and was sad when the 1,200 or so pages of books were finally finished. Margaret Atwood has a tremendous gift for writing and I couldn’t recommend these books enough. One paragraph on three books does not do this justice.

5 Stars:

 A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini
Another gem by Hosseini. The Kite Runner was amongst my all-time favourites and this one failed to disappoint. Here, I dispelled my own myth that I couldn’t enjoy a book told from the female (and in this case Afghan) perspective. The book was so good, I am almost afraid to read Hosseini’s next one as I fear the third couldn’t measure up.

Half-Blood Blues, by Esi Edugyan
This was an amazing read that I picked up after trying the first few pages a couple years ago when it first came out and won the Giller Prize. I am glad I persevered. The book is told from the perspective of a jazz musician. The book traces back and forth from present day (1992) to Nazi-occupied Europe. The story is of a black European jazz band. It’s a story of race, survival and friendship. It’s one that is difficult to describe but one that I could not put down. It is written brilliantly in a broken English style, reminiscent of the speech that would be used by the main characters.

6 Stars

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
I am fairly confident I liked this book more than most. I thought it was beautifully written and had me engaged every step of the way. It is another book that takes place in the Far East, a genre that was popular with me this year. It examines spirituality and belief – a topic I would normally not be drawn to. But this book sucked me and put it on top of the list of amazing books I read this year. I am a bit afraid to see the movie, but am waiting to watch it on a real TV (I can get it on my iPad) as I understand that Ang Lee has adapted this book beautifully on the big screen.

That’s all for another year. Hopefully, I’ve inspired many of those who enjoy reading this to pick up a book, or read one along with me this year. I did enjoy the mini-book club I started with Alice in reading the MaddAddam trilogy. This year, we are tackling the 1,000+ page Infinite Jest. So, hopefully I can get through that and then 13 more for a 2014 listing.