Tracey's Top Books of 2013 - Books 10, 9 and 8

I am a reader. 

I love books. Books are, in my opinion, the best drug. They help me escape, take me to new lands, teach me about human nature. I could not live without books. I read every night before going to sleep, and if for some reason I cannot read for a day or two, I start to get twitchy and grumpy. And let me clarify, I read every day for work and school, but the reading I am talking about here is reading for nothing more than pleasure and enjoyment. Fun reading. For me, that means reading novels, short stories or poems, books about powerful women, and the occasional biography or nonfiction. 

About a year ago, during my first "finals" week of being a full-time graduate student, I woke up early in the morning, in my bed, surrounded by stats books, my computer, my iPad, and notebooks filled to the brim. At that moment, I realized I had a problem. Grad school reading could easily take over my life, and I need a sacred place to get my fun reading in. At that moment, I made a deal with myself: when it is time for bed, no work or school related books can be in the bedroom, only fun books are allowed. I can work in my room during the day, but I have to put the books back in my office or backpack before bed. This has worked out marvelously and greatly reduced my level of stress. I have also ceased working on the couch or in front of the TV, which has done wonders for my productivity and sanity, but that's a tale for another post. 

Last year, I participated for the first time in the annual Reading Challenge through Goodreads (a social media site for readers!). I also joined a small, online book club through this site and have really enjoyed getting to discuss and read books that I probably wouldn't read of my own accord. For the 2013 Reading Challenge, I set the goal of reading 55 books. That is 1 book a week plus accounting for Christmas break when I get to read several books. In reality, I have read 61 books and am in the middle of three which I think I can finish by Tuesday. That will be a total of 64 books, or about 5 books per month. Obviously, some months I read more than 5 books and some months less than 5 books. I've noticed that when I am VERY VERY stressed, I tend to read more books. Hence, I read 8 books in November, which was by far my busiest month. The only month in which I read more books was January, which was my most chill month last year. 

I did not love, or even like, every book I read last year. But, I really enjoyed many of them. That being said, I've decided to pick my top 10 books of the year. This is tough, but here goes...

10. Lexicon by Max Barry

I am very picky about books I fall in love with - they have to make me feel. Before I read a book, I usually read several reviews on Goodreads, some from people who loved the book and some from people who despised the book. I ask friends and family for their opinions, and Google the author. There are a few exceptions to my madness which make me just read a book for the sake of reading it: (1) if a friend or family member I trust recommends the book, or (2) if it is written by an author I love. For this book, I broke every rule. I was perusing Barnes and Noble one day, saw the title, liked the artwork on the front cover, thought the summary sounded interesting, bought it, and read it. That's it. And, you know what, I loved it!

Basically, this book looks at the idea that we can weaponize words. People are chosen to attend this specialized school that instructs them on how to perfect persuasion to such a degree that it becomes a weapon of mass destruction. The novel is very fast-paced, includes a love story without being super mushy-gushy, and contains thought-provoking commentary on the state of society and pitfalls of humanity. I go gaga over a book that makes me think and questions society. I love an author who can subtly point out flaws in humanity and makes me question the world. I read this book at Thanksgiving and still haven't stopped talking about it with anyone who will listen. It is certainly worth a read, especially for anyone who loves words! 

9. Son by Lois Lowry

Son came out in October of 2012, and because it was written by Lois Lowry, I immediately purchased it. I read it in January 2013 and still remember it as clearly as if I read it yesterday. When I finally read The Giver, I was intrigued by a society that was so regimented. Son is the 4th book in The Giver saga but the direct sequel to the novel. It follows the story of Gabriel's (the baby who was rescued by Jonas at the end of The Giver) birth mother, Claire. In this novel, Lowry digs deeper into the cruel world that such rigid and strict rules create. Claire's lack of freedom and distrust of the government coupled with her vivid imagination, courage, and desire for a better life make her a beautifully crafted heroine. She is strong, powerful, and driven.

This novel shows the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love that drives us to do things we never thought possible. For me, this novel is one of Lowry's greatest. Filled with all of the things I love about Lowry's writing, from her use of figurative language to her depth of characterization. But, be warned, this novel is not a happy one. It is heartbreaking, and made me cry out multiple times. Lowry has a way of making readers feel all the pain her characters feel. While that is something I love about her, it makes her novels hard to read at times. This novel comes with my highest recommendation, and it is one that I would love to read with my future daughters some day.

8. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Anyone who knows me will probably be surprised to see this novel make the list, but upon further reflection, there was no way I could be honest about the books that have affected me this year without including this book in the list. As I mentioned earlier, not every book I read was a book I loved or even liked. This book falls into that category. This book gets the official title as "The Book I Love to Hate". I feel very strongly about my books and sometimes get too emotionally involved, and this book outrages me every time I talk about it. So, the question is: why do I "love to hate" this book?

For months, I had heard people talking about Gone Girl, it was making all the best-seller lists, and I just couldn't help myself. I had to know what all the fuss was about. The rating on Goodreads is pretty high (close to 4 out of 5 stars) and the summary seemed interesting. One cold winter's night in February, I picked up this book and started reading. That night, I read 1/3 of the novel. I could not wait to go to bed the next evening so I could continue reading. I was fascinated. Every other chapter alternated between a married man and woman. The man's part of the story was present-day while the woman's was past-tense. The basic premise of the book is that a man comes home to find that his wife has disappeared and his house is in disarray, suggesting that she was kidnapped. Through her past-tense part of the story we learn about the man and woman's courtship and life. Through his part of the story, we get to see how he reacts to his wife's disappearance and how the police handle the situation. Through both stories, secrets are revealed. 

Now, on night 2 of reading, I read another third of the book but something happened. Something terrible. Something that made me go from pure love to pure hate of this author. The author twisted the story. A huge, mega, super-sized twist. So big, in fact, that I no longer trusted one of the narrators. How can I not trust the narrator of the story? I know it sounds silly, but until that moment, this was something I took for granted. Since I began reading at a very young age, I have always believed I could trust the narrator to tell me the story correctly. I mean, in a novel, what more could you ask for? If you can't trust the narrator, what is the point of the story? What's more, on night 3, the author did it again, pulled a second plot-twist and completely changed the story. Again. I finished the book that night. And, almost a year later, I am still mad at this book. 

And, here is where the love-hate comes into play. The book was fascinating and a brilliant story. The writing was so good that I had no trouble keeping up, the action was fast-paced, plot-twists were wonderful, and I finished the novel in 3 nights. I remember almost every aspect of the novel and think it would make a great thriller film. I hate that the author made me not trust the narrator. I love that the author made me question my long-held beliefs about what a narrator should do. I read Dark Places later this year, also by the same author, and plan to read her third novel in the near future. I can't help myself. 

As you can see from books 10, 9, and 8, my choice of books is varied and my reasons for choosing books for this list are just as wide-spread. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Tracey's Top Books of 2013"...