As it’s now near the end of 2013, I feel it’s about time I did my review of the top books I read this year. First of all, some statistics. According to GoodReads, I have read an incredible 115 books this year! I am certain that this is partly due to Audible and my being able to listen to books during my nightshifts. As I am moving onto day shifts soon, I suspect my total will drop for next year. As an item of interest, the longest book I read was A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson at a total of 909 pages. So without much further ado, onto the retrospective. Here, in no particular order, are my favourite books of 2013. [book-info title=”A Memory of Light” author=brandon-sanderson-2] A Memory of Light is, of course, the final book in Robert Jordan’s magnum opus The Wheel of Time, completed by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s death. There was a lot of pressure and expectation on this book; the series has been ongoing for nearly 25 years and had a cast of thousands as well as hundreds of narrative plot threads. Sanderson was faced with a real challenge…
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is the sweet story of the romance between two misfit teens, Eleanor and Park. Neither of them fit in easily with their classmates; Eleanor because of her quirky appearance and Park because of his half Asian heritage in a predominantly white Omaha community. While Eleanor’s homelife is desperate and downright dangerous, Park comes from a loving and supportive family. When Eleanor sits beside Park on the school bus a sweet, beautifully written romance ensues. I read this after coming out of my post-Allegiant emotional hangover and it was the perfect antidote. Despite the terrible family situation in which Eleanor finds herself, the bright spot in her life provided by her friendship with Park is truly heartwarming. What I liked The characterisation. The novel is written from the dual viewpoints of Park and Eleanor, and both are beautifully and evocatively drawn, each with his or her own concerns and issues. The characters feel very alive, and it is very easy to root for both of them. Rowell has a real knack for making her characters seem real people. The romance. The love story between our two protagonists is beautifully and sweetly drawn. It starts…