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Welcome to the Books I Read in 2013 link-up! I had so much fun chatting about books with you in the comments of last year’s post that I decided to do a link up so you can share about your reads from the past year (and if you don’t have a blog, feel free to share about what you read in 2013 in the comments!). Here’s how it works, in your post just list out the books you read in 2013 (with or without reviews) and then add the Books I Read in 2013 image (you can grab the code at the bottom of the page) and add your link to the link up below!
Books I Read in 2013:
- The Penderwicks at Point Moutte by Jeanne Birdsall (If you have a daughter, would like a daughter, or have ever been a daughter, please read the Penderwicks series! These are the most delightful books for young readers that I’ve read since the Anne of Green Gables books.)
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (a re-read)
- Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (Just as much fun as the Anne books!)
- Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell (I loved both these Gaskell novels. If you love Jane Austen, I highly recommend Mrs. Gaskell.)
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte (A gift from a dear friend. I can’t say I like Anne as much as Charlotte, but I think I like her more than Emily.)
- The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene (It’s been on my to-read list forever and it was wonderful.)
- Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (Not as memorable as Brideshead, Helena, A Handful of Dust, or Sword of Honour, but hilarious.)
- The Domestic Church by Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle (Modern devotionals are not my favorite genre, but I thought this one for Catholic mamas was very good.)
- The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (Someone explain this book to me. I feel accomplished that I finally finished it but haven’t the slightest idea what it means.)
- The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente (Just heaps of good fantastical fun.)
- Pope Awesome and Other Stories by Cari Donaldson (Read it all in one day because it’s that good.)
- Start by Jon Acuff (Businessy self-helpy books aren’t my cup of tea, but I got a free copy from Blissdom and ended up enjoying it and getting motivated to work on our book.)
- Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan (I took this book on vacation and laughed so hard.)
- You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins
Started, but didn’t finish yet. I’m a several books at a time kinda girl:
- Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (kind of a re-read. I’ve read the 600 page abridged version but never the whole giant thing.)
Chapter book read alouds with the kids:
And then Daniel and I read/re-read/edited our book, Feast! Real Food, Reflections, and Simple Living for the Christian Year a bajillion times so, I think that counts, too?
If you compare this list to my reading goals for 2013 I didn’t complete every book I’d hoped to. But on the other hand I did add some in that I didn’t plan on. And half the year I was pregnant and the other half I had a newborn, so my brain was comparable to soggy oatmeal. All in all, not too shabby?
I’m getting excited about compiling my reading goals for 2014! Any must-read suggestions?
Here’s the code to grab for the Books I Read in 2013 image for your post:
And just link up below! The link up is open until January 7th at midnight EST!
You’ve got some great titles here! Some are already on my to-read list, but I think now I will have to add a few more! Thanks for sharing, I love taking a peak at what everyone else reads. It’s such a great way to get more book recommendations!
I love reading people’s reading lists, too! My friend Christy said, “book link ups are my kryptonite” and I feel the same
Great ideas of books to read with the kids. Maybe we’ll try the Hobbit next.
Thanks for the linkup
~Ruth Anne
Thanks for linking up, Ruth Anne! Benjamin loved The Hobbit!
I LOVE your reading list for this year! I studied English Lit in college and got to read several of these during that time.
I think I’ll check out the Penderwicks, even though I don’t have a daughter yet
I LOVE Anne of Green Gables.
Thanks for the link up!
I read North and South and Pope Awesome this year, too! I picked up the Little House series at a used book sale last year and can’t wait to read them with Grace (3 yo). I was thinking she may be a little young, but hopefully it won’t be much longer if your kids can follow along! I’ll have to hunt up some Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle too!
Awesome list! Really hoping I get some time tonight to type one up.
Loving this link-up!
I’m a *bit* of an Austen junkie, very excited to add some Gaskell novels to my list! Already added a few others that you recommended
Thanks for hosting this link-up Haley! So many books I need to look up and add to my to-read list for 2014. I loved the Emily of New Moon series so I will need to check out Penderwick (even though I’m having a boy…)
Oh I am so ashamed… I can only think of 3 books I’ve read in 2013… my younger book-loving self would be so sad… 2014 will be a better year! I’m making a list after reading this link-up and can’t wait to share my 2014 book list in a year’s time!
Thanks for all the great suggestions!
Fun! These are my favorite posts to both write and read every December. I’ll add a link back to your site from my post when I can get to a computer. My blog always goes wonky when I mess with it on my iPod!
BOOKS FOR DAYS!
Thanks so much for your list, Haley! I was just contemplating Gaskell and am glad of know your like of her. This looked like so much fun that I did a post on it too!
Love reading everyone’s lists! Can we do a link up for our “to read in 2014” book lists too?? I’ve got a huge stack on my bedside table (plus in my Kindle list)– my husband spoiled me this Christmas!
Thanks for inspiring me with your reading lists and recommendations on good books! Happy New Year!
Thank you for doing this I love seeing what other people are reading!
Also I don’t really have a blog but I did keep track of what I read this year with a pinterest board so I decided to throw that link in here:
http://www.pinterest.com/willowmoon89/books-read-in-2013/
(Some of them are re-reads and some are graphic novels but I figure if children’s picture books can be included then so can comics
)
I will try to remember all the books from 2013 — It has been a long year of fuzzy-headed pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn joy. I do read a lot while holding a new baby, but I can be a bit of a zombie while pregnant and on anti-nausea drugs.
Your kids are younger, so I will give you the list of things my 9-year-old son read recently. I think your kids will likely have similar tastes as they grow older and, oh, the fun you will have when they are reading their favorite passages to you! (I don’t mean that as a “just wait” comment, just meaning to share in the excitement of raising kids.)
We did not read The Hobbit to my kids when they were very young, but J (my oldest) read it three times in just a week this Christmas season. He loves it too — Who doesn’t?! In the past two weeks, he also read (all unabridged) King Arthur, Call of the Wild, The Lost World (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), and Cautionary Verses (Hilaire Belloc). He is working on Sherlock Holmes, White Fang, and Treasure Island. When my oldest was younger, I read things like the Fairy Stories, the original Pinocchio, original Winnie The Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, etc., to them, and we are cycling back through those for my younger kids (age 4 and 4 months). The older ones still love to hear these classics.
My six-year-old daughter is reading The Secret Garden along with some other historical fiction books (My America series). I am personally on the third book of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. I also read A Christmas Carol by Dickens to the kids out loud this year. I read many more books last year, but never made a list. You inspired me to at least attempt a list and add some from your list :).
And just so my ramblings aren’t too difficult to follow, I have four kids ages 9, 6, 4, and 4 months. I’m always holding a sweet baby while I type, so my blog comments are a little rough around the edges :).
I made it! Now to find time to go back through everyone else’s links! So. many. good. books.
So many, many wonderful ideas to peruse as I make my 2014 list. This year hopefully I will stick more faithfully to my list. *rolling eyes*
Dad is Fat is definitely on my list though I think it’ll probably be “read” in the form of an audio book on a car trip. And ‘The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making’ keeps showing up on recommendation lists, so I’ll probably add that one, too.
Hi Haley! This is my first comment. Hahaha. Happy New Year!
I strongly recommend “God and children” by Jesus Urtega.
http://www.goodreadingguide.com/God-and-Children-Urteaga-Jesus/9789715541473
I’m not married yet, but this book has helped me in dealing with little girls in a girls’ club that I’m involved in. Hahaha. He gave the readers simple and practical advices such as “the importance of giving allowance to kids” =D