Happy New Year! End of Year Faves

 It was a lovely Christmas break. We all took time off, enjoyed each other's company, stayed in and watched movies, played games, put together puzzles, and ate too much food. It went by too fast but it was lovely.

Shadow and Nala got in on the Christmas spirit. And my friend Bethany stopped by on New Year's Eve for a game and fun times with my little family. We played an escape room game we got for Christmas and we survived and solved the puzzles! Whew. It was a fun way to ring in 2023!

Now on to looking back at some of my favorites from 2022. I didn't read as many books as I had hoped for but I still read some great ones last year...let's see...

My favorite series was The Expanse by James S.A. Correy. I'd been meaning to read the whole series for a few years and I finally did it last year! So worth the wait. It'll definitely be a reread eventually.

I reread my second favorite Jane Austen book Pride and Prejudice and it was better than I remembered! I have plans on rereading my favorite Austen this year Persuasion.

I even delved into more romance this year due to Bridgerton's second season coming out. I listened to the first four books in like two weeks back in April. Pretty fun. I plan to get to the rest eventually probably spring/summer again.

I loved reading Six Crimson Crowns by Elizabeth Lim with G. It was a beautiful retelling that takes place in Japan's past. A love story and a family story all in one.

Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive by Philipp Dettmer was my favorite science read of the year. Simplish enough to grasp some basic concepts and the drawings are amazing and fun.

People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn was the memoir and culturally critical book that haunted me the most. It's a searing look into our society's narrative around Jews and their history.

TV: I loved Bridgerton season two, Wednesday, The Midnight Club, and Slow Horses.

Movies: So many but Fire of Love was my favorite documentary. Turning Red my favorite kid's movie. Banshees of Inisherin was a beautiful movie on grief and loneliness and friendship in a very small town. Everything Everywhere All at Once was one of the trippiest movies I've ever seen but also so visually stimulating and heartfelt. I was floored. Definitely my top movie for the year. Black Phone and The Innocents were definitely my top horror for the year as well.

Overall, it was a pretty good year. I can't complain. Looking forward to new books, movies, and travel!

Joining up with Deb from Readerbuzz and her Sunday Salon.

Goodbye 2020! End of Year Stats! Favorite Books!

I'm not sorry to see you go, 2020. It's been a very weird and tough year for family and friends and the world at large. 2021 doesn't mean all things are great but I do see some hope with vaccinations rolling out.

We learned how to be at home together. It's been tough; I am not going to lie about that. G has done really well at online learning, even though he's had a rough time without his friends and that social interaction. Most of the time it's me and his dad and the kitties. But we've been able to do hikes and see friends on Facetime, do some front porch visits with grandparents, and G has been playing online more than ever with his friends.

 

My father-in-law got CoVid back in August and has been dealing with those long-haul symptoms ever since. He has not been doing well. But so far he is still alive and hanging in there. My mother also got pretty sick this year, though not from CoVid. We're building her a ramp out her front door so she can get in and out easier with her wheelchair. I'm hoping she can perk up a bit this year. It'll be a big year for my parents because they want to sell their house and move to some kind of nursing/assisted living facility. It's all up in the air and it'll be kind of stressful to get it all figured out.

We made the best out of a tough year. Tried to do more game nights and hikes and family together time but also keep our space since we're all at home. I did a lot of Skype chats with friends every month. We even met up for a few hikes as well, all masked up. It's the little things that have kept us going. I read a lot more diversely this year. Though, I didn't read as much from LGBTQ+ authors as I would have liked. I also didn't get in a lot of classics. 

 

 I also didn't get any of my year-long challenges done! I did get some mini challenges complete, though, but I am terrible at the year-long ones. I'm going to do better this year...(hopefully, and don't hold me to it a year from now...)

G made this for both of us. The I and U slide open to reveal the heart. He designed and created it all by himself. Proud Mamma.

 

 I'd like to best TV and movies as well but I'll do that in another post this week. I'm barely making it through this one! I had such good intentions of starting this post early in December but the business of the year got too much and I ended up taking off most the holiday break and haven't even thought much about blogging! I'm terrible.

We got out for a hike the day after Christmas! Much needed exercise and fresh air!

I read 110 books in 2020:

Shortest book was 32 pages The Flying Canoe and my longest was The Histories by Herodotus at 716 pages.

67 Fiction and 43 nonfiction. I only read 4 classics. 7 children's books...I'd like to read a few more of these this next year. They are short and pretty and can pack a great punch. Most of them were read over December. 34 were sci-fi or fantasy. I think that was my go-to fiction this year. Interesting to see that! 16 were considered horror or supernatural. I think that was my second go-to for fiction!

23 middle grade books. I read a lot of those with G and I like to read some before I share with him as well so I read quite a bit of those through the year. 19 young adult. I do love young adult books. There are so many good ones. They are my fallback when I get in a reading slump.

14 graphic novels. I do enjoy a good graphic novel in any genre. Some can get too complex that they get confusing but really good ones can emote a lot with pictures and words. Always an enjoyable medium.

9 short stories/poetry/essays. This is probably my least favorite but I got in a couple of children's poetry books and short stories. Essays are a favorite, though. I didn't read as many as I usually do.

14 memoirs/biographies. I'm a big fan of memoirs. I read some good ones this year. I thought I had read more, though.

9 on race relations and U.S. history. I didn't think I'd read as many as this. I'm looking forward to upping this number this year.

3 on past plagues and their histories. I had plans for more but got too depressed since we're in the middle of pandemic...I have quite a few I want to get to this year, though. We shall see.

12 audiobooks. Most of these audiobooks were before the pandemic hit! It's been harder to get them in since I'm not out and about as much. I need to find ways to get them in, though. I have a ton to catch up on.

60 were by female authors. I'm super happy about this number. I am definitely drawn to female authors and their experiences. It's nice to see it in the numbers!

7 by LGBTQ+ authors. I need to read more this year but still happy with what I did read in 2020.

46 by BIPOC authors. I also am enjoying this number. I read some fantastic books this year. I hope to increase this number and find some fantastic reads.

21 ebooks. I have too many ebooks. I'm happy I got to that many but I do notice I tend to pick physical books over ebooks. I can read physical books at night and so I tend to stick to them. I have to find more time in the day to sit down and read the ebooks I own. But I read quite a few with G so bonus.

Favorite Fiction this year:

Wolf Winter by Cecelia Ekback. This was a perfect December winter read. Loved it.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I thought I'd enjoy it but I was blown away by this one. Excellent modern blend of Arthurian legends. Can't wait for book two!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Another surprise at how much I loved it. It was just the right amount of gothic creepiness with a totally awesome ending. It was just what I needed.

Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter. I love middle grade books that are creepy and weird but are still for both kids and adults. Both G and I loved this one.

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. It was a perfect blend of weird and creepy.

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry. This was a very different and fun reading experience. One of my faves with G this year. It took me awhile to figure out what the black river was...the way she described the human world from the perspective of animals was truly brilliant.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia. Rick Riordan has launched an amazing company that allows BIPOC authors to write from their cultures and histories. The Tristan Strong series is no exception. It's an incredible story and look forward to reading the second book soon. Check out all of the series. There are too many good ones. I haven't been able to keep up!

Favorite Nonfiction:

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. It's heart-breaking but beautifully told. Takei brings alive his experiences in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow. Farrow knows how to tell a quick-paced story. It's galling that the world exists to prop up gross powerful people. It still exists and continues to thrive. Grrr

March Forward, Girl: From Young Warrior to Little Rock Nine by Melba Pattillo Beals. I read this one aloud with G...it was a rough read but so necessary. We were able to talk a lot about history and race in the U.S.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. This was the first book I read after the pandemic hit in March. It was engrossing and timely and oh so surreal. Quammen is a first-rate story-teller.

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson. Johnson holds no punches when he describes his experiences as gay Black man growing up as a teenager. He wrote it for queer folks so they know what to expect and can get some actually useful information. Well-done and a must-read for everyone.

Our Time Is Now by Stacey Abrams. Boom. Stacey Abrams is my hero. I will follow her wherever she goes.

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. This was a fantastic intro to Baldwin and how we can apply his thoughts and writings and experiences to our present-day America. The more things change the more they stay the same, unfortunately...

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. He packs short but complete history lessons into easily digestible chapters. We also gain a perspective on why textbooks haven't changed all that much, even today, and why they probably won't change that much in the future and how this completely impacts America's reckoning with its past...(or nonreckoning).

The Dark Fantastic: Race and Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas. This book changed the way I think about sci-fi and fantasy. How it's been written and who's written it (White men) and how that has affected the way Black characters have been written about or why they don't exist much in the usual stories of the genre. Mind-blowing. It's one I want to buy so I can reference it in the future.

Mid-year Faves

Looks like it's that time of year where everyone posts about their faves so far. I usually haven't done that but this year seems like a good year to start. Especially in the midst of world-wide pandemic and social unrest, it seems right to take an accounting halfway through the year... I feel like this year has a whole decade packed into it. I sometimes feel like I've aged that much over the last six months...

I've actually read more this year than last year at this time... it was slow-going during the initial shut-down back in March and April but I've found a groove.

I've read 54 books so far with 29 from male authors, 24 female, and 1 gender non-conforming author.

21 were non-fiction, with 31 being fiction.

20 of my reads were by non-white authors.

I gravitated towards a few pandemic books in April and May. Memoirs are still a favorite, mysteries, and horror, and juvenile fiction and young adult are always at the top. I read a lot with my son so I get those middle grade books read as well.

Mid-year Faves

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

I read this one out loud with my son and it was poignant and informative. This should be a must-read in schools.

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey

This is part of the Expanse series. Excellent.

In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado

A harrowing story of abuse. But the way she tells it is unlike any memoir I've read before.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Fantastic story. A truly unique storyline and characters.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

I read this one along with my son. We both loved this story on Black folklore and African mythology. I love that Rick Riordan is sponsoring authors to write about the myths and stories they grew up with so a whole new audience can enjoy.

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow

This was a rough book to read. But so important. Farrow is a fantastic storyteller.

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

It was very surreal to read this during the early stages of the pandemic...it's a must-read.

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

If you grew up in the 80s, this one is for you! Or even if you just enjoy a humorous horror with a new take on demon possession. Loved it!

Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English by John McWhorter

There were some new ideas I did not know and I'm a linguistics major who took history of the English language in college. It was fascinating!

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

I loved this memoir on Johnson's experience of being a gay black man. He especially writes for other gay boys and gives some good sex advice. It's another must-read. 

New Kid by Jerry Craft

This is an excellent graphic novel on a black kid's experience in a mostly white private school. My son and I were able to have great discussions about racism and microaggressions.

Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams

Yes to Stacey Abrams. She gives us a rundown of voter suppression, past and present and what we need to do to get a fair America. She has my vote.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

I love everything by Attica Locke. Her writing is gorgeous and her characters are real. She writes thinky crime/mystery books. The best kind.

A Month of Faves-- Reading Challenges and Goals/How I Read and Blogged

A Month of Faves is hosted by Girlxoxo, Traveling With T, and Estella's Revenge.

I have a hard time signing up for long-term reading challenges. I forget what I'm doing. I do better with small challenges during seasonal times of the year. I participated in all the Halloween reading challenges and aced those like a champ. I'm also apart of the Classics Club but I didn't not get my ten in this year. :(

I always have a goal to do what I can in Read Harder challenges by Book Riot but once again I just have a hard time sticking to a certain theme each month.

I read a book a day in September with Stacy from Stacy's Book Blog. That was fun and hard and really enjoyable. Most of the books I read were children's books and very short non-fiction. But I read a lot of things that had been on my list!

I always have a goal to read more diverse books and try new genres. 34/128 of my books read this year were by diverse authors. Not as good as I would have liked but 2019 is a new year to do better.

44/128 were male authors so the majority of my reading this last year was definitely female-centric.

21 books were young adult. 28 were children and juvenile fiction. 50 were non-fiction. 23 were memoirs/biographies. I read a lot of mini history bio collections and true crime books. I managed to get one philosophy book in too. Most of my non-fiction this year was memoir. I usually try for more history and science in my non-fiction. I guess I needed something a bit different this year. It seems like I needed to connect with human stories more than anything else. We shall see what 2019 brings!

18 Audiobooks.

25 books were either sci-fi or fantasy! I usually don't read that much in those genres. I also read a lot of horror and mystery/crime fiction. 19 horror and 13 crime/mystery.

I loved listening to Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone. It's a beautiful story made even more magical while listening to it!

My favorite audiobook memoir was Eddie Izzard's Believe Me. He has little live notes that he just shoots from the hip while he made it. It was so funny and entertaining.

I noticed, according to Goodreads, that I read a lot more books that I actually enjoyed. I'm not sure if that means I intentionally picked up books I knew I'd love or if I just happened to find ones I loved more than another year but whichever it was, it was definitely a great reading year for me! 24 books were 5 stars for me and 64 were 4 stars! That's some funtastic books!

I know I can't sign up for any blogging challenge and actually accomplish it. But I know I will keep my eye on The Read Harder challenge from Book Riot. And Girlxoxo has monthly blogging challenges that I may try to participate in as well. Michelle from True Book Addict always has seasonal reading challenges that are short enough to get me going. And I'm perpetually reading my Classics Club books. I also have a list of Amazon's 100 books to read in a lifetime. A list from Well-educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. And President Obama always releases his best reads throughout the year and I try to keep my eye on those for reading ideas.

I've blogged a lot more this year than I did last year and it's been great. To date I've written 117 blog posts this year! Whoa! My favorites are probably the self-reflective ones I've done in December. I've stretched a bit thinking about my year of reading and living and I've seen some patterns.

I've found new bloggers to follow and participated in blogging events and small reading challenges and it's been good for me. I'd like to keep it up and make it more regular. I need the practice I really do enjoy it. So many of my TBR lists comes from fellow book bloggers! Plus I get ideas on how to change things up and to look back at my reading year and see how far I've come and where to go next!

2017 End-of-year Book Stats

I'm really behind. It's been nothing but sickness and recovery here at my house for two weeks. I'm in the middle of it but this morning I saw a bit of light and clearing of the sinus head goo so I'm going to take advantage of it and try to count up books and think about faves!

According to Goodreads, I completed 76 books this year.

15 were young adult or middle grade books. 9 were children's books. My favorites were the Zooey and Sassafras series by Asia Citro, The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz, and all-time favorite young adult book this year was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

31 were nonfiction. My favorite memoir of the year has to be between Roxane Gay's Hunger and Sherman Alexie's You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. Both thought-provoking, tragic, and beautiful. 19 of those nonfiction were memoirs of some sort! I like those, apparently!

For classics I read To Kill a Mockingbird , The Handmaid's Tale, and Murder on the Orient Express.

I read a lot of horror around September and October; 10, with The Last Days of Jack Sparks being my favorite horror read of the year.

My favorite science book of the year was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. It was fascinating science and a fascinating story behind Henrietta Lacks and the trauma that her family has felt through generations. She packs a lot of ideas into a coherent whole.

Shortest book: Zooey and Sassafras at 96 pages.

Longest book: It by Stephen King at 1478 pages! It took me over 4 months to read that one!

I read a lot more this year! But I found I didn't record as much at the beginning. I really started hitting Goodreads and blogging hard after G started school in September and have been making this my end of the year goals.

Top 5 books of the year:

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

3. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie

4. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

5. H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

I guess I needed to share the pain with others this year since I read a lot of memoirs about hard experiences, grief, and pain.

I have a couple of reading challenges this year plus the Classics challenge. I only read 3 out of 10 this year so I need to crank it up for 2018! I may join one more to help me read the books I own!

Here's to another great reading year!

2015 Book Stats

Overall, it was a pretty good reading year for me. There were a few standouts, of course. But most of the books read were really solid for me. I read some fun ones with my son and learned some very interesting things, too, along the way.

Total books read all the way through: 56.

2 rereads: Persuasion by Jane Austen and Graceling by Kristen Cashore. Two much needed books at the time.

17 non-fiction

9 audiobooks: I got an Audible subscription this year while I was living in Japan. I did a lot of walking there and this helped pass that time.

17 were children's fiction or young adult fiction.

5 classics: I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time. Pleasantly surprised how good it was, especially considering she wrote it so young. So many themes.

6 award winning books

Longest book was 662 pages The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Top non-fiction:

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• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: This is heart-breaking and a must-read for every human. Opened my eyes as a white person and all the privilege...
• Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande: Another must-read. If you plan on dying and getting old or have loved ones who plan to do that.
• So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson: Another eye-opener on social media and what monsters it can turn us into.
• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach: This was visceral for me. An unflinching look at what happens to our bodies.

Top fiction:

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie: I

  

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  listened to this one and it was thought-provoking. Also a must-read.
• The Martian by Andy Weir: Another audiobook. This was the only way to read it. The narrator was funny and it was really a hopeful and humorous book.
• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: The world and character building is just phenomenal.
• The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert: Gilbert brings women scientists into the light. She makes a story about a woman who separately comes to the idea of the theory of evolution during Darwin's time. Fascinating look.

Didn't live up to the hype:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: I was expecting more and it just didn't capture my full attention.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter: I heard what a great thriller it was and after reading The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins, it just didn't come through for me. I kept asking why this story needed to be told? No clue.

2014 End of Year Review

Better late than never!

I only signed up for 2 challenges cuz I know how bad I am at completing these. But I didn't get either of them done again this year. My life took a different turn shortly after I signed up for my two.

Finish the series challenge...I did not finish one series this year even though I could have :( The next one was a non-fiction challenge...I said 20 and ended up with 19. So damn close but no cigar.

No official challenges for myself this year when it comes to reading. I may make up a few. There's Amazon's 100 books to read in a lifetime, Bitch Magazine's 100 books for young feminists, and 501 Book to Read in a Lifetime...So I still have a good list to work from. Plus all the series I can still finish this year!

I didn't even get my 75 books in for my Goodreads challenge...60 books. Not a bad show, though.

Favorite Fiction:

1. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black.

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This was surprising. I figured it would be another trivial trope-filled vampire novel. Boring. It was trope-filled but with a purpose! It was funny and even had a creepy yet adorable vampire romance. Lots of blood and smarts. It was great!

2. Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

OK, I did finish a series. This one! Yay! The first book was only so-so for me when I read it two years ago but a friend convinced me to finish the series off. So glad I did. It was gripping and well-written.

3. Under the Never Sky series by Veronic Rossi

OK, another series finished. Also a great dystipian series.

4. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

This was a great psychological thriller. Better than Gone Girl for me.

5. Pines by Blake Crouch

Also a fabulous thriller. I read this in one night. It's crazy!

This wasn't my best year for literary fiction. I read a few smart fiction books but they didn't stand out for me!

Favorite Nonfiction:

1. Yes Please by Amy Poehloer

Funny and interesting. She's a great writer too. It bogged down toward the end but overall fabulous!

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2. Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz

Love has not been the main reason for marriage ever until after the industrial revolution. She takes us down history lane. Great work.

3. The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burke

This one was written for me. I loved it!

4. Secrets & Wives: The Hidden World of Mormon Polygamy by Sanjiv Bhattacharya

A fascinating and yet disturbing look at various polygamous sects. He humanizes and tells their stories. Not all polygamists are the same. Great work.

5. NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson

I loved the interesting articles. These ideas were only introduced in individual chapters. Some have more studies behind them than others but in any case they were all thought-provoking.

This year hasn't been my best in posting or interacting well with my fellow bloggers. It's unfortunate and I hope to be better this next year, though don't we all. I still have some challenging times ahead and some big changes so I can't guarantee anything but look forward to trying.

I was not great at reviewing my movies at all this year. I still saw plenty but didn't put my thoughts down anywhere, unfortunately. I really hope to rectify that.

I saw 55 new to me movies this year! Thank you Netflix and Amazon!

Favorites:

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1. The Lego Movie: This is one I keep quoting and watching over and over....

2. Agora: The tragic history of the destruction of the Library of Alexandria and the murder of Hypatia. We were setback over 1000 years because of this. Just think of where we could be. Powerful.

3. Her: What's love? What makes us human? So many deep ideas in this amazing movie.

4. Philomena: This was a difficult one. Beautiful and oh so sad.

5. Stuck in Love: Just a big fat surprise of funniness and adorableness.

6. The Sapphires: Another sleeper hit for me. Can Chris O'Dowd do wrong?

7. Guardians of the Galaxy: I wasn't expecting much with this one and was really blown away by its sheer awesomeness!

8. How to Train Your Dragon 2: I cried. It was better than the first one!

9. Mockingjay Part 1: This was my favorite. It was better than its source. Lots of amazing action and story and strong women. Just a kick-ass film.

10. Veronica Mars the Movie: It wasn't the best; it could have been better but hey it was a Kickstarter project and I love Veronica Mars and it was great.

I may do a post on my least faves but for now this is good! I'm even getting this out before the new year! Yay me.

Best of 2013! Stats, Challenges, and Goals!

My look-backs onto 2013 are coming in a bit late due to sickness and all that...so without further ado.....

I watched 99 movies in 2013 (I'm counting all those that I will review and have reviewed on my blog, which means I've watched a lot more already reviewed movies like Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect and Jane Eyre and Jane Austen movies.... ;)) 96 of those movies were new to me! Thank you, Netflix :)

Top 10 movies (for me that I watched) in 2013 (in no particular order):

1. Invisible War: Haunting tales of women in the army being sexually assaulted.

2. Pitch Perfect: This is my go-to movie when I need a pick-me-up. I almost have this whole movie memorized :)

3. Silver Linings Playbook: A fantastic story on two mentally ill people finding love. It brings mental illness out into the open and that's always a beautiful thing.

4. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: This was just a really well-done film. It was hopeful and adorable.

5. Catching Fire: I loved the movie better than the book, actually. Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss so well. I enjoy her tenacity and loyalty. Beautiful story.

6. Kumare: A man sets himself up to be a guru. He learns yoga, grows out his beard and sets out to find followers/disciples for an experiment. It's beautiful and hopeful and also really hard to watch as an audience because his followers adore him but we know he's lying to them. A must-see for all humans.

7. The Heat: The best buddy cop movie ever. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock really pull this off. It's funny and touching. Also another go-to movie for me now.

8. Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe, Solar System series: Beautiful documentaries on the Universe and our solar system. Amazing.

9. Iron Jawed Angels: The story of the women who got the amendment passed giving U.S. women the legal right to vote. It's amazing and heart-wrenching.

10. Happy: Documentary on what makes people happy. They traveled the world and talked to different countries and cultures. Such an amazing film. Need to watch it again and write this stuff down.

I read 65 books in 2013:

25 were non-fiction. 40 were fiction. 16 were young adult. 5 were children's books (I know I shouldn't count those ;)). 3 were romances. 2 memoirs. And one classic, well, modern classic. I read some great books but it was a bit of an off year for me. I had plans and big ideas but ran into a lot of losses this year.

I hope for bigger and better this year!

Top 10 books for me in 2013:

Fiction:

1. Night Film by Marisha Pessl. It was unlike any book I've ever read. It kept me on my toes and wanting more. It was truly enjoyable.

2. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. It deals with death. How do you move on and cope? I read this right after my brother and friend passed away. It was painful and yet healing. Highly recommended for everyone.

3. Chime by Franny Billingsley. I love me some pagan and witch stories and this one delivered. It was different and touching.

4. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. Beautiful. An epic romance and fairy-tale retelling. I can't tell you how much I just enjoyed taking in this beautiful book.

5. Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst. I loved the world Durst created. I loved that it was only one book and not a series. The cover is beautiful and I just loved it all!

Non-Fiction:

6. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran. Could she be funnier? Granted since I'm an United Statesian, I missed a few of the British cultural references and jargon. But she was so spot on and so crazily interesting. I need to read her second book soon!

7.  When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone. It was a fascinating look into pre-history. What cultures have worshiped a Goddess as their main deity? I know a lot of historians tend to find fault with some of the information but overall I found it well-researched and informative.

8.  Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin. Shubin writes a fabulous history of our evolution in a short amount of time. He was easy to understand and I gleaned so much.

9. Flow: The Cultural Story of Our Menstruation by Elissa Stein. An amazing history of menstruation. How many taboos does our culture have to do women's monthly bleeding? A ton. How did our maxi pads evolve? What did women do before underwear and maxi pads? How far have we come? Where do we still need to go? Fascinating and disturbing.

10. You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney. He explains cognitive biases, heuristics, and fallacies all within 46 short chapters with fun examples and plenty of footnotes for more information. A great reference book!

After a couple of years of failing reading challenges, I decided to stop accepting them...but this year I'd like to accept Yvonne's challenge over at Socrates' Book Reviews of Finishing the Series Challenge.

I have 3 I'd like to finish this year:

The Caster Chronicles: I have the last two books left.

The Inheritance Cycle: I have the last two books left.

Graceling series: I have two books left to read!

I also have a couple of reading goals. Bitch magazine came out with a list of books for young feminists. I own a few of them and want to get to at least one or two this year. Unfortunately, I did not get to any this last year :(

And the book 501 Books to Read Before You Die has a list that I try to get to every year. So at least one or two :) I got to two last year: The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

Good riddance to 2013! And welcome 2014!!!!