Top 20 Reads of 2013

Those of us on the west coast are still waiting for 2014 to ring in. And as I wait, I will quickly finish up this post I've been meaning to put up for the past several days. Let's hope next year involves less procrastination, yeah?

If you read my very-detailed post on everything I read in 2013, then you'll remember that I read nearly 130 books. Because of this relativity large quantity, I'm allowing 20 books to be chosen in this list of Favorite Reads of 2013.

Some notes on this post before I dive in:

• only new reads of 2013 will be included (this will keep all-time favorites from reappearing on every list)
• favorites will be split into categories based on genre
• other than the genre categories, the list is completely at random (i.e. I don't want to make the difficult decision of listing in any other order)

I love making lists such as these. So I hope you enjoy.


**all book cover photos are courtesty of Goodreads

The Year In Books: 2013

The Goliath of reading updates- I present to you, my summary of 2013 in books!

Below, you will find the complete list of books I've read for the last 12 months.

Though I won't be listing my favorites (look for that in a future post!!), the book nerd in me will submerse you in book statistics like you never dreamed possible.

Curious what percentage of books I read were prose vs. graphic novels/comics?
Want to know what genre I read the most of? or what my most read author was>

Keep reading, because this post will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about my reading habits.

December 2013 Reading Update

I can't believe this is the last reading update for 2013.

Time flies by too quickly.

For December. I spent most of this month rereading the entire Harry Potter series, so there wasn't much in terms of other novels.

However, I was able to finish off a few new novels that I have been meaning to read for quite some time.

I'll keep this reading update short and sweet since there are a couple more book posts left to post before the year is up.

As usual, links will be provided.
All photos below are courtesy of Goodreads.

NOTD: OPI "Cuckoo For This Color" + Glitter

I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Christmas. I had a great day, and thought I'd share with you the manicure I sported on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It's not my usual sparkly greens and reds, but I had been wearing sparkly reds all month I had had enough.

Believe it or not, I haven't completely given up on nail polish. I don't post weekly NOTDs like I used to, but I still paint my nails at least twice a week. The manicures have just gotten too repetitive for the internet.

But here I am, with the last NOTD for 2013. I thought it'd be a treat for those of you who like this stuff. And they're too pretty to not let you look at. ;)

The base color I used was OPI "Cuckoo For This Color." Though I've had this color for a couple years now, it hasn't gotten a lot of wear. 2 coats.

The glitter combo is one I've used in past NOTDs.
The first coat of glitter I used was OPI's "Pirouette My Whistle."
The second coat is of China Glaze's "Techno."

And now, the parade of photos.

2014 Book Releases I'm Excited For

While I love reading classics alongside tried-and-true favorites, it's always enjoyable to keep up with what's new in the book world. So rather than do what I did last year and provide a dry list of books I want to read in the upcoming year, I'm going to list new 2014 book releases that I'm excited for.

Some of the following books are sequels to ones I haven't even read the first installments of. That aside, sometimes I like putting off books until the release date of its sequel is nearer so I don't have to wait. So, in my mind, it's still exciting to remember these dates.

As I'm aware I have the tendency to ramble on, I'll stop here.

Links are provided (as usual). All photos are courtesy of Goodreads. Some books I mention don't have their covers and/or titles released yet.

And finally, here is my list of most highly anticipated book releases of 2014, ordered by release dates.

Book Haul: Black Friday/Cyber Monday

If you've been following my blog for the duration of this year, then you'll probably remember that I tried to give up my intensive book buying by borrowing from the library more. The library has definitely helped to quench my book buying thirst, though I still do buy books (just not in large quantities all at once).

However, with Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, I couldn't resist but use all the coupon codes available to me.

I try to make "smart" purchases which, in reference to books, are either:

1. books I know I'll want to reread eventually

2. most adored/favorite books (and since they are of that nature, I'll obviously want to reread them)

3. limited edition versions of books

4. books I may want to pass on to future children ;)

5. collector's purposes



Anyway, I have ranted long enough.
Here are the book purchases I've made in the last couple weeks.
I added short descriptions for each book (courtesy of Goodreads) that I cut down to be more spoiler-free.

What to Expect: December 2013

As 2013 comes to a close, there are many posts that I want to get out before the year ends- all of which belong to the book/reading category (apologies to those who only return for the nail stuff).

My mind is continuously racing with what posts I want to get out. I know I want to do another "Favorite Reads" post like I did last year. I would still like to do a monthly reading update solely for December. Also, I wanted to do a cumulative post on everything I have read this year, so you can see the complete list if interested. (Last year I also did a "2013 Reading List" but I probably won't be doing that this year seeing as my actual reading list is neverending and publishing said list would be dry and uninformative.)

Now, that may not seem like a whole lot. But considering I've been barely managing to update once a month, 3 (4 if you count my upcoming book haul) will be a major feat for me. (To imagine I began this year blogging several times a week.) However, I will be on a winter break from work starting mid/late-December so a return to more frequent blogging may be in my future.

Here is how I want to plan out the month:

• next 1-2 weeks: book haul
• late December: 
• December Reading Update
• Favorite Reads of 2013
• complete list of books read in 2013

All tentative of course.
Maybe I'll reverse the last two.

I like schedules, lists, planning, and organization if you can't already tell.
Other than monthly reading updates, I have yet to look at all of 2013 as a whole, so I'm quite excited to get started on these posts, and I hope this "What to Expect" post gave you something to look forward to too.

Happy December :)

November 2013 Reading Update

I love November. It's the month when the holiday season begins, families gather, and the weather (in CA) finally gets cooler.

This past month has been another decent month of reading. I don't post as often on this blog anymore, but if there are two things about me that have never and will never change it's that
1. I will always be reading, and
2. I always want to talk about what I'm reading.

So, if you enjoy these monthly updates, fear not, because they are unlikely to stop in the near future.



(This entire reading update is spoiler free and all photos below are courtesy of Goodreads.)