Angieville

It's New Year's Eve and there are 25 books on my list this year, guys. Twenty. Five. Books. That's 10 more than last year, and I thought that was a respectable showing. So I guess we can safely say it was a solid twelve months, and I'm so grateful for all the books that moved in this year. Best of 2013 (in the order in which I read them) Scarlet by Marissa Meyer One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi How to Misbehave by Ruthie Knox Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers Big Boy by Ruthie Knox Shapeshifted by Cassie Alexander Rush Me by Allison Parr Down London Road by Samantha Young The Chocolate Touch by Laura Florand The Story Guy by Mary Ann Rivers Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater Her Favorite Temptation by Sarah Mayberry Truly by Ruthie Knox ...

I was having a discussion with my co-worker the other day about holiday book gifting. She said her husband traditionally gives only books at Christmas. Just books. They sit down together and carefully pick out a book for each person in the family, tall to small, and then place one whopping Barnes & Noble order. She mentioned they'd chosen Fangirl for one of his sisters at my recommendation (ah, the tingles, I hope she loves it as much as I do). Someone else was getting The Fault in Our Stars , another The One and Only Ivan . A litany of lovely reads. As I mentioned in my last review, this holiday season I've enjoyed rereading a couple of my favorite Christmas novellas from last year as well as discovering a new favorite or two. Silent in the Sanctuary has been calling my name as it always does at Christmas, and I've snuggled up in the light of the tree on several occasions. I've also been busy plotting and acquiring my bookish gifts for friends and loved ones....

If I stop and hold still for a minute, I can still feel the tingles I felt after finishing Scarlet last year. It was that good to read a new and, more importantly, impressive Robin Hood retelling. And it was impressive. From the gender-swapping and Scarlet's dialect to the individual members of the young band, each of them keeping their own secrets. I really had no idea where Ms. Gaughen would take them after everything spiraled so maddeningly out of control at the end. And now, having read it, I love how many times, and with what unflinching force, she surprised me in Lady Thief . I never saw things coming. I mean, I saw a couple of things coming. But by and large I gasped more than I nodded knowingly. And even now I can hear my husband laughing. He is used to my gasps. He is also used to me looking up with glassy eyes and whispering something along the lines of, "Everything is not okay." But more on that later. Some spoilers for the end of the first book I found i...