Top Ten Books I read in 2013

This feature is hosted by the ladies of The Broke and the Bookish

This was an interesting year for me. I started this blog in April and since then, I’ve found some simply amazing books of all different genres. Books that I probably wouldn’t have found if I wasn’t blogging.

So here goes my list…

It should shock no one that I am putting The Program by Suzanne Young on here. Every single time I’ve been asked for my favorite book of the year, The Program has been my immediate answer. The feels are all there and the character development is amazing. Go read it right now if you haven’t already.

Splintered by A.G. Howard quickly became a new favorite of mine. I had never read retellings before but it looked amazing. So when I got it as a Christmas present, I dove right in. And I loved it. It was absolute perfection.

My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi was a surprise to me. I had no idea how much I would like and yes even love this one.This one was an unexpected and happy surprise.

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu had the power to be amazing or be terrible and it was amazing. It was awesome to see the characterization of OCD done right and not understated or overstated.

If You Find Me was an amazing debut and it had me pondering my own life and being thankful for the people in it. It also had me pondering the idea of sending Emily Murdoch my therapy bill.It broke me in the best possible way.

Oh how I love books about cults. Gated by Amy Christine Parker was awesome and I loved it big time.It brought out the feels in me a lot towards the end. Yet I totally understand that it’s not a book for everyone.

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry actually came out in 2012, but since this is a list of books I’ve read in 2013, I figured it’s okay to put Pushing the Limits on this list. Um, this book was amazing, beautiful and full of feels. Go read this one if you haven’t already.

The Sea Of Tranquility also came out in 2012, but I just recently read it so it made it’s way onto the list.Amazing book, yet another one that broke me into teeny tiny pieces by the time it was the end of the book. I teased the lovely Katja Millay that I was going to send her my therapy bill. I am stunned that it took me this long to read this book.

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan doesn’t come out until the beginning of 2014, but I did read it this year so it also gets to be on this list.It was awesome and different and heartbreaking. Go pre-order this book right now.

Pivot Point by Kasie West was awesome and beautiful and amazing. After only reading one of Kasie West’s books, she has cemented herself on my list of auto-buy authors.Pivot Point was beautifully written and it had one of the best friendships I’ve ever seen in Addie & Laila.Go read this book right now and get ready for Split Second.

All of these authors were actually new to me. That’s been another perk of book blogging. I’ve been introduced to hordes of new authors.Looking at my list, over half of them were contemporaries.Of the other 4, one was fantasy,one was paranormal,one was science fiction and one was dystopian.

So let me know if you’ve read any of these and if you did a Top Ten list this week, link me to that as well. See you guys next year!

Happy New Year!

Review: Gated by Amy Christine Parker

Book Title: Gated

Author: Amy Christine Parker

Published Date: August 6th, 2013

Published By: Random House Books for Young Readers

Genre: YA/Mystery

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Link: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Do the gates keep the unchosen out or the chosen in?

In Mandrodage Meadows, life seems perfect. The members of this isolated suburban community have thrived under Pioneer, the charismatic leader who saved them from their sad, damaged lives. Lyla Hamilton and her parents are original members of the flock. They moved here following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking to escape the evil in the world. Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned:

Pioneer is her leader.

Will is her Intended.

The end of the world is near.

Like Noah before him, Pioneer has been told of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must arm themselves to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the compound’s underground fortress–the Silo.

Lyla loves her family and friends, but given the choice, she prefers painting to target practice. And lately she’d rather think about a certain boy outside the compound than plan for married life in the Silo with Will. But with the end of days drawing near, she will have to pick up a gun, take a side, and let everyone know where she stands.

Disclaimer: This book was a personal purchase.

Review:

I have always had such a fascination with cults. The idea that one person is a leader and he has followers,in this case called his flock,is so interesting to me. The idea that these people so blindly follow him without even questioning him at all is simply mind boggling to me. These people in these cults are essentially brainwashed much like the followers of major cult leader Warren Jeffs, were. 

These cults seem to recruit certain types of people. People who have experienced significant heartache,like the death of a child or the death of a parent.Or even people who are poor or unmarried. Those types of people are the ones least likely to question the leader, in this case his name was Pioneer. The cults tend to stray away from recruiting people who are more confident and strong minded.

Lyla’s family experienced a nightmare when her sister Karen disappeared ten years earlier when Lyla was only 5. 2 years later Pioneer recruited Lyla and her parents to be the beginnings of his flock that would reside in the Community.Ten years later Lyla remembers little of her old life as she has assimilated into her life in the Community.Will is her future husband, no one questions that. They have been intended for each other since Lyla was fourteen years old.

Yet this isn’t your typical cult as it is not driven by religion.It is what is known as a doomsday cult. Pioneer believes that the end of the world is near and he is making sure that once it does end, the entire Community can live in the Silo where they will be safe. But a chance meeting between Lyla and an Outsider by the name of Cody, threatens to unearth everything that Lyla has held dear to her. Suddenly the quiet Lyla is questioning everything about the Community and about Pioneer. That way of thinking could cost her, her life as well as the lives of those she loves.

The last third of the book is so heartbreaking and I had tissues in my hands during the ending of it. By the end of the book, my tissues were in shreds and my eyes were red and puffy. Amy Christine Parker did an amazing job with this book.I will definitely buy anything else she writes as this was a spectacular debut. 5 stars to this compelling, riveting and heartbreaking book that broke the formula of books about cults.