Monday, January 27, 2014

The 2013 Reading list

 It's January 27, and I hadn't yet published my annual "What I read in 2013" list!

Looking through the list, I saw that I read several series this year.  Some I liked, some I didn't.  Some I finished, some I didn't.  A couple I gave up on and read the synopsis on Wikipedia.  Why waste my time reading a series if it just didn't keep my interest?  I discovered Susanna Kearsley this year.  I really enjoyed reading her books set in Cornwall, or in the wilds of England.  There's a touch of the supernatural in all her books, but they aren't creepy or scary.  Just a little mysticism.  Very well done.  I'm looking forward to more books by her.  I don't know why I'd never read Ken Follett's books.  With my love of history and BIG books, I should have found them years ago. I know he's fairly prolific, and I know he has a couple newer titles, but I really enjoyed Pillars of the Earth  and World without End.  I decided to read them after watching the mini-series of World without End.  I enjoyed the mini-series, but as usual, the book was MUCH better!

TV also led me to Call the Midwife and two sequels.  I'd watched the PBS series and had to read the books.  The PBS series follows the books very well.  A couple of Non-fiction stand outs were The Omnivores Dilemma and Salt, Sugar and Fat: How the food giants hooked us.  Both made me angry about how big business controls our diets and how our food is produced.  Both reinforced my decision to heavily limit processed foods and to produce as much of our food as we can.  It all boils down to money folks.

The last book of the year, A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous will stick with me for a while.  I've read WWII memoirs, but this one really stands out. It's actually a diary written by a woman who was a German journalist who wrote of the events during April-June 1945, the end of the War and the invasion of Berlin by the Russian soldiers.  It's the first memoir I've read where the author admits to being raped.  Most say "my neighbor, my friend, a girl in the neighborhood, I know some were" raped, but the authors always assert "it didn't happen to me."  But, it's about more than Rape.  It's about surviving in a world where there isn't enough to eat, there isn't any electricity of utilities and you are on the losing end of the stick.  It's about how soldiers treat the native population.  It was very thought provoking.  Yes, it will stick with me a long time.

Finally, at the end of the year, after reading A Woman..., I needed a little escapism.  So, using one of my ereader accounts from the Library, I decided to re-read the entire "In Death" series by JD Robb.  There's 30-some titles in the series, and I'm enjoying reading and reliving the continuing story of Eve and Roarke.  Since they are all ebooks, I'm reading most at the gym while I'm on the elliptical.  It makes the time go fast and is a nice distraction.  It's fun!

So, without further ado, here is the complete list (remember, the "e" signifies those I've read as ebooks):


  Hot Ice Nora Roberts
Don’t Know much about the American Presidents Kenneth C. Davis
Midnight Awakening Lara Adrian
e The Wedding Shroud Elisabeth Storrs
e The Winter Sea Susanna Kearsley
Notorious Nineteen Janet Evanovich
e Bountiful Creek Steven B. Weissman
Midnight Rising Lara Adrian
Veil of Midnight Lara Adrian
Ashes of Midnight Lara Adrian
Shades of Midnight Lara Adrian
Taken by Midnight Lara Adrian
Deeper than Midnight Lara Adrian
Darker after Midnight Lara Adrian
A taste of Midnight Lara Adrian
e The Rose Garden Susanna Kearsley
e Edge of Dawn Lara Adrian
Calculated in Death J D Robb
Pillars of the Earth Ken Follett
e World without End Ken Follett
Beyond the Sling Mayim Bialik
Those who save us Jenna Blum
The Goddess Inheritance Aimee Carter
e  Night Drake Lara Adrian
e The Apothecary's Daughter Julie Klassen
e Elisie Barbara Waite
Allegiance Sworn Kylie Griffin
Origin Jessica Khoury
Dark Triumph Robin LaFevers
e Blackout Connie Willis
e All Clear Connie Willis
e Call the Midwife Jennifer Worth
Whiskey Beach Nora Roberts
e Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End Jennifer Worth
e Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse Jennifer Worth
The Ashford Affair Lauren Willig
e Dead Ever After Charlaine Harris
e Somewhere in Time Barbara Bretton
Silent Truth Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love
The Business of Baby
e Mariana Susanna Kearsley
e The Firebird Susanna Kearsley
e The Boleyn King Laura Andersen
e The Seamstress: A memoir of Survival Sara Tuvel Bernstein
e The Shadowy Horses Susanna Kearsley
e The Garden Cottage Diaries Fiona J Houston
e The Midnight Breed Series Companion Lara Adrian
e The Preacher's Bride Jody Hedlund
e The Remnant: Jewish resistance in WWII Othniel Selden
e The Long Lonely Road TJ Reeder
The House Girl Tara Conklin
The Dust Bowl: an Illustrated history Dayton Duncan & Ken Burns
Omnivore's Dilemma Michael Pollan
Shirley Jones: A memoir Shirley Jones
Sarah's Key Tatiana De Rosnay
The False Prince jennifer Nielsen
Twice Tempted Jeaniene Frost
Orphan train Christina Baker Kline
Rise Andrea Cremer
Thankless in Death JD Robb
e White Lions Lady Lara Adrian
e Black Lions Bride Lara Adrian
Lady of Valor Lara Adrian
e Through a Dark Mist Mars Canham
e For I have sinned Darynda Jones
Time Traveler's guide to Elizabethan England Ian Mortimer
Bone Season Samantha Shannon
e House of Hades Rick Riordan
Notorious Royal Marriages Leslie Carroll
Mirror Mirror J D Robb, et al.
The Assassination of the Archduke Greg King & Sue Woolmans
Queens Consort Lisa Hilton
e After Dead Charlaine Harris
e Boleyn Deceit Laura Andersen
Emerald Green Kerstin Gier
Dark Witch Nora Roberts
Dragonwriter: a tribute to Anne McCaffrey & Pern Todd McCaffrey
The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield
The Given Sacrifice SM Stirling
Teardrop Lauren Kate
Salt Sugar Fat: How the food giants hooked us Michael Moss
Takedown Twenty Janet Evanovich
A Woman in Berlin: 8 weeks in the conquered City Anonymous
The Royal Ranger John Flanagan
Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death 
Conspiracy in Death