Top Books [Authors] for 2013

When I looked back on my list of books for 2013 (thanks to goodreads.com), there were 48 to which I gave 5 out of 5 stars. I noticed as I read through the list of 48 that many of them were from my favorite authors and wondered whether I should say "My Top Authors for 2013" rather than "My Top Books for 2013."

1.  Kerstin Gier.
Probably my favorite series for 2013 is The Ruby Red Trilogy (Young Adult Fiction) and I could also say that those three books are three of my favorites for 2013. I read books #1 (Ruby Red) and #2 (Sapphire Blue) in 2012, and re-read them in 2013. Book #3, Emerald Green, came out in 2013, and I was so excited to get my hands on it!  This is a time travel series (one of my favorite kinds of books).  I wish more of Gier's books were translated from German to English.  This was a great series and I was sad it was only a trilogy.

2.  Janette Rallison.  
I have been a fan of Rallison's for years now.  I read several of her books for the first time this year.  Here are the ones that ranked five out of five stars.
1. Revenge of the Cheerleaders (YA Fiction).
2. Fame, Glory and Other Things on My To Do List (YA Fiction).
3. Blue Eyes and Other Teenage Hazards (YA Fiction).
I also re-read a couple of my 2012 favorites by Rallison.
1.  Masquerade (maybe YA Fiction?).
2. A Longtime (and at one point illegal) Crush ( maybe YA Fiction?).

3. Charles Todd.
Several years ago, my friend QV recommended a book to me that was by Charles Todd.  I put off reading it for a long time but, when I finally did, I was hooked.  I have to admit that all of their books (a mother/son writing team) are somewhat depressing.  I know I read a lot of fluff (chick lit, fantasy fiction, LDS fiction, etc.) but, even if I did not, this Charles Todd stuff is pretty somber reading. Both series are set in World War I, bring out the atrocities of war, and involve murders that have to be solved and resolved. This year, several Charles Todd books made it to the five-of-five-stars category.
1. Wings of Fire (Book 2 of the Ian Rutledge series--the more somber of the two series I have read by Charles Todd).
2. Legacy of the Dead (Book 4 of the Ian Rutledge series).

4.  Alexander McCall Smith.
I think Alexander McCall Smith is an acquired taste--and I have acquired it. :o)  There are a couple of his series that I dislike but the rest are great!  Several of his books made it to the five-of-five-star list.
1. The Dog who Came in from the Cold (Book 2, Corduroy Mansions).
2. A Conspiracy of Friends (Book 3, Corduroy Mansions).
3. The Importance of Being Seven (Book 6 of 44 Scotland Street).
4. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (Book 13 in #1 Ladies' Detective Agency).

5.  Jennifer A. Nielsen.
While I have read just two of Nielsen's books, I really liked both of them and I am anxiously awaiting publication of the third in the series.
1. The False Prince (I read it in 2012 and it is Book 1 in The Ascendance Trilogy).  (YA Fiction.)
2. The Runaway King (Book 2 in The Ascendance Trilogy). (YA Fiction.)

6.  Carla Kelly.
I am a bit reluctant to add her as a favorite author of 2013, except that I read two of her books this year and both made it to the five-out-of-five-stars list.  She has published a lot of romance books, not all of which would be up to my standards. I started one from her earlier days that I had to stop reading.  She is LDS and has moved back to Utah.  I believe the books published since her return to Utah by Cedar Fort would be LDS standards. These two were.
1.  Safe Passage.
2.  Borrowed Light (Book 1 of Borrowed Light series).

7.  Sarah M. Eden.
I just love some of Sarah Eden's books (The Kiss of a Stranger, The Lancaster Sisters series, the Jonquil Brothers series) and I am eagerly waiting the reprinting of some of her earlier books.
1. Drops of Gold (Book 2 of the Jonquil Brothers series).

8.  Ivan Doig.
I think Ivan Doig is also an acquired taste and I have to be in a particular mood to listen to his books.  For both of his books that I "read" this year, I listened to the audio book version, which I think enhanced the reading experience of this author's works for me.
1. The Whistling Season.
2. The Bartender's Tale.

9.  Cora Harrison.
Her other books have made it on my "Top Ten" lists before.  I love her Burren series (Ireland, lady judge, married to the king, runs a school for training lawyers).  Reading these books makes me have to listen to Irish music. :o)
1. Laws in Conflict (Book 8 in the Burren series).

10.  Marissa Meyer.
The first book in the Lunar Chronicles series Cinder made it on my top ten list last year.  The second book in the series makes it on my list this year.
1.  Scarlet (Book 2 in the Lunar Chronicles series). (YA Fiction.)

11.  Sian Ann Bessey.
I have enjoyed reading a lot of Sian Bessey's books this year (LDS fiction) and one of her more recent ones earned five stars from me.
1.  You Came For Me.

12.  Nancy Allen Campbell.
I read all of her books we had in our school library.  Some made it to the five-star list.
1.  Isabelle Webb: Legend of the Jewel (Book 1 in the Isabelle Webb series).
2.  Isabelle Webb: The Pharaoh's Daughter (Book 2 in the Isabelle Webb series). (Just an aside: Book 3 was a disappointment.)
3. Love Beyond Time (Book 1 in the Time series--time travel).

13.  Lisa Tawn Bergren.
I have enjoyed reading The River of Time series (time travel).  Books 1 and 2 made it to the five-star list. The farther into the series I've read, the fewer the stars I give them so I am not raving about this series at this point, but those two books did get five stars from me.  Maybe that is why she is in the "lucky" 13th spot. Ha! I would like to try other books by Bergren (a Christian fiction author) because she has such likable characters.

Best Audio Book for 2013
The best audio book I listened to this year was Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol that was at the lds.org site.  It was a dramatized version that really brought the story to life for me and really touched me.

Best Christian Fiction (as opposed to LDS fiction) for 2013
Meine gute.  I have read/listened to a LOT of Christian fiction this year.  Most of it ranks at three of five stars.  This was one book that made it to the top of my list.  I don't recall it being a five-star book but perhaps it benefited from comparison to the other, in my opinion, lesser Christian fiction books I have made it through this year. I do like how Klassen uses the English language.
1.  The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen.

Two Excellent Non-fiction Books for 2013
1. Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky.
 2. This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV by Bob Schieffer (I loved listening to this on audio book).

Some stand-alone recommendations.
1. Reality Check by Karen Tuft.**
2. A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn (I re-read this in 2013).**
3. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody.**
4. The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell.**
5. Variant by Robison Wells.**
6. A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz.
7. Through the Ever Night (Book 2 in the Ever Night series) by Veronica Rossi.
8.  Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster.
9. Dark Angel by Robert Kirby.

And there you have it for 2013!