Books Read in 2013

So long, 2013, and hasta la vista to the 56 books I read in the last 365 days. That's the same number I finished in 2012, although since 2012 had an extra day, being Leap Year and all, it's almost like I read more in 2013.

I seem to have read a lot of e-books and audiobooks this year, which isn't really good news for all the real books that are languishing on my shelves (four BILLY bookcases and counting!). I should make some sort of resolution for 2014 like e-book, audiobook, real book, real book. Because resolutions always last.

So here is a list of the books I finished in 2013. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook/iPod Touch; (A) means they were audiobooks; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? "Redshirts," by John Scalzi; the six books that made up Stephen King's "The Green Mile"; "Sacré Bleu," by Christopher Moore; and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," by Ian Fleming, because it was read by David Tennant.

January
1. Jake Howard's Wife, by Anne Mather (R)
2. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, by Amy Sedaris (A)
3. Tess of the d'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy (A) (E)

February
4. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
5. Redshirts, by John Scalzi
6. Doctor Who: The Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards (E)

March
7. Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
8. Never Sit in the Exit Row, by Denise Howard (E)
9. Doctor Who: The Taking of Chelsea 426, by David Llewellyn (E)
10. The Two Dead Girls (The Green Mile, Book 1), by Stephen King

April
11. A Loving Scoundrel, by Johanna Lindsey (A)
12. The Mouse on the Mile (The Green Mile, Book 2), by Stephen King
13. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (E)
14. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, by Maggie O'Farrell (A)
15. Birth Marks, by Sarah Dunant
16. Roast Mortem, by Cleo Coyle (E)

May
17. Damned, by Chuck Palahniuk (A)
18. The Rose Hotel, by Rahimeh Andalibian (E)
19. Serenity Volume Three: The Shepherd's Tale, by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, and Chris Samnee
20. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, by David Sedaris (A)
21. The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson
22. Coffey's Hands (The Green Mile, Book 3), by Stephen King
23. Love Virtually, by Daniel Glattauer
24. The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix (The Green Mile, Book 4), by Stephen King
25. War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo

June
26. Son, by Lois Lowry
27. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (E)
28. Sacré Bleu, by Christopher Moore (A)
29. Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich (E)
30. Doctor Who: Marco Polo, by John Lucarotti (E)
31. Night Journey (The Green Mile, Book 5), by Stephen King
32. Pieces of My Heart, by Robert J. Wagner (A)
33. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

July
34. Coffey on the Mile (The Green Mile, Book 6), by Stephen King
35. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, by Ian Fleming (A)
36. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
37. Death Comes to Pemberley, by P.D. James (E)
38. Doctor Who: A Big Hand for the Doctor, by Eoin Colfer (E)
39. Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger (A)
40. The Brief History of the Dead, by Kevin Brockmeier
41. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler
42. Doctor Who and the Crusaders, by David Whitaker (E)

August
43. The Romanov Bride, by Robert Alexander
44. The Boy in the Suitcase, by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (E)
45. Cheaper By The Dozen, by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
46. About A Boy, by Nick Hornby

September
47. Through Violet Eyes, by Stephen Woodworth
48. My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier

October
49. A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin (E)
50. The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket (R)
51. A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin (E)

November
52. A Storm of Swords, by George R.R. Martin (E)

December
53. The Blue Lagoon, by Henry De Vere Stacpoole (E)
54. Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins (E)
55. Doctor Who: Planet of Giants, by Terrence Dicks (E)
56. An Unexpected Song, by Iris Johansen

Damned, by Chuck Palahniuk

Borrowed this unabridged audiobook from my local library. Read by Tai Sammons. This is my first Chuck Palahniuk book, and I liked it. Even though I found it completely gross and repulsive and meandering and inconsistent at times, I can forgive all for validating my opinion that viewing "The English Patient" is so great a punishment that it should be served only on those consigned to Hell for all eternity. I loved the irreverent dark humor and will definitely keep my eyes, and ears, out for more by Palahniuk.

Roast Mortem, by Cleo Coyle

Read on my Kindle. This is the ninth installment of Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery series and I have mixed feelings about it. I really liked the look inside the workings of an FDNY house, but the execution of the story felt kind of clunky. The metaphors were a little too obvious; the dialogue was a little too unnatural; the recipes were a little too numerous; the characters were acting a little too much out of character; and the plot was a little too much like the TV series "House" (this is what happened! no? then this must be it. no? then how about this? no? does this work? i knew it all along.). To top it off, the Kindle edition I read was riddled with typos. I don't know if the print version suffered the same fate; I tend to think "probably" since the first few books of the series had the same problem.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Read on my Kindle. I didn't have high expectations for zombies at Longbourne, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they blended into the story. It was amusing to go back and forth between this book and Jane Austen's original and realize just how much snark came from her; it gave me a whole new appreciation of the source material. I thought this was really well done and quite satisfying.

Doctor Who: The Devil in the Smoke, by Justin Richards

I was thrilled to find this book available through my local library's digital lending program. For some reason, I have been too frugal to pay the less than $3 that amazon.com is asking for it. This was an entertaining story that sort-of-kind-of tied in with the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas special, "The Snowmen," in that it featured Madame Vastra, Jenny, Strax, and snowmen in Victorian England. But it's the devil in the smoke who is the villain of this story, and even though the Doctor and his beautiful blue box don't make an appearance, I liked it, and I would recommend it to any fan of the Eleventh Doctor.