Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Favorite Books and Songs of 2013 Thus Far

Time for another mid-year check in point! Hard to believe 2013 is more than half over already.

Unusual for me, I haven't read a huge amount of books this year so far. I was studying for the bar exam the first few months of the year and then I was re-reading The Mortal Instruments series. Plus, my absolute favorites of the year haven't been released yet. But I have read a few...Here are my favorite books that I've read so far in 2013:

Top Ten Young Adult Books of 2013 Thus Far:



*This list only includes released books.


1. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

I finally read The Infernal Devices series and I fell in love with it like so many other readers. Clockwork Princess finishes off the series with a bang. I thought the resolution was perfect.



Hot, edgy romance featuring a good boy and a bad girl. The companion novel to Pushing The Limits is impossible to put down.



A dystopian retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. For Darkness Shows the Stars has a well-developed, beautiful romance set in a backdrop of class conflicts, family drama, and betrayal.



I'm addicted to the Bloodlines series. Each book gets better and better. It's hard to believe, but I like it better than Vampire Academy.



Scarlet is a companion novel / sequel to Cinder. Marissa manages to tell a brand-new story based on Little Red Riding Hood featuring a new cast of characters and also draw in the characters from Cinder in a way that makes both stories stronger.


6. Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

More assassin nuns! Dark Triumph is also a companion novel / sequel - a follow-up to Grave Mercy. A very dark but passionate romance.



A whirlwind romance in a single day really can change everything. The highest highs and the lowest lows. Just One Day is a book that sticks with you long after you read it.



Another winning contemporary romance from Miranda. Kate is "good" girl, uber religious. Judgmental. In one summer, Kate grapples with her conceptions of right and wrong and comes out better for it. Oh, and there's a boy in the mix.



The sequel to my #1 book of 2012, The False Prince. Sage has ascended to the Carthyan throne. To thwart a planned assassination and threat of war, Sage goes on the run. Very different in style from The False Prince, but still full of action.



Yet another version of a beloved plot: regular girl meets big time movie star. Movie star falls in love with said girl. Somehow Jennifer managed to make the story arc feel original - or if not original, fun enough that you don't care.

Top Ten Songs of 2013 Thus Far


I'm a huge music fan. I know a lot of you are as well. There have been so many great tunes this year. I'm going to do a list of my favorite songs, since I don't have a good list of ten albums. It's hard to choose just ten songs, but I'll try...

1. Harlem by New Politics

-Fun, catchy. Great workout song. My favorite description of New Politics: Hot hipsters. Not only that - hot European hipsters (somehow that does make a difference).

2. Complicated Creation by Cloud Cult

-Maybe my favorite band. I love how they mix a fast tempo with really contemplative lyrics.

3. Pompeii by Basille

-A really beautiful song. Pompeii topped the charts in the UK and is just starting to get popular in the US.

4. San Francisco by The Mowgli's

-You will never hear a sweeter or happier tune than this. I like this lyrics video better than the official video.

5. Tessellate by alt-J

-Darkly beautiful. Kinda different. I also love their songs Breezeblocks and Dissolve Me. Not a huge fan of the video.

6. Lover's Revolution by Iron and Wine

-I love everything Iron and Wine has ever done.

7. Demons by The National

-Another one of my auto-buy bands. Demons is my favorite song on the new album.

8. Miracle Mile by Cold War Kids

-I'd forgotten about Cold War Kids, even though I own two of their albums. Then they came out with this awesome song.

9. Dreaming by Smallpools

-Catchy tune from a new band.

10. Merry Go 'Round by Kacey Musgraves

-I don't usually like country, but this has some of the smartest lyrics I've heard in a very long time. A dark, cynical song.

12 comments:

  1. Nice book selections! I'm really intrigued by Clockwork series, I haven't even read any of the books.

    You have interesting song choices, too. I haven't heard about any of them :)

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  3. I loved Clockwork Princess and Indigo Spell, they would also make my favourites list:) I really want to read For darkness shows the stars, since I loved Persuasion.

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  4. I love checking out other bloggers' musical taste-in this case, I only know two of the songs (Ellie Goulding covered Tessellate and the Kacey Musgraves) which means I have lots of new bands to check out!

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  5. I say YES to ALL THE BOOKS!! I loved each and every one of those. As for the music -- yay for new music to explore (I knew a couple but not all).

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  6. Totally agree with Scarlet - it blew me away far more than Cinder did (and it had a LOT to beat!).
    I love Pompeii too, Bastille are something completely different for me, I love all their songs.

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  7. Awesome choices in books and songs :)

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  8. Awesome list! I really liked Clockwork Princess and Scarlet and For Darkness Shows the Stars was a reread this year that I absolutely LOVE!!!!! I just read the Lost Prince last week and am now getting ready to read the Runaway King. I'm glad you liked it!

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  9. Great list, I've heard TONS of great stuff about clockwork Princess and Scarlet. Some of the others I'm not so familiar with, but will go check out. As for a few of those contempt, uh not so sure I'd like them.

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  10. I am loving those music picks! Bookmarking this post so I can listen to them all at work tomorrow : )

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  11. You legitimately have the best taste in music! I loved ALL of those songs/bands. And then all of the books are pretty great as well. (:

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  12. I also LOVED Scarlet and The Runaway King. I especially like the fact that both were different from the original. They have their own feel, but the same characters, which made them new and exciting! That's what I love in a good sequel, is that marked difference. I don't want just a continuation, I want something MORE.

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