In no particular order, my favorite books of the year were The Baby-sitters Club #1-4 by Anne M. Martin, Fog by Caroline B. Cooney, Halloween: Magic, Mystery and the Macabre, The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher, Carrie by Stephen King, Into Great Silence by Eva Saulitis, The Templeton Twins Have an Idea by Ellis Weiner, The Ultra Violets by Sophie Bell, The Dark by Lemony Snicket, and Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner.
The Baby-sitters Club #1-4 is probably cheating, as I didn't actually read the anthology version of these four books. But the four of them were equally enjoyable and nostalgic, and I really look forward to rereading more of the series during 2014. My review of Kristy's Great Idea can be found here.
Fog is the first book of Caroline B. Cooney's Losing Christina series, and it was a much better book than I expected it to be. It was entertaining, well-written, and delightfully creepy, and I'm planning on reading the rest of the trilogy as soon as I can track down copies of the books. My review of Fog can be found here.
Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre was a horror anthology I got from Netgalley; I read it this October to get in the mood for Halloween, and it was definitely a pleasant surprise. While some of the stories fell flat, others were absolutely fantastic; my review of Halloween can be found here.
The Wig in the Window was another ARC I received, and it was as great a read as I'd hoped. Being a fan of Middle Grade fiction, I really enjoyed the youthful charm of the plot, the characters, and the cover, and I'll be on the lookout for more from Kittscher. My review of The Wig in the Window can be found here.
Carrie made it onto my 2013 schedule only because the release of the movie; if it hadn't been for that, I probably wouldn't have gotten around to it for a long time. I'm glad I did, though; the writing style was a little weird and I was definitely already familiar with the plot, but it was still a great read. I'm looking forward to inching my way through the rest of the Stephen King books I own.
Into Great Silence was an Edelweiss ARC, and it was a really fascinating memoir about Eva Saulitis and her orca research. The book was educational, which I love, but it was also surprisingly emotional. My review of Into Great Silence can be found here.
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, but it was a fun read nonethless. The narration is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket's in A Series of Unfortunate Events, but with a snarkier, more confrontational edge than Snicket's melancholy and wit. I have a copy of the sequel, so I'll definitely be reading that when I get the chance, and hopefully it'll be just as good--or better!--than the first.
The Ultra Violets was a pleasant surprise. From the delightful Cartoon Network style art to the pop-culture reference-laden writing, it was a fun ride. Though the plot was fairly straight-forward, I found myself laughing out loud; I can't wait to read more of the series.
The Dark was a picture book from Lemony Snicket, which I can say surprised me. I didn't think Daniel Handler would be writing anything under the Lemony Snicket name other than the A Series of Unfortunate Events universe, but I'm glad he did. The Dark was a surprisingly emotional story in such few pages, and I found it really charming. It definitely revitalized my love of Snicket's work, and I'm more eager than ever to get my hands on his new series. My review of The Dark can be found here.
Mr. Wuffles! was a picture book that I honestly didn't expect to be impressed by. But it was really cute and surprisingly entertaining. If David Wiesner's other books are anything like this one, I'll definitely read more. My review of Mr Wuffles! can be found here.
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