“The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t read.†~Abraham Lincoln
TODAY, SATURDAY December 28th (and all this week), is a special edition of the Saturday Review of Books especially for booklists. You can link to a list of your favorite books read in 2013, a list of all the books you read in 2013, a list of the books you plan to read in 2014, or any other end of the year or beginning of the year list of books. Whatever your list, it’s time for book lists. So link to yours, especially if I missed it and it’s not already here.
Welcome to the Saturday Review of Books at Semicolon. Here’s how it usually works. Find a book review on your blog posted sometime during the previous week. The review doesn’t have to be a formal sort of thing. You can link to your thoughts on a particular book, a few ideas inspired by reading the book, your evaluation, quotations, whatever.
Then on Friday night/Saturday, you post a link here at Semicolon in Mr. Linky to the specific post where you’ve written your book review. Don’t link to your main blog page because this kind of link makes it hard to find the book review, especially when people drop in later after you’ve added new content to your blog. In parentheses after your name, add the title of the book you’re reviewing. This addition will help people to find the reviews they’re most interested in reading.
However, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks gathering up some lists I could find and linking to them here. Scroll down to see the lists I’ve already linked to along with book advisory suggestions from yours truly. Perhaps you’ll see something in all these lists that will call to you and set your reading agenda for the next week or even year.
If I didn’t get your list linked ahead of time and if you leave your list in the linky below along with a comment, I’ll try to advise you, too, in the comments section of this post.
Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.
For Amy at Hope Is the Word: For her read aloud time, I suggest either THe Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright or The Book of THree by Lloyd Alexander, both on this list of my favorite readalouds, http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=18171
For her personal reading, Mrs. Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson, a wonderful, light velly British story of a woman who writes a (dangerous) book.
For Carol at A Living Pencil I have three suggestions: Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson, The Dancing Priest by Glynn Young, and The Little Way of Ruthie Leming by Rod Dreher.
For Becky, who reads even more voraciously than I do, one classic and one classic children’s book: Adam Bede by George Eliot and THe Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier.
For Alice at Supratentorial: Have you and your boys read Frindle by Andrew Clements? For your own reading, I do urge you to get around to Connie Willis’s time travel books: Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, and the two WWII books, Blackout and All Clear. Also Wendell Berry is well worth your reading time.
Sherry, *thank you* for your recommendations. I always think of your choice for me a few years back (City of Tranquil Light…which after I read it, I bought a dozen copies to give away). D.E. Stevenson has been on my radar for a few years, but I’ve not read any titles yet. I’m not at all familiar with The Dancing Priest, so I’m eager to check it out. Why I haven’t already read The Little Way is a mystery to me.
Your post years ago about “fascinations” has adhered to my consciousness. It crystallized some thoughts for me. This year I read books about islands, motherless children, conversion, recovery, noncompliance with evil: all themes that fascinate me.
Happy Reading in 2014!
Thanks for faithfully hosting this each week, Sherry. (And thanks for the recommendation in the comments above.)
Thanks for the recs, Sherry! We have read Frindle, that’s the book that got them hooked on Clements. I do plan on reading Connie Willis this year. Thanks for hosting each week.
Thanks so much for the recs! I’m going to start the read aloud year off with Lloyd Alexander, I think.
Uh-oh. My to-read list is going to grow by leaps and bounds after reading through these lists. 🙂 But thanks for hosting. It’s a problem I’ve got to learn to deal with. ha.
Thank you for providing a great way to compare books read in 2013! Great idea!
Loving this special edition, Sherry! Thanks for hosting – it’s great to be able to see what everyone’s read in 2013 and planning to read in 2014! 🙂
For Barbara last year, I suggested The Little Minister by J.M. Barrie and Walking from East to West by Ravi Zacharias. I’m not sure she’s managed to get around to those yet, so I’ll commend them to her attention again. Also, A Wilder Rose: Rose Wilder Lane, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and their Little Houses by Susan Wittig Albert, although it might be somewhat disillusioning for a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I liked it.
Jessica, I’m reading a Wodehouse book right now called Uneasy Money (not Bertie and Jeeves), and I think you’d like it. Also, I just finished Miss Buncle’s Book and Miss Buncle Married, both by D.E. Stevenson. I’m recommending those two to lots of people. So much fun.
Hope, I highly recommend Josephine Tey’s Daughter of Time, historical investigation and mystery combined. It’s one of my favorites. And I see on your “Classics Club” list that you haven’t yet read To Kill a Mockingbird? Oh, hie thee to a library or bookstore and grab a copy.
Harvee, how about Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin, very sad but good reading. And as far as mysteries go, I liked January Justice by Athol Dickson and Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand.
Sherry, I appreciate the book recommendations that you have left for me and hope to be reading some of them in 2014. Just leaving the full 2013 list here! Happy New Year.
For Lisa: Booked Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior and Death by Living by N.D. Wilson. I really enjoyed poking around your blog, Lisa, and seeing what books you’ve enjoyed.
For Diane at Bookwinked: Old School by Tobias Wolff and Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry.
Laura Francis at Black by Popular Demand likes funny and food. I suggest Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan (not funny and not about food) and The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister.
For Glynn, I would not dare to recommend, since I am not his wife nor am I a poetry expert (I just know what I like, as the philistine says). However, Eldest Daughter is reading Bird’s Nest in Your Hair by Brian Jobe, a novel with poetry. I’m not sure because it may be weird. But maybe not, or maybe good weird.
A bit tardy this week. We were out in internet-free places.
Thanks for the recommendations, Sherry. I do have Ravi’s book on my TBR list. I haven’t read anything by Barrie – that might be a good one to start with. A Wilder Rose might be interesting – I have read a bit of their backgrounds.
Sherry: I love your blog! I read it faithfully. I’m not much of a book blogger but I do it once a year for your linky! 🙂
Thanks, Sherry, for your weekly post of book reviews. I look forward to it each week. Can’t wait to delve into everybody’s lists!
I’m late to the party, as usual, but I’ve linked-up my top books of 2013. 🙂 I’m planning on doing a “most anticipated reads of 2014” post at some point, but we’re in the midst of getting moved into a new home, so I’m not sure how quickly I’ll have it up. Would it be acceptable to come back here and link that up, too, once I’ve got it posted?
Sheila, have you read City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell? And for nonfiction, I’d suggest The Girl in the Picture by Denise Chong.
For Beckie, Dancing Priest and A Light Shining, both by Glynn Young.
And Hannah Elise, of course, I’d love to see your “most anticipated” list, and you are welcome and even urged to link to it here. For you, Hannah, I’ll recommend The More With Less Cookbook by Doris Jantzen Longacre, an oldie but goodie. And maybe you would enjoy reading The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer?
I posted two links, the first to a list of most of what I read in 2013, the second to what I intend to read in 2014. I have not blogged much this year, but have high hopes I’ll be able to resume in 2014. Thank you for hosting this again. I’m sorry I’m a bit late to this review!
Thank you so much for linking me up! I see a good number of lists here – looks like I’m going to be adding a lot of books to my TBR now!
Hi Sherry,
Thanks for including a link to my best reads of 2013 list! You have a neat blog.
Laura
Thanks for making a place to find book lists. I look forward to reading them! And thanks for letting me include my own.
Sherry, Just purchased the 2 books by Glynn Young you recommended. Only $2.99 each for Kindle!
Thanks for including a link to my blog!
Fantastic round-up! Thanks for including my best of 2013 post.
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Hi Sherry! I don’t think I requested any recommendations last year, knowing what kind of a year it might be, but this year, I might be able to follow through if you have any thoughts. 🙂 A happy New Year to you and yours!!