Best Books Read in 2013

December brings the holidays, but it also brings something dear to the heart of readers’ advisors everywhere in libraries across the land – the advent of best books of the year lists. I love to see what reviewers pick as their bests of the year, but I have my own list of the best books I have read this year. Not all my best books were published in 2013 as I am usually woefully behind on my reading list, but all the books were memorable for one reason or another. I also seem to have more than 10 books for my list this year since I read so many excellent books. So I have broken down my list into categories. First up is the category of older books (published before 2013) that made my best list.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, published in 2011, is the author’s reworking of the nineteenth century novel’s prevalent marriage plot. Eugenides’ love triangle, set mostly at Brown University in the 1980s, consists of English major Madeleine who is attracted to bipolar student Leonard while divinity student Mitchell secretly longs to marry her. After graduation Madeleine helps Leonard through a breakdown while Mitchell works as a volunteer in India, all of them struggling to find their path in life. As an English major who lives in Rhode Island, I can totally relate to the setting of Brown University and the discussions of literary theories in Madeline’s seminars. More importantly, I admire Eugenides’ skillful modernization of the marriage plot, making it new and fresh for the contemporary reader.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, published in 2012, is a well crafted first novel that addresses the post-apocalyptic theme so popular in teen fiction. But Heller writes for grown-ups; no teens rebelling against the dystopian regime in his novel. In Heller’s world, life changes forever when a horrific flu pandemic kills off a large portion of the population. Hig survives although he lost his wife and everyone he knows. Now all he has left is his plane, his dog and one grumpy, gun crazy neighbor. When Hig overhears a radio signal on one of his flights, he goes in search of the source and what he finds in himself and the people he meets is more surprising than any of his expectations. What I loved about The Dog Stars is that Heller’s spare language and descriptions of nature convey the essence of a world where everything once known has become unknown, where both the best and the worst in people has survived.

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, published in 2011, deals with a singular situation; millions of people disappear in a Rapture-like event, leaving those remaining to deal with their grief and bewilderment as best they can. Many cannot comprehend why non-Christians were taken, bad Christians were taken, only some family members were taken, and they were not taken. Perrotta focuses on these very human reactions by following a group of characters left behind. The Garveys are very affected by the situation. Laurie joins the silent cult of the Guilty Remnant while her son Tom follows a questionable prophet, and her husband Kevin, the town mayor, and her daughter Jill are left to blunder their way through the life of the leftovers. Perrotta is skilled at examining the ordinariness of life in the face of extraordinary circumstances, leaving the reader thinking about The Leftovers long after the last page is read.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, published in 2012, is just plain fun – irreverent and quirky. Set in Seattle, a city that Semple does not hesitate to lampoon for its hipster, computer geek, coffee house culture, Semple’s clever novel is at heart a story of family relationships, especially the bond between mother and daughter. Eighth-grader Bee's request for a family trip to Antarctica is too much for her mother Bernadette, a woman so isolated and socially inept that she hired a virtual assistant in India to handle her life. Just before the trip, Bernadette vanishes, and a heartbroken Bee investigates. I love the way Semple constructs the novel from e-mails, memos and even medical bills strung together by Bee’s narrative as she searches for her mother. Essentially, the entire novel is the answer to the question posed in the title – Where’d You Go, Bernadette.

Okay, that’s it for this installment of my best books read in 2013. Next I’ll tackle the best teen fiction I read in 2013.

What are the best books you read in 2013?

 (I’m reading Havisham by Ronald Frame right now.  What are you reading?)