Best Reads of 2013

Quantity-wise, 2013 wasn't an awesome reading year for me. Read the least number of books in the five years that I've been counting the books I read per year. It was a measly 34.

Still, at the beginning of the year, I did think of reading less. Or more accurately, not to pressure myself to read a lot for the sake of reading a lot, what with the increasing demands of work and family and, oh, life. And though I did sign up for a challenge at the beginning of the year, somewhere towards the middle, I figured I'd just read what I wanted to read. I think not having a lot of time does that to you.

So though quantity-wise, it wasn't a great year, I'm kind of happy with what I've read this year. Mainly because each minute spent reading was a hard-fought minute. Hard-fought.

I carried books around for days without reading them, on the off-chance that I could get a free and relaxed minute to actually read. I spent more time in our bathroom than I had right to, just so I could steal some time to read. I forewent a few hours of sleep, just to get some reading in.

And if my boss or other co-workers ask me, "You still have time to read?" that's because it's a legitimate question. But my answer's just as legitimate: "I find time." Because in these times of not-having-enough-time, if I didn't fight for my minutes of reading, then I would have lost a big part of what made me who I am. And there is currently enough transitioning in my life right now that I don't want to lose that basic tenet of who I am. I am a reader. I read.

Anyway, enough about my hard-fought minutes for reading (of which, ok, I'm very proud). Here, then, are ten of the books I fought hard to read, which gave me the greatest pleasure doing so, in one way or another: (arranged in the order I finished them)

1. How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees - Easily one of the funniest books I've read in my life. David Rees has seriously/sarcastically written a book about the lost art of sharpening one's own pencils. And if you wonder how that topic can fill an entire book and be hilarious, then I urge you to try it out.
2. Wonder by R. J. Palacios - Recommended by an eight-year-old niece, the book deals with an extremely disfigured child and his adjustment to regular school. Made all the more powerful as it's told from different kids' points of view. 
3. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay - Read this on a weekend binge of trying out new adult romance. This one wasn't one of the bestsellers, but it was one of the highest rated. And though the writing might not approach the other books on this list, I still consider it as one of my best reads because it did surprise me by being more put-together, sweet, and painful than the other books I read that weekend.
4. Empire Falls by Richard Russo - I have a love for good characters who are nonetheless ineffective in life. And for characters grappling with the hand that life has dealt them, even in their small-town politics kind of way. This book has them in abundance. Plus, the ending is a whopper. 
5. Blizzard of One by Mark Strand - Strand is one of my favorite poets. I read this very short book in the course of a month, one to two poems a day. They were like my prayer. Some I loved, some I only liked. But there was always a line somewhere that made me stop and stare off into the distance. 
6. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo - Again, one of the books on this list that I don't think has amazing writing, but counts as one of my best reads because it surprised me. I bought it for the ghosts and the fantasy in an Asian setting, and a tenth in, I was ready to write it off as a predictable romance. But it wasn't, and that's the best kind of thing when reading.
7. House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski - I finally read this book this year, and I'm actually loathe to include it in my list because I get this weird feeling that I'm not worthy enough to include it in my Best Reads list. I don't pretend to understand every little reference the book has or every influence it took from, but man, was it a tour-de-force. And you'd think that a book as physically difficult to read as that would be boring, but it isn't. Not by a long shot. 
8. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - I read this in one night. Started around midnight, stayed up until 5am. And though I initially said I liked Eleanor & Park better, in hindsight, I seem to return to Fangirl more. Perhaps because I'm not well-versed in fan fiction, and the book taught me an appreciation for it and its writers. Perhaps because the characters are more wounded. In any case, it was a great read.
9. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton - I think there's something to be said for spending as long a time as you can with a book because you want to relish it. This was a book I was glad to relish. Lovely character studies, fascinating mystery. And I'm a sucker for a discussion on truth and how we know it, which this book has in abundance.
10. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed - Another book I relished, simply because I don't think one can read it properly straight through. I used to read 1-3 letters a day, because that was all the beautiful and painful truth from Sugar that I could handle. I'm not a fan of advice columns, but if Strayed were still writing, I'd probably write to her repeatedly until she answers one of my letters.

If you've read any of them, do let me know what you think. As usual, I would love to talk about them with a fellow reader.

And on to another reading year. A Happy 2014 to all of you!