In spirit of my previous post, here’s a list of books I’m really looking forward to reading this year, if I manage to find the time. I’ve set my sights on 40 books this year… and the following top the to-read list.

Some are a bit old, and have been sitting on my reading list for a while, but will hopefully be covered in 2014.

Expectations are high for all of them, so let’s hope they deliver:

The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt) – Already 11% in (thank you for the update, Kindle) and so far so good. Writers sometime struggle to capture the teenage voice, making it sound so whiny and unpolished, ugh! Yet Donna Tartt has so far been spot on – Theo Decker so far seems unique and real, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story will develop. Having topped a number of “Book of the Year” list, expectations are high on this one.

 S. (JJ Abrams) – Well, it’s JJ Abrams!! Yes, he of Lost, Fringe, Alias, Star Trek, Mission Impossible and Super 8 fame (oh… and the new Star Wars). So, of course, have to read it. Add on top the concept of a book within a book within a book, and I’m sold.

The Girl With All the Gifts (Mike Carey) – Have read Carey for a while, enjoyed his Felix Castor novels and his graphic novels. Reviews for this sci-fi/fantasy adventure have been amazing… so looking forward to getting my hands on this one.

Life After Life (Kate Atkinson) – Another one in many top 10 books of the year, earning comparisons with The Time Traveler’s Wife… has to be read.

The Bone Season (Samantha Shannon) – Very interested about this book. Reviews have been mixed, but the futuristic premise sounds intriguing… Let’s see…

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon) – Yes, I know, I know… how have I not gotten around to reading this book… a Pulitzer prize winning novel evoking consider a must for all comic-book fans. Rest assured, it will be read promptly, I promise.

Queen of the Dark Things (C. Robert Cargill) – Really enjoyed Dreams and Shadows, so let’s see if the sequel delivers.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (Claire North) – The premise looks incredible… this one is high on my to-read list.

The Quick (Lauren Owen) – A Victorian tale, in the vein of some of my favorite books of all time, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and The Night Circus. I’m intirigued…

Armada (Ernest Cline) – Loved Ready Player One… curious to see the author’s follow-up… out in October, though… long wait.

The Magician’s Land (Lev Grossman) – Yes, they are highly derivative, but have enjoyed the Magician’s books so far, and  can’t just leave it unfinished, can I?

There are a few others… and that doesn’t count any new books coming out this year that I’m not yet aware off (doubt the next A Song of Ice and Fire (or Game of Thrones as people now call them thanks to HBO) book will grace our presence in 2014). But still, those are the books I’m looking forward to this year.

Let’s see if the above make my favorites list for 2014!!

As is the norm when the year ends, Top-10 lists of everything pop out everywhere. And as such, why not jump on the bandwagon and publish lists myself…

I’ve always been a sucker for lists… during the first year of my previous job, I had very little to do (think commodity trading during 2009), yet needed to appear busy. My work involved a lot of financial modeling, which required having Excel open on the screen… so to pass the time, I created lists in Excel of every book I’ve read, every film I’ve seen, every video game I’ve played, every concert I’ve been to…. you get the idea. It was a lot of work, racking up my brain to recall every book I could remember reading, or scouring movie databases to confirm if I actually had seen that film or not… Having made the lists, it felt wrong not to keep at it, so every new movie I see or book I read goes into my Excel files! Trust me, it comes quite handy, particularly if I’m going to do top of 2013 lists!

So here goes: a list of the top books I read in 2013 (not necessarily published during the year, though quite a lot of them are new).

In total, I managed to read 38 books this year, just below my target of 40, but hey, good enough. Of those 38, these were my favourite:

 
 
The Golem and the Jinni (Helene Wecker) – My top read of the year. Amazing book, loved every word, every page. The type of book I would love to write, fantasy and historical fiction, all rolled into one. Two magical creatures in turn of the 20th century New York, and the incredible friendship they form. Can’t wait for more from Helene Wecker.

Lexicon (Max Barry) – Now this was fun. A great, well-executed thriller, with an intriguing supernatural twist. Highly recommended.

 

The Cuckoo’s Calling (Robert Galbraith) – Let’s be honest, I only read this book because of JK Rowling’s outing as the author, and a need to know what people were talking about. I was not a fan of The Casual Vacancy, and wasn’t too sure what to expect about this one… and was very surprised of just how good this story was. Really enjoyed it, and hoping that JK Rowling will carry on with the series.

 

Of Bees and Mist (Erick Setiawan) – Can’t really recall how I came across this book, which is not that new, but really really liked it. Halfway between fantasy and magical realism, this novel was a gratifying find.

The Shining Girls (Lauren Beukes) – I really enjoyed this one… found the time travel concept fascinating, and thought all-in-all, a great book. Perhaps the ending could’ve been better, but nonetheless, a fun read.

Dreams and Shadows (Robert C Cargill) – It may have been a tad derivative, but I found this book extremely enjoyable. A tale of fairies, magic, fantasy… pretty much like half the books I’ve read in my life… yet this one stood out, and I’m looking forward to reading more. I believe the sequel is coming out in the spring…can’t wait.

Too Big to Fail (Andrew Ross Sorkin) – Yes, I finally got around to reading this one… which is funny considering that I do work at an investment bank for a living. The book was incredible, rarely have I been so intrigued by a non-fiction book, keen to read on and on to see what happens next… even though of course I knew what would happen next.

I could’ve added The Ocean at the End of the Lane, a book that I was very excited about (big Neil Gaiman fan). But somehow, I felt a little bit disappointe: it had all the components to make me love it, yet the book was just so short and rushed, that in the end, couldn’t help but feel less than thrilled over it. 

Other notable books include The Mirage, The Republic of Thieves, Redshirts… books that I really enjoyed, yet fall just short of the FAVORITE brand.

I’ll think about posting my top movies of the year later on… till then!