Goodreads’ Choice Awards: Best Books of 2013

This is admittedly a few weeks late, but seeing as I’ve been giving you so many top 2013 book lists lately, it seems only right that I’d do up a post on this year’s winners and nominees for the 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards! Touted as the only major book award where the recipients are determined entirely by reader votes, the award was given to twenty different titles, one for each of the twenty different categories. This was the 5th year that Goodreads has put on the awards. There are definitely some interesting winners and nominees this year, so be sure to check them out after the jump!

NPR’s Guide to 2013’s Greatest Reads

2013 is almost at an end, dear readers, which means that all this month I’ve been featuring lists of the top books from this year. You’ve already seen the New York Times notable books of 2013 list, the Washington Post’s top 10 and notable 2013 fiction lists, and those were all great, but here’s the mother of top 2013 booklists: NPR’s Best Books of 2013. And when I saw the mother of top 2013 book lists, I mean it. There are over 200 titles (yes, really!) featured on this list in all sorts of genres, including (but *definitely* not limited to) fiction, nonfiction, YA, comics and graphic novels, children’s picture books, and cookbooks. There is something on this list for just about every type of book lover, which means that this is a treasure trove of ideas for any of you who’re still shopping around for holiday gifts. Take a gander, dear readers, and see if anything catches your eye!

The Washington Post’s Notable Fiction of 2013

It’s that time of year, dear readers! Everyone seems to be rolling out their top books of 2013 lists these days. Last week I gave you the New York Times’ 100 notable books of 2013, and yesterday I posted the Washington Post’s top 10 fiction and nonfiction books of the year. But who is satisfied with just 10 books in a list, only 5 of which are fiction titles at that? Not me, that’s for sure! So, as promised, here is the Washington Post’s list of the 50 most notable fiction titles of 2013!

The Washington Post’s Top 10 Books of 2013

2013 is coming to an end, and that means that the powers that be in the book industry are putting together their lists of the top books of this year, just in time for the holiday shopping season! Last week I brought you the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2013, which had a number of great titles on it. Up to bat this week are not one but *two* of the Washington Post’s top 2013 book lists, the first of which being their list of the top 10 books of the year. The list contains five nonfiction and five fiction titles that reviewers and editors enjoyed, and thought that the rest of us would enjoy as well. Be sure to check them out after the jump, and keep an eye out tomorrow for the follow-up best books of 2013 post.

New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2013

It’s December, dear readers, and that means that the lists for 2013’s top books are starting to pour in! First up to bat is the New York Times’ list of the 100 Notable Books of 2013, put together by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. It’s been a good year for books (though, really, isn’t every year a good year for books?), so how they’re managing to pick just 100 is beyond me. They managed to do it, however, so be sure to check them out; if nothing else, it might give you some holiday gift ideas for the book lovers on your list this year!

Fashion for Book Nerds: Clothing and Accessory Gift Ideas for the Reader in Your Life

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and that means the time has come my little readers to talk of holiday shopping! To help you in the madness to come the next few weeks, I’ve scoured the Internet machine (i.e. Etsy) looking high and low for fun gift ideas that the book nerds in your life would be oh so very happy to get this year.  And maybe while you’re looking you just might a little something for yourself too; the holidays are a stressful time, dear readers, it’s important not to forget to take care of yourself as well (wink).

Midweek Cuteness: Primates Reading

While doing research for the past weeks’ adorable animals reading and being adorable posts, I noticed that there were so many pictures of monkeys and apes reading that rival dog and cat pictures in terms of cuteness. This coupled with the fact that they’re our genetic cousins, it seems only appropriate that I’d have an entire post devoted to primates reading! Plus, monkeys are my mother’s favorite animal, and I think if I don’t do a monkey reading post she’ll start giving me death glares until I do one…and her death glares are terrifying.

Book Magazine’s 100 Best Characters Since 1900

Just because we like characters, doesn’t mean they’re always safe. Eep.

Characters in books become our friends. We read their stories, look into their brains and see their thoughts, feel their emotions. We get as close to them as we do our loved ones, and that is something really, truly special. But, alas, not all characters are created equal, and I think we can all agree that we connect better with some than with others. A lot of this boils down to personal preference, of course; if you, as a reader, dislike violence in general, you probably won’t like bonding with Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, just like if you’re not a fan of romances, you should probably steer clear of Nicholas Sparks and Nora Roberts’ characters.

But is it possible that there are characters out there that are so good they surpass the limitations of personal preference and are just, well, the best? Book Magazine certainly thought so.

35 Great Movies Based on Books

This is an extra special weekend for me, dear readers, because this weekend I am in L.A.! I’m very excited to see some dear, dear friends for the first time in months, as well as getting to go to a friend’s wedding and watch him tie the knot with his fiancé. In honor of my weekend in LA LA Land, I’ve put together a list of some great movies based on books that you should all see (if you haven’t already). Some of these are familiar, while others might surprise you, so check them out and see if you spot any of your favorites.

And the Winners of the National Book Award Are…

It’s official, dear readers! The winners of the 2013 National Book Award are The Good Lord Bird by James McBride in the fiction category, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer in the nonfiction category, Incarnadine by Mary Szybist in the poetry category, and The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata in the young people’s literature category.

 

    

The names were announced tonight at the 64th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner. Each winner received $10,000 and a bronze sculpture in addition to the bragging rights and book sale boosts that accompany the winning of this award; all twenty finalists received $1,000, a finalist medal, and a citation written by the judging panel.

Congratulations McBride, Packer, Szybist, and Kadohata!