I was not the most consistent book blogger in 2013. I currently have a daunting ten books piled up ready to be written about, and some of them have been there since the spring! Hopefully I will manage to get on to them early in the New Year. My reading list, like my blog, has been a bit pathetic over the past year. I haven’t been racing through books like I usually would, apart from the odd couple. I’ve found comfort in old favourites such as The Hobbit, The Moonstone, The Little Friend and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase series, but not managed to pick up as many new books as I would have liked.

I’m afraid I can’t blame this lack of adventurous reading on being too busy at work or anything like that, but I have been busy. I’ve been busy having fun! In fact, for me, 2013 has been one of the best years for a long time! I’ve been on some great holidays, including a fantastic trip to Nepal in October, (Where I visited the amazing Pilgrims Book House in Kathmandu, and fought off tears in the airport when reading Sold by Patricia McCormick), and life has generally been quite good, with a job that I enjoy and living happily with my boyfriend in a lovely little flat in the centre of town.

Instead of doing ‘awards’ this year (like in 2011 and 2012), I thought I would simply share my Top 5 books from my reading list of 2013 (Some of which I haven’t reviewed yet – I’ll add the links as soon as I do!)

5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Madeline Miller’s debut novel has been the most talked about book on the blogs that I follow and on my Twitter feed. It seems that everyone loves it, and so did I! My advice, take The Song of Achilles with you on holiday, it’s a perfect book to get stuck into when you know you have time to get hooked with no distractions!

4. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

My copy of The Moonstone has been read so many times that it is literally falling apart. I’m not sure who had it before me and my brother, but I’m glad it has been appreciated. I forgot how much I enjoyed this book the first time round. It’s funny, atmospheric and mysterious, which is always a good mix!

3. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

After years of my mum telling me how much I would love Tales of the City, I finally bought a copy. If only I had listened to her all those years ago! What a fantastic book following the lives of some brilliant characters in San Francisco. I can’t wait to get hold of the next in the series to read this year.

2. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit will always be one of my favourite books (with The Lord of the Rings as a close runner up). I try to read it every few years when I really need a good bedtime story to curl up with. It never fails to cheer me up! At some point in 2014 I’m going to have to re-read The Lord of the Rings for the millionth time too.

1. The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

Wow. What a book. I loved it when I read it at sixteen and loved it even more ten years later. Donna Tartt is an incredible writer – I just wish she wrote a bit quicker! (I’m very excited to announce that I received The Goldfinch for Christmas, so that’s something else to look forward to in the New Year!)

What books did you enjoy most last year? And what are you looking forward to reading in 2014? I highly recommend all of the above!