Sarah's Top Five for The Family Addiction

I have a tendency to get swept up in the books I read.  The phone gets ignored.  Dishes linger (unsanitarily) in the sink.  The dog has to whine for 45 minutes straight before I let him out.  All of which would be fine; everything gets done eventually.  Except for the part where I forget I have two small children in the house with me.....yeah, that can get a little troublesome.  Regardless, I love to read and I love to talk about what I read.  Amy and Carrie love it too.  So we hope you've enjoyed our year of reviewing the books that have come into our lives.  Somehow we got pretty swept up in writing about the books we got swept up in, and now it's our blogiversary.  So we thought we'd each recap our five favorite books that we've reviewed, just in case you missed any of them.  We've also added a store (look up top! it's right there! awesome! I know!) to help you find any of the books we've reviewed.  Feel free to look around in there!  And if you read one of the books we've reviewed, please comment on the review so we can hear your take on it.  I can't tell you how excited we get when we get comments.  It's just shy of ridiculous how much happiness comment induce for us.

Oh!  And before I forget, which I already did, like, three weeks ago (thanks Aunt Barb for the facebook reminder!), congratulations to Rebecca!  She scored Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer AND (because she didn't care that it had been to Afghanistan and back) ESPN: Those Guys Have All the Fun.  Thanks for reading and commenting Rebecca!

My Top Five of the Year
I reviewed 28 books this year:  4 were non-fiction and 3 are considered children's storybooks/literature.  Which means the vast majority of the books I read and review are fiction. Most of those are of the literature variety (she says with her nose in the air and her most disdainful of voices).  I don't read much romance unless Carrie thinks I'll like it.  I don't read police procedurals because I'd rather watch Law & Order.  And I still haven't read The Hunger Games (I know, I know, Amy.  I will.  Probably.  Eventually.) because I think it's a horrible concept and I've already read Stephen King's "The Long Walk" and "The Running Man" and honestly THG just seems like a mash-up of those two stories.  So I'm kind of the stick-in-the-mud around here, but surely there are others like me.  Right? Hello? Anyone?  Well, anyway, here are my top five and I swear to you they're all wonderful and magical in their own ways.

5.The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
This one has some romance, so I bet you can guess who introduced me to the author!  It's sweet, whimsical, and a little bit of magic.  Some friendships are exactly what you need when you need them, and some friendships are even more than that.  Read this one and then read Ms. Allen's others.  They're all good.

4.  Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Heartbreaking and beautiful.  If you've ever wondered how civil unrest and wars are (sometimes) started in Africa, this is a good place to get an idea of how it happens.  It's a work of fiction, but true to the state of affairs in regards to refugees and immigration issues.  The story feels real and the language is poetic.  It has been months since I read it yet some of the language runs through my mind daily.

3.  And Another Thing....by Eoin Colfer
This is not my favorite Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy book.  However, it's a good one and I was SO excited to see that they were continuing the series.  Then I was even MORE excited to see that Eoin Colfer was writing it.  If you're a fan of Arthur, Ford, Trillian, Zaphod, and Random then you should read this.  After you find your towel, of course.

2.  City of Thieves by David Benioff
I loved the story.  I have no idea how true any of it is.  Well, except I know how crushing the conditions were in Leningrad during the 900 day siege (1941-1944) as it's estimated 632,000 Russians died during that time.  This could be a Russian Band of Brothers, unlikely friendships develop and you see both the horrors of war and the absurdities as well.  It's about survival, courage for the coward-prone, and love in the midst of madness.

1.  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
By far and away my favorite book of this past year.  It was unexpected.  I thought I would like it well enough, but I really got myself wrapped up in the characters and the imagery of the circus itself.  I was sad when it ended, and not because it's a sad book (it's not really) but because I wanted it to continue.  That, I feel, is the mark of a good read; when you're left wanting more.  I immediately forced it on my mother who then forced it on her book club.  Then my mother hosted her book club and I had approximately 5,000 ideas for theme and decor.  All because I can't get some of that wonderful out of my head.  Read this book and we'll run away and join the circus together!

That's it for me.  Amy and Carrie will be chiming in with their own "Top Fives" so don't miss those!  What's your favorite book of the year?