2013 Book Blogger Recommendation Reading Challenge

Reading with Tequila is hosting a 2013 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge. Below is the list of the top 25 book recommendations from book bloggers, including yours truly. I have indicated in parentheses my favorites and a link to my review on my blog.

I am going to complete the Level 1 Challenge and complete 1-5 of the books from the complete list of book recommendations (3 in the top 25 and a couple others from the complete list).

What have you read from this list of top 25 or complete list of 100? Visit Reading with Tequila to sign up for the challenge!

Below is the book blogger recommendation lists and challenge rules from Reading with Tequila:

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The top 25:
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (favorite)
4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (favorite and reviewed here)
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth (favorite and reviewed here)
6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
7. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
8. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
9. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
10. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
11. Partials by Dan Wells
12. Pawn of Prophecy, David Eddings
13. Persuasion by Jane Austen (favorite)
14. Plague Town by Dana Fredsti
15. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (#1 completed 2013 and reviewed here)
16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
17. The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain (favorite and reviewed here)
18. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
19. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (plan to read in 2013)
20. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
21. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince by J.K.Rowling
22. Morrigan’s Cross by Nora Roberts
23. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
24. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (plan to read in 2013)
25. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Click here to see the entire 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation List.

The Levels:
Level I – Read 5 books from the 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation List
Level II – Read 10 books
Level III – Read 15 books
Level IV – Read 20 books
Level V – Read 20+ books

The Rules:
Challenge will run January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge.
Create an intro post, linking back to this post.
Sign up with the Linky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page.
Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins.
All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.)
Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you.
You don’t need a blog to participate.
Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

22 Comments

  1. Pingback: book review pride and prejudice

  2. Hi Tanya! I guess when I first saw this post, I did not pay attention to the words in brackets. I wondered what were the books you were interested in. 🙂

    I have my sights set on Night Circus too. Looking at the other books you have enjoyed, I would suggest to read Hunger games without any expectations.It is not too deep or thought provoking. It is a fairly good read, although I enjoyed book two more than book 1. The scene for the games in book two is simply brilliant. Very clever details. I hope the movie does justice to the book.

    1. Thanks Rohini, I attempted Hunger Games once and being the mom of 3 was heartbroken early on reading it was a story about games where kids are killed. I don’t enjoy reading that sort of thing, as it is I worry incessantly about my kids getting hurt and cannot watch the news because it’s full of murders and death, not my cup of tea. I got probably 30 pages in and then returned the book to the library. It took me a long time for me to let my oldest son read it but being the bookworm that he is, I eventually caved. I always encourage my kids to try things more than once to see if they like it (like “take two bites of a new food before deciding if you like it”) and this time my son used it on me. He told me I had to try and read it again and give it a better shot..that it’d get really good once you get over that kids are dying. So since I can use it for the Book Blogger Challenge and my son really wants me to read it, I will give it another go, although admittedly my expectations are low. Thanks for your comment and feedback on the Hunger Games!

      1. Haha. That’s one smart kid. Points to him. I agree with him, it is not a violent book per-se (There is a lot of killing, but not the ‘etched in my memory’ kind) and a lot better than many young-adult books of that genre I have read (I have a niece who’s blessed with a overdose of all the bookish genes in our family) and I remember thinking at least the lead character has better survival skills compared to twilight (my niece and I wished Bella had more spine). Who is your son’s favorite character in HG? Please tell me its Peeta 😀

        1. Thats what he says, it’s not that violent, but they kill each other! I guess I just have to read it myself. Yeah he’s a clever cookie. I asked him his favorite character and he chose Katniss only because she won the eenie-meanie-miney-moe between her and Peeta. 🙂 My son is the one who got me into reading more this past year. I always read to the kids but didnt really make time for reading for myself. I used to read to him every day since he was 6 months old and I guess it stuck. We had a friendly Goodreads challenge going in our house last year, he probably read double or triple the number of books that I did. I am going to keep up with him this year!

          I didn’t really like YA (I couldn’t make it through the Twilight books or movies either) but Divergent was the first one I read that I loved. Have you read that one? I reviewed that one on my blog if you’re interested. I can’t wait for the third one. Divergent is kinda violent too, people kill each other in the book, but killing is more for survival. I recommend it if you haven’t read yet. I’ve enjoyed your comments! Thanks for the good bookish conversation.

    1. Thanks so much! I am obsessed with reading in every spare moment nowadays. What types of books do you like to read or what are some of your favorites? I appreciate you stopping by and the lovely compliment.

      1. I honestly read anything and everything…..low brow to high. Reading is my favorite hobby bar none. It’s too hard to name my all time favorites. I just can’t pick. It’s too much pressure.

        I’m currently reading “The Wild” by Cheryl Strayed and liking it.
        Some of my favorites of the past year or so were: “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey ( I ADORED this book)
        “The Lifeboat” by Charlotte Rogan
        “The Age of Miracles” by Karen Thompson Walker
        “Robopocalypse” by Daniel Wilson
        “Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs
        “The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig
        I could go on and on! 🙂

        1. Ahhh.. Snow Child, one of my top 10 favorite books and one I haven’t even begun to review yet, although I read it months ago that is one that will stay with me. The imagery, the symbolism, the grief and the hope in the book were mesmerizing, heartbreaking and beautiful.

          Age of Miracles is on my to read list. I got creeped out by the little girl on the cover of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (honestly, creepy peculiar children scare me more than their adult counterparts). Lifeboat sounds dramatic and intense and Robopocalypse sounds like a scary future reality and like nothing I have read before, so i have added them to my to read list also. Thanks for the suggestions, stopping by and hope you will be back often to share your thoughts on books I have read or what you recommend! I am always looking for suggestions for all these reading challenges I am taking!

  4. This looks like fun but I already have SO many books on my list, then again, if I have all year I could probably do level one, something to think about.

    1. Hi Kristiina, you could read one book all year and have completed a Level I challenge. That’s the beauty of flexibility. What books are you most excited about reading this year? I appreciatenyoumstopping by and commenting!

  6. Thanks for stopping and the encouragement. I can’t wait to read The Book Thief. If you haven’t read it, I recommend The Discovery of Witches. I loved it!

    Kendal

    1. Thanks Kendall, I will keep Discovery of Witches in mind, it has been on my TBR list for a little while! Good luck with the challenge and hope to hear from you again soon. Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

  7. So, you made me look in my iBooks to check the number of books I read in 2012 with that year in review post and it was 1/3 of the books you read:) I wish I had the time. That is awesome. I love reading. I will aim for 15 this year, that’s a good goal for me. I will try The Hunger Games as well. Have a great weekend SITStah!

    1. Thanks Joi, I definitely made more time for reading this past year as a way to help me get to sleep by reading and shutting off screens before bed and it has turned into an avid hobby and another major part of my blog. I have heard good things about Hunger Games and promised my oldest son I would give it another try. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Hope you have a great weekend too!

  8. I’m doing this challenge too – but probably choosing 1 book at a time because I always end up changing my mind! I’m excited for this one every year – to see if I’ll love the books as much as other people have.

    1. I look forward to seeing what you read Tanya! I end up changing my mind too, There are so many good ones to choose from!

  9. I’m looking forward to this challenge too. I totally agree with Jessie that The Night Circus is amazing. I was also blown away by Gilead. Since I already read them both, I can’t count them for this challenge, but I recommend them both highly!

    1. Thanks for letting me know Mary. The Night Circus has been on my to-read list for awhile. This would be the perfect time to get it done! Have you read Water for Elephants? How does Night Circus compare. I read Water for Elephants and then didn’t want to read another circus themed book right away. I appreciate the recommendation for Gilead too, I always like to hear what others personally recommend.

  10. Hello Tanya, thank you for stopping by my blog! It’s always encouraging to hear people talk highly of books I plan on reading (it gets me excited to read them!). If you haven’t done so yet, I highly recommend the Night Circus, it was a lovely read and one of my favorites of 2012.

    1. Thanks Jessie, I have heard great things about Night Circus. I guess I should request it from the library now, I am sure there is a loooong waiting list for that one! I haven’t heard a single complaint or bad review about it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Hope to hear from you again soon!

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