Why I can no Longer List my Top Ten Books of the Year (and a Giveaway)
UPDATE: We have a winner! Thank you all for sharing your favorite books. The Random Number Generator picked Rhonda Baker. Congratulations, Rhonda!
For the past few Januarys, I’ve posted my ten favorite books of the previous year on my blog. Some of you have been asking me when I’d be posting my list for 2013 and I promised it would be “soon”. However, as I sat down to work on my list, I realized I can’t do it. Here’s why.
I have too many friends who are wonderful writers and who had great books published in 2013. That gives me a couple of dilemmas. Could listing the book of a friend appear to be promotion rather than a true statement of my love for the book? Worse, how do I list one friend’s book and not another’s?
I live in a geographic area rife with writers, and I connect with dozens of other writers at conferences, author events and through social media. After nearly thirty years in this business, I’m honored to say that I’m surrounded by friends and acquaintances who also happen to be phenomenal writers. And how I love their books!
So then I thought I would simply leave out the books of my closest friends. Have you tried sorting your friends by degree of closeness? Most challenging! ‘Is this person a friend or an acquaintance?’ Arggh. I finally realized the only way out of this conundrum was to skip making a list altogether.
This is where you can help. In your comments, I hope you’ll list your favorite books of 2013. Two, five, ten. It doesn’t matter how many. Please share them. On Wednesday at 9pm EST, I’ll use my random number generator to pick a commenter who will receive a hundred dollar gift certificate to his or her favorite bookstore, online or bricks and mortar, anywhere in the world.
I can’t wait to see your favorites!
In 2013 I did not read as much as I would have liked to. This year my goal is to read an average of one book a year, but I also want to read books by authors that I have not read before. I did manage to get a few books read in 2013. My favorites of course were by Diane Chamberlain, Barbara Delisnsky, Debbie Macomber and Jodi Picoult. At the end of 2013 I also started a book by Lisa Scottoline which I enjoyed and I will be reading more of her work. I can’t pick a favorite because I enjoyed all of the books that I read. If I don’t enjoy a book, I quit reading it. There are too many books out there to continue reading something that does not interest me.
I made a mistake and I want to read an average of one book a week, not one book a year.
lol! I knew what you meant, Nicole.
Here are my favorites for 2013:
Necessary Lies (Diane Chamberlain)
Somewhere Between Luck and Trust ( Emilie Richards)
Morning Glory (Sara Jio)
The Summer Girls (Mary Alice Monroe)
The Prayer Box ( Lisa Wingate)
Save Me ( Lisa Scottoline)
The Last Camellia (Sarah Jio)
Looking forward to more great reads from all these authors!
Deborah, I’ve just had The Prayer Box recommended to me by one of my friends who gave it 5 stars – it’s on my ‘want to read’ list now! And I’ll also be adding The Summer Girls, as I like Mary Alice Monroe!
I love seeing these lists from other people who read the same author as I do (Susan Wiggs often gets people to recommend books) It’s a great way to find new authors, and try new books, as you can almost be assured that you will like them, as the people have similar tastes 😀
I kind of have a similar problem to you. I read 30 books in 2013 and a lot of them by authors I’ve got to know on FB and I love them all and all their books….including yours. I read the full Kiss River series one after the other but realised after the second one I read that I’d read them out of order so I re read them in the right order! So to name the authors I’ve read and loved will be easier than the books….you, Trisha Ashley, Carole Mathews, Margaret James, (of the Wedding Diary & Penny Bangle fame, not the other Margaret James), Lizzie Lamb, Debbie Macomber., Katie Fforde (who I share a birthday with)…and I could go on…
Shew – I love all of those authors as well – snap!
I like a lot of those same authors too! Carole Mathews, Debbie Macomber and especially Katie Fforde!
2013 was the year I discovered you, Diane, through your writer colleagues and I am so grateful. I couldn’t have enjoyed Reflection and Necessary Lies any more. I so look forward to reading more of your treasures. I randomly came across Marisa de los Santos’ Belong to Me, definitely one of my favorites. I can’t go for long without Mary Alice Monroe and read The Book Club last year. I caught up on Mary Kay Andrews, and started Christmas Bliss during the holidays. I loved Meg Waite Clayton’s The Wednesday Sisters and can hardly wait to start The Wednesday Daughters this year.
They weren’t necessarily released in 2013, but they were read in 2013.
1. Necessary Lies. Easily my favorite.
2. The Storyteller by Jodi PIcoult. Very close second.
3. On The Island by Tracy Garvis Graves
4. One Summer by David Balladuci
5. Fly Away by Kristin Hannah
6. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard (Not technically done with it, but I can just tell).
Honestly, I read a lot of books this year, but these are the only ones that I would (and have actually in some cases) read twice. I couldn’t put 10 on that list.
I love reading what other people have read. I have heard a lot about Kristin Hannah, but I have not read any of her work. I also just ordered Labor Day and I can’t wait to read it.
Kristin Hannah’s books are great! You won’t be sorry. Once I discovered Diane’s books a few years ago, someone led me to Patti Callahan Henry and Karen White. Some call it “Grit Lit” since the authors write about characters in the South. Once you’ve read all of Diane’s, grab books by these ladies next!
thanks for those recommendations Connie – I have read all of Diane’s books, and have been looking for some more good authors! People say that if you like Diane, you will like Jodi Piccoult – but I found that I didn’t really like her books. So I will try your recommendations.
If we are looking at my favorite books that were PUBLISHED in 2013, they are (in no particular order):
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
Just Like Other Daughters by Colleen Faulkner
Zoo by Tara Elizabeth
The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee
Add to this the books I read in 2013 that were published in previous years:
Columbine by Dave Cullen
True to Form by Elizabeth Berg
Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
Leaving Unknown by Kerry Reichs
ALL AMAZING BOOKS…my top 10 of 2013. 🙂
I got Still Alice for kindle but haven’t actually read it yet my mum died of Alzheimers 3 years ago and I am still wondering if I am brave enough 🙁
There are lots of favorites for 2013, but the one book that stood out was Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I’ve read hundreds of books but this is by far the most unique book I’ve ever read.
#1 was definitely Necessary Lies
#2 Gone Girl
1) ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes
2) THE PRAYER BOX by Lisa Wingate
3) THE BEACH TREES by Karen White
4) SWEETSALT AIR by Barbara Delinsky
5) THE GOOD FATHER by Diana Chamberlain
6) AND THEN I FOUND YOU by Patti Callahan Henry
7) THE APPLE ORCHARD by Susan Wiggs
8) TRUE LOVE by Jude Dereraux
9) FLY AWAY by Kristin Hannah
10) THE SUMMER GIRLS by Mary Alice Monroe.
I would also add so many more to my list like Brenda Novack, Linda Lael Miller, Sherryl Woods, Hope Ramsey, Debbie Macomber, Kristin Higgins, Nancy Thayer and on and on…. I love to read. I would thoroughly enjoy winning gift certificate to my favorite bookstore.
I finished reading all the Diane Chamberlain books I had not read yet, Brass Ring , Reflection, keeper Trilogy, Fire and Rain and of course The First Lie and Necessary Lies. Others authors I’ve read I did not love, some were good enough to finish, great predictable stories. Catherine Ryan Hyde/When I Found You, Deann Smallwood/Montana Star, Melissa Foster/Come Back to Me and Traces of Kara but I’m truly spoiled by you Diane. I have some books in my “to read” list that I’m hoping will make for good reading this year.
You might want to add Heather Gudenkauf she writes contemporary fiction similar to Diane I particularly enjoyed The Weight of Silence
My favorites for 2013:
Her Mother’s Shadow ( Diane Chamberlain )
Keeper of the Light ( Diane Chamberlain )
Kiss River ( Diane Chamberlain )
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes ( Diane Chamberlain )
Princess Sultana’s Daughters (The Princess Trilogy #2) by Jean Sasson
Princess Sultana’s Circle (The Princess Trilogy #3) by Jean Sasson
Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (The Princess Trilogy #1) by Jean Sasson
The Sins of the Mother ( Danielle Steel )
True Believer ( Nicholas Sparks )
The Good Father ( Diane Chamberlain )
I just started reading: The Midwife’s Confession ( Diane Chamberlain )
I read so many books in a year its really hard to list my favourites. I discovered Diane Chamberlain this year so I read several of hers this year and enjoyed every one but my favourite was “The secret life of CeeCee Wilkes”. I also read “The Giver” quartet by Lois Lowrey and enjoyed that immensely. I love all books by Lee Child and read every one as it comes out. I love reading. I just reviewed my kindle ( which I also love) and discovered that i actually read close to 10 of Diane Chamberlain’s books. Oh my. If you are looking for a new author I also discovered Linwood Barclay this year and his books are great.I could go on forever.
Picking my favorites is so difficult. I have recently gotten back into reading now that I am retired and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I also now have a Kindle so I have been exposed to and am reading many authors that I have never read before. So I am sure that the titles I have read are not the latest most current titles out for these authors. I have discovered new favorite authors including you, Diane, and Emilie Richards, C. J. Lyons, Lis Wiehl, Michael Robotham, Chevy Stevens and even some surprises in Ally Condie and Veronica Roth. There are also my long-time favorites of Nora Roberts, Carol O’Connell, Karen Rose, Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult, and James Patterson. So my reading choices are quite varied and it’s hard to pick which were my favorite since the subject matter for many of these are so different. I am just thrilled to now have the time to be able read as much I want and to find all these wonderful authors.
I really enjoy when you have these type of queries, because it gives me an opportunity to see what other people have thought were good books/authors and add them to my ‘to-read’ list; especially since I know we have a common ground in liking the books that you write.
Between Heaven and Texas – Marie Bostwick
Barefoot Season – Susan Malleey
Cutting For Stone
Aviator ‘a Wife
I discovered Marie Bostwick in 2013 and was not disappointed in any of her books. She has a new one coming out in April.
My favorite books of 2013 were Fly Away by Kristin Hannah, The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain, and The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. I also really enjoyed Robyn Carr’s Thunder Point books.
Necessary Lies (Diane Chamberlain)
The Last Camellia (Sarah Jio)
Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
The Courage Tree – Diane Chamberlain
Fire and Rain – Diane Chamberlain
Blink of an eye – Cath Staincliffe
This Fragile Life – Kate Hewitt
The missing half – Brooke Powsley
Tangled Lives – Hillary Boyd
This fragile life by kate hewitt was a stand out. Beautifully written.
1. Necessary Lies
2. The Silent Wife
3. Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, Dark Places
4. The Rosie Project
5. The Fault in our Stars
6. Alex (Pierre Lemaitre)
7. The Husbands Secret
8. The girl under the Olive tree
9. Touch (Mark Sennen)
10. What have I done? (Amanda Prowse)
Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
Left Neglected – Lisa Genova
The Summer Girls – Mary Alice Monroe
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
The Last Original Wife – Dorethea Benton Frank
Blackberry Winter – Sarah Jio
Home Front – Kristan Hannah
The Orphan Train – Christina Baker kline
Silver Girl – Elin Hilderbrand
The Last Runaway – Tracy Chevalier
The Sandcastle Girls – Chris Bohjalian
I read a lot of books in 2013, but these were my favorites.
I read a lot last year. These books below I read more than once.
Necessary Lies
Reconstructing Amelia
Autobiography of Noa P Singleton
Beautiful Day
Fly Away
I forgot about Reconstructing Amelia, that definitely would be in my top ten!
I have this book on order from the library. Can’t wait to read it.
Here are some of mine:
1. Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
2. The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
3. Bridgett Jones Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
4. I’ll be Seeing You by Suzanne Palmieri-Hayes and Loretta Nyhan
5. Call me Zelda by Erika Robuck
6. A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
7. Z by Therese Anne Fowler
8. The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski
These are all books that stayed with me long after I finished them. Oh how I love to read!!
I was out of work for the whole year and had more time to read than I ever have. Started a new job last week, so reading has slowed down. My Top 10 for 2013 in no particular order:
Necessary Lies
The Storyteller
The Language of Flowers
Still Alice
Sarah’s Key
Me Before You
The Light Between Oceans
Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard
Firefly Lane
Home Front
This year I am doing the A-Z challenge on Goodreads…just getting started! 🙂
I am doing a reading bingo challenge and I think I will check out the A-Z challenge when I finish with the current challenge that I am on.
I’ve read a total of 23 books in 2013 but it looks like only 4 of them were published in 2013. The Painted Girls and Waiting To Be Heard:Amanda Knox,The White Princess and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.I think the one by Philippa Gregory is my fave. I have yet to do my review for Mrs. P which I read in Nov.
Here is a list of books i read in 2013
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1164491-krystal-s-50-read-in-2013?comment=89610866#comment_89610866
My favorites were of course the ones I read by you (Necessary Lies, First Lie, Good Father, Keeper of the Light, Kiss River and reading now Her Mothers Shadow)
Other books I read and loved were Through the Evil Days, How I came to Sparkle Again, Rose Harbor in Bloom, Time Flies, Hotel Between Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Faith Bass Last Garage Sale.
Favorite scary book last year was Unspeakable by Kevin O’Brien
Diane,
I’ve read so many but do have some that stand out in my mind…thank you for asking!
Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the ’60s & ’70s, Anthology with Kate Farrell, Amber Starfire, Linda Myers as editors.
Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World, by Shirley Showalter
Necessary Lies, by Diane Chamberlain
The Lemon Orchard, by Luanne Rice
The Fifth and Final Name, by Rhonda Noonan
Blood Strangers, by Katherine Briccetti
The Author Training Manual, by Nina Amir
Leaving the Hall Light On, by Madeline Sharples
11/22/63, by Stephen King
The Invisible Storm, by Juanima Hiatt
What Happened to My Sister, Elizabeth Flock
Fly Away, by Kristin Hannah
So many more…still brainstorming, but this is a good start for the year. I real a lot of books, (-:.
Thanks again for the chance to win a gift card to purchase more books, LOL.
Rhonda
Last year I had a breast lump which meant 2 operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and I don’t know how I would have got through it without books. My favourite was Necessary Lies followed very closely by The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, also
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Rose Petal Beach
Silver Bay and The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes
Fractured by Dani Atkins, great read, loved it
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
Yesterday’s Sun by Amanda Brooke
I also read a lot that I probably wouldn’t have normally chosen but they were just what I needed to get through a very difficult time and take my mind off how I was feeling. I’ve probably missed some that I loved but the chemo has affected my memory a bit!
I hope you’re doing well, Heather.
I forgot to add 11/22/63 one of my all time favourites buf I finished it at the very beginning of 2013
Heather–I loved that book because it took me back to my era–the ’50’s. I hope your results were good .
My favorite book in 2013 and not necessarily in order
Are : your Necessary Lies
Barbara Davis- The Secrets She Carried
Karen Whites – sea change
Kristin Hannah – Fly Away
Barbara Delinsky – Sweet Salt Air
Here’s the ones I really loved that I read in 2013 (not necessarily ones that came out in 2013!). I have a soft spot for “survival” esque books…
Downton Abbey Scripts for Season 1 &2 – Julian Fellows
Ladies Night – Mary Kay Andrews
The Tao of Martha – Jen Lancaster
Necessary Lies – you 😉
The Love Wars – L Alison Heller
Rena’s Promise – Rena Geilssen
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Christmas Bliss – Mary Kay Andrews
If You Could See What I See – Cathy Lamb
Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 – Daniel James Brown
The Mountain Between Us – Charles Martin
I have read so many books this year and trying to narrow it down to my top ten is a tough job.
But here goes in no particular order.
A Step of Faith by Richard Paul Evans
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
Before I Wake by Robert J. Weirsema
Breaking the Silence and The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain
The Language of Sisters by Amy Hatvany
Left Neglected and Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Beyond the Storm by Joseph Pittman
Ohhh The Art of Racing in the Rain – one of my all time favourite books!!!
The Mountain Between Us, Thunder and Rain – Charles Martin
The Walk, Miles To Go, Road To Grace (series) Richard Paul Evans
The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter (read twice) Kim Edwards
Down River – John Hart
The Storyteller – Jodi Picoult
The Lighthouse Keeper – James Michael Pratt
The Light Between Oceans – M.L. Steadman
Necessary Lies…wonder who wrote that one ????
Guess I should stop…thanks !!
My favorite books of 2013 are
Takedown 20 by janet evanovich
The good father by diane chamberlain
Summer’s child by diane chamberlain
The escape artist by diane chamberlain
Anna and her french kiss by forgotten author
Being a religious scholar who happens to write fiction I always have a list as long as my arm in my to-read category. This year heavy theological tomes took over. So to avoid burdening people with titles that are in English but somehow look as if someone neglected to translate them from the German I will offer only two:
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (voice in the background hollering “No fair she’s your local author.”)
Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott
Diane, last year was the year I discovered you! The first book of yours that I read was The Good Father. After that, I was hooked. I spent the past year reading as many of your books as time allowed. To date I have read, not in any particular order, The Good Father, The First Lie, Necessary Lies, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, Secret Lives, The Escape Artist, Keeper of the Light, Her Mother’s Shadow, Kiss River, Fire and Rain, The Courage Tree, The Bay at Midnight and Before the Storm. I am currently reading Secrets She Left Behind. I plan on reading the rest of your books this year. As long as you keep writing, Diane, I will continue to read your books!!! Thank you for sharing your special gift of writing!
I averaged about 2 books a week this year, owing to a change of office location which gives me an extended bus journey to work each day! My top 10 I’ve read this year (in no particular order) are:
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
The Last Child by John Hart
The Taking by Dean Koontz
Gravity by Tess Gerritsen
The House At Riverton by Kate Morton
When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman
The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson
The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
The Fire Witness by Lars Kepler
(I was going to list Necessary Lies but technically that was the first book I finished of 2014!)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Help For The Haunted by John Searles
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Many more but there are a few!
Top five books I’ve read last year…..
Afterwards – Rosamund Lupton (absolutely loved this book)
Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
Me Before You – Jojo Moyles
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
I loved Afterwards! ‘Sister’ is equally as brilliant if you haven’t read it then I recommend it 🙂
I read a LOT, so it’s hard to pick favorites.
No problem to include Jeff Deaver’s October List and Kill Room. October List is written “backwards.” It begins at the end. A little hard to get used to it, but so worth the effort.
Can’t think of a cozy that I read this year and didn’t like. Especially fond of Sandra Parshall’s Poisoned Ground (due out in March) because she included my Tootles who died before she became a famous literary character.
There were quite a few I liked in 2013, however I will share 4 in random order.
1. The Last Camellia, by Sarah Jio.
2. Morning Glory, by Sarah Jio.
3. I See London, I See France, by Paulita Kincer.
4. The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, by Diane Chamberlain.
I’ve read several Diane, including your wonderful Necessary Lies – also at the top would have to be Etched In Sand. This book really was an eye opener – as a CASA for more than 10 years now, this by far really showed how child abuse is handled (or not handled) in communities. The Bungalow and The Secret Life of Mary Bowser along with Midwife of Hope River were some of my favorites too – your right, even tho I don’t know the writers, it is really hard to pick the best..
I’m disappointed that you aren’t listing your favorite books. Several on my favorites list are ones you recommended last year and I would never have heard of had you not recommended them. I hope you will still recommend books throughout the year.
I read 26 books last year. Here’s my list of favorites.
Necessary lies Diane chamberlain
The bay at midnight Diane chamberlain
Blackberry winter Sarah Jio
The last Camilla Sarah Jio
The light between oceans ML Stedman
Calling me home. Julie kibble
Three weeks with my brother Nicholas sparks
The longest ride. Nicholas sparks
Rhona, my hope is that by having everyone else list books, my favorites will be in there, and so far, so good!
Diane, I can highly recommend the Australian authors on my list! Kathryn Fox and Katherine Howell both write mystery/thrillers, and Kathleen Freeman writes contemporary fiction that is usually based on a family saga. You may already know of these authors, but I just wanted to give a shout out to my fellow Aussies!
Necessary Lies
Gone Girl
The Storyteller
I read quite a few last year, some new and some I reread, so this was difficult. In no particular order:
Paper Towns – John Green
The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
The Uglies (Series) – Scott Westerfeld
We Are Water – Wally Lamb
Dirty – Megan Hart
Pearl Harbor – Randall Wallace
Secrets She Left Behind – Diane Chamberlain
Fallout – Ellen Hopkins
Such a Pretty Fat – Jen Lancaster
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
Necessary Lies
Gone Girl
Sweet Salt Air
The Inn at Rose Harbor
Winners
The Prayer Box
The Husbands Secret
Mrs. Kennedy & Me
Classified
Starter House
And MANY more
Necessary Lies
Morning Glory
I read so much that it’s very hard to even pick only 10…these are however my favorites for 2013:
1. Necessary Lies…Diane Chamberlain
2. Fly Away….. Kristin Hannah
3. Twist…. John Lutz
4. The Good Sister….Wendy Corsi Staub
5. Friends Forever….Danielle Steel
6. Unseen….Karin Slaughter
7. Touch & Go…..Lisa Gardner
8. The Longest Ride…Nicholas Sparks
9. A Step of Faith: A Novel (Walk)…..Richard Paul Evans
10. Nowhere To Run
Nowhere To Hide
Nowhere Safe…. 3 different novels by Nancy Bush ( they all connect)
Some of my favorites that I read in 2013 include:
The Husband’s Secret
The Clan of the Cave Bear (never read it all until 2013)
Necessary Lies
Love Anthony
The Light Between Oceans
Come Home
The Memory Thief
Another Piece of my Heart
Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir
Into the Darkest Corner
In Her Shoes
Okay, here’s my list. Not all books were necessarily released in 2013 but were read by me in 2013:
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
Say You’re Sorry by Michael Robotham
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Long Lost by Linda Castillo
Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Cline
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
Necessary Lies (Diane Chamberlain)
Somewhere Between Luck and Trust ( Emilie Richards)
Fly Away (Kristin Hannah)
Miss Julia Stirs up trouble (Ann Ross)
A step of faith (Richard Paul Evans)
My favorites of 2013
Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
Heart of Palm – Laura Lee Smith
While We Were Watching Downton Abbey – Wendy Wax
Ladies Night – Mary Kay Andrews
Woman in Red – Eileen Goudge
Moonrise – Cassandra King
Look Away, Look Away – Wilton Barnhardt
Fault Line – Robert Goddard
Best Kept Secret – Jeffrey Archer
Broken Harbor – Tana French
In no particular order are the books which stand out as favorites :
Keeper of the Light trilogy Diane Chamberlain
Necessary Lies. Diane Chamberlain
Still Summer. Jacquelyn Mitchard
The Secret Keeper. Kate Morton
And the Mountains Echoed. Kahad Hosseni
The Bean Trees. Barbara Kingsolver
Hoping to read many more “favorites” in 2014 !
In no particular order:
Me Before You
Wonder
Reconstructing Amelia
Once Upon a Lie
Necessary Lies
Sycamore Road
The Gravity of Birds
Morning Glory
Things We Set on Fire
TheHusband’s Secret
The Rosie Project
The Orphan Train
The Last Original. Wife
Ladies Night
Love Walked In
And many, many more!
Just counted: I read 71 books last year!
Hello and Thank you for asking! I read 79 books in 2013 (a little down on the previous year) and had some really awesome reads!!!! So my favs for 2013 are:-
1)Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
2) The Wild Girl – Kate Forsyth
3)The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty
4) The House we Grew Up in – Lisa Jewell
5) Sunset Ridge – Nicole Alexander
6) The Storyteller – Jodi Picoult
7) The Son-In-Law – Charity Norman
8) Orphan Train – Kline, Christina Baker
9) The Escape Artist – Diane Chamberlain (I was on a mission to find some older Diane books and found this one – loved it!)
10) Fractured – Dawn Barker
Some of these are Australian authors who i must say are bringing out some incredible reads…..i hope you can find them if you go looking! Thanks again, Kathy
1. The Funeral Dress by Susan Greg Gilmore
2. When She Came Home by Drusilla Campbell
3. No Child of Mine by Susan Lewis
4. Don’t Let Me Go by Susan Lewis
5. The Chance by Karen Kingsbury
6. Under a Texas Sky by Dorothy Garlock
7. Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
8. Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews
9. Starry Night by Debbie Macomber
10. Candlelight Christmas by Susan Wiggs
1. Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
2. Heart Like Mine-Amy Hatvany
3. Gone Girl-Gillian Flynn
4. Beautiful day-Elin Hilderbrand
5. Where We Belong-Emily Giffin
6. Fly Away-Kristin Hannah
7. Family Pictures-Jane Green
8. All the Summer Girls-Meg Donahue
9. Hush Little Baby-Susan Redfearn
10. The Last Original Wife-Dorthea Benton
11. Little Night-Luanne Rice
12. Looking for Me-Beth Hoffman
13. Island Girls-Nancy Thayer
14. Heartbroken-Lisa Unger
15. The Best of Us-Sarah Pekkanen
No particular order. Lots of books read last year & looking forward to the books coming out this year!!
Diane, I just started reading your books in 2013 so I could list all of them because they all were great. I have not read Necessary Lies yet. Here is my list.
1. Secret Lives
2, Summer’s Child
3. The Violets of March
4. The Pact
I got quite a surprise when I saw your name! It is so similar to mine! I would be Sandra Mason, but when I married my husband, Carrley Mason, we both took each other’s names – so we’re now Mason-Webb 😀
Here you go Diane!
1. Kitchen House by grissom
2. Aviator’s Wife by benjamin
3. Orphan train by Kline
4. Necessary Lies by Chamberlain
5. Secret keeper by Morton
6. Light Between Oceans by Stedman
7. End of Your Life Bookclub by Schwalbe
8. Escape from Mr. lemoncello’s Library by Grabenstein
9. Mr. Penumbras 24 Hour Bookstore by Sloan
10. Mrs. Lincoln’s dressmaker by Chiverini
Hoping i win! hugs
These are my top ten from 2013.. Amazing books. Cannot stop reading.
The Boys in the Boat by D. Brown
The Orphan Train by Kline
Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by J. Chiaverini
The Aviator’s Wife by Benjamine
The Kitchen House by Grissom
Necessary Lies by Chamberlain
The Silver Star by Walls
Sycamore Row by Grisham
The Time Keeper by Albom
The Las Original Wife by D.B. Frank
Diane – What a great idea! I love this kind of resource when trying to find a good book. These are my top 10 but it was hard to chose.
The Burgess Boys – Elizabeth Strout
One Mountain Away – Emilie Richards
Blackberry Winter – Sarah Jie
Calling Me Home – Julie Kibler
You Know When the Men Are Gone – Siobhan Fallon
Staying Tuned – Daniel Schorr
Stand Up That Mountain – Jay Erskine Leutze
Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
Wild – Cheryl Strayed
The Myth of the Perfect Girl – Ana Homayoun
My favorites:
THe storyteller- Jodi Picoult
Necessary Lies- DIane Chamberliain
The Last Camemille- Sarah Joi
Fly Away- Kristin Hannah
Looking for me- Beth Hoffman
What a great list of books I know what to read!
Way too hard to limit. I read close to 150 books last year. Many by my fave authors…you (of course!), Jodi Piccoult, Sarah Jio, Karen Kingsbury, Debbie Macomber, Julia Spencer Fleming, Karen White, and many more. I also discovered many new favorites such as Elin Hilderbrand, Nancy Thayer, Lisa Scottoline, Victoria Thompson, Anita Shreve, and Courtney Walsh…among others. I love to read….can you tell???? 🙂
Top 10 Favorite Books of 2013:
1) Necessary Lies – which set me off on a historical fiction obsession! 🙂
2) The Kitchen House – Kathleen Grissom
3) The Other Typist – Suzanna Rindell
4) The Wedding Gift – Marlen Suyapa Bodden
5) The Chaperone – Laura Moriarty
6) The Perfume Collector – Kathleen Tessaro
7) Human Remains – Elizabeth Haynes
8) A Dog’s Journey – Bruce Cameron
9) The Thing’s That Keep Us Here – Carla Buckley
10) Trans-Sister Radio – Chris Bojalian
I read the first of your books I have ever read, and it was Necessary Lies. I love the book and have recommended it to everyone I know. 2013 was my year to venture out into new authors and new genres and I did manage some of that. My favorites besides Necessary Lies were:
Seduction by M.J. Rose
Enon by Paul Harding
Joyland by Stephen King
Dr. Sleep by Stephen King
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Stolen by Daniel Palmer
Hear Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Horns by Joe Hill
Up Country by Nelson DeMille
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
I could go on, I read a lot. My most difficult challenge this year has been trying NOT to read a book that doesn’t grab me after a certain number of pages. I have always read to the end and I just have too many wonderful books to read to allow the time for books that are not meant for me any more. I have seen some great ideas in your thread! Thank you for this opportunity and for your wonderful writing.
I feel the same way – if a book hasn’t grabbed me within the first few pages, and at most the first chapter, it gets put aside. There are way too many books out there and too little time to read them, to be bothered reading a book that doesn’t grab you! I read close to 120 books last year – I didn’t quite reach my goal, but that was because we brought home a new puppy in November…. she kind of curtailed some of my reading time!
In no particular order
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
11/22/63 by Stephen King
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Keeper of the Light by Diane Chamberlain
Kiss River by Diane Chamberlain
Her Mother’s Shadow by Diane Chamberlain
The Secret Wife by Diane Chamberlain
Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
The Time Between – Karen White
After Her – Joyce Maynard
Heart Like Mine – Amy Hatvany
The Silent Wife – a.S.a. Harrison
And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseni
Life After Life – Kate atkinson
The Comfort of Lies – Randy Susan Meyers
Covet – Tracey Garvis – Graves
And too many more to name 🙂
If you like Randy Susan Meyers, I can highly recommend The Murderer’s Daughters!
!. Mary Kay Andrews, Christmas Bliss
2. Diane Chamberlain, Necessary Lies
3. Cleo Coyle, Holiday Buzz
4. Beth Albright, Sassy Belle Series
5. Karen White, The Time Between
6. Charlaine Harris, Dead Ever After
7. Connie Shelton – Samantha Sweet Series
List is in no particular order. Have to check out some of the others you all have posted.
LOVE BOOKS! Not nook or kindle but real books! Love the feel and smell of real books! Ok i got that off my mind!
I will read anything by:
Diane Chamberlain
Kat Martin
Suzanne Brockmann
Robyn Carr
Susan Malley
Linda Lael Miller
Lori Foster
Jodi Picoult
And Many Many More!
Top ten favorite books I have read in 2013
!.State of Nature by Ryan Winfield
2. Sinister by Lisa Jackson/Nancy Bush
3.Something Wicked by Lisa Jackson/Nancy Bush
4.Cold snap by Allison Brennan
5.Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
6. Survivor Club by J Carson Black
7.Friday Edition by Betta Ferrendelli
8.Revenge is Sweet by Betta Ferrendelli
9.Sanheim Chronicles(3 books) by Rob Blackwell
!0. Fury of Desire by Coreene Callahan
And this is just a drop in the bucket!!!! I read about 5 books a week for 52 weeks.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. First book that has ever emotionally drained me yet still was uplifting and funny. Loved it!
2013 was the year I realised I don’t just want to read books (although I LOVE reading and will continue to read as much as I can!), I want to write one. I’m currently half way through my first (YA) novel and I’ve never enjoyed anything quite so much. I’ve always felt there’s nothing I REALLY like doing or am really good at and while I don’t know if my book is any good, I do know that I have discovered a passion for writing and for me that is the best feeling in the world. I honestly don’t think I would be writing a book if it wasn’t for all the fantastic books I’ve read over the years which have inspired me.
My top books (published in 2013)
Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
The Accidental Husband by Jane Green
My top books (read by me in 2013)
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg
Made in the U.S.A by Billie Letts
Wish Upon A Star by Sarah Morgan
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
I’m always surprised when I meet someone who doesn’t enjoy reading. I get the same “Christmas morning” feeling every time I open a new book! I’m sure if a non reader were to read one of the above books, they would be converted to reading!
Good for you, Rebecca! I remember the sense of wonder and joy as I wrote my first novel. Keep going!
This is so hard as I have just became a huge fan last year and have read several of your books and love them all.
This is great to see what others are reading as well.
At the top of my list is Necessary lies,
The secret life of Ceecee Wilkes,
Sister shadow (I’m sorry if I don’ t have the title right)
I also loved Walk across the sun by Corben Addison
Midwifes Confession
Escape Artist
Robyn Carr virgin river series up to #6 so far
I had a fun reading year:
1. Command and Control
2.The Help
3. Belong to Me
4.Winter Solstice
5. Sing U Home
6. Best of Me
7. King of Torts
8. The Last Song
9. Beach Road
10. The Shack
11.One Summer
12Necessary Lies
I read so many good books! The Good Father, The Signature of All Things, The House Girl, and The Storyteller to name a few.
Not necessarily published in 2013 but read in 2013, these were my favourites: Necessary Lies by you!!!!
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (the second book of the Tea Rose series)
The Language of Flowers
1. Necessary Lies… . Diane Chamberlain
2. Secret Keeper….Kate Morton
3. The House Girl …. Tara Conklin
4. The Last Original Wife..Dorothea B. Frank
5. The Forgotten…David Balducci
6. The Rebel Wife….Taylor Polites
7. A Week in Winter….Maeve Binchy
8. Looking for Me…Beth Hoffman
9. The Apple Orchard…Susan Wiggs
10. The Son…Philip Meyer
11. Whistling Past the Graveyard..Susan Crandall
12. The Edge of the Earth….Christina Swarz
Hi Diane,
First of all I love of all of your books. Can’t wait for the next one, please keep those books coming 🙂
In 2013 I read a lot, as I always do, my favorite books are (no specific order):
Necessary Lies
Susan Lewis – No child of mine – Don’t let me go
Gregory David Roberts – Shantaram
Chris Pavone – The expats
Kristin Hannah – Firefly Lane
Elin Hilderbrand – The castaways
Barbara & Stephanie Keating – Blood sisters – A durable fire – In borrowed light
Love from Holland, Mariette
Hi 🙂 I was blessed with a beautiful baby girl at the end of November 2012 and as a result I was only able to read 16 books in 2013. These were my three favourites:
Me Before You-Jojo Moyes
Necessary Lies-your book
I’ve got your number-Sophie Kinsella
I really enjoyed ‘I’ve Got Your Number’! One of the best Sophie Kinsella books I’ve read 😀
After suffering post natal depression after me sons birth in 2010, I picked up my first book when he turned one in 2011 and it was yours “keeper of the light” and to date I have now read every book of yours except Summers Child and then some. Thanks for helping me get back to “myself” 🙂
My first and foremost favourite of 2013 had to be Necessary Lies – and I’m not saying that to suck up – it genuinely was the best book I read the whole year. When Goodreads put it in the “Historical Fiction” category, I decided to try one or two of the other books in that category, and these have to be on my list –
The Perfume Collector – Kathleen Tessaro
The Sisterhood – Helen Bryan
The Secret Keeper – Kate Morton
I really enjoyed Kate Morton, so then decided to read a previous book of hers – The Forgotten Garden. So good it has to go in my top 10
Diane once recommended Emilie Richards as a similar writer to herself, so I read The Wedding Ring – on the list it goes.
Next – and who could leave her off – Nora Roberts Whisky Beach
One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf – Excellent – also writes similarly to you Diane.
I can’t leave off Robyn Carr’s trilogy, The Wanderer, The Newcomer and The Hero – Thunder Point series – I read them one after the other so count them as one book!
Last and not least – I have just finished it – but started it in 2013, so I think it counts! It is non fiction. The Battle for the President’s Elephants. An absolutely amazing non fiction memoir of an Australian who has spend 10 hears in Zimbabwe going through many trials and tribulations in her quest to conserve, rehabilitate and help the wildlife in one of that country’s game reserves – highly recommend this – if you love animals. For anyone reading this comment, please buy this book. This absolutely selfless amazing woman needs all the help she can get.
Necessary Lies
Me Before You
Whistling past a Graveyard
It’s hard to narrow it down to just a few! I loved: Necessary Lies, Me Before You, The Promise Of Stardust, Calling Me Home, Have No Shame, and Whistling Past The Graveyard.
My favourites of 2013
The light Between Oceans, by ML Stedman,
One Mountain Away by Emilie Richards,
Calling me Home, by Julie Kibler,
The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain,
Love Anthony by Lisa Genova.
And one more I must add Unforgivable by Sharon Robards,
I could have added lots more.
I am happy to say there are 2 Australian authors on my list (I’m Australian) – Liane Moriarty and Katherine Howell – both very good authors! Katherine Howell has a new book coming out in February and I am so looking forward to it! There would’ve been 2 other great Aussie authors and books on there, but their books were published in mid-2012, although I read them in 2013 – Kimberley Freeman’s Lighthouse Bay and Kathryn Fox’s Cold Grave.
Here’s my list
The First Lie – Diane Chamberlain
Necessary Lies – Diane Chamberlain
The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty
The Apple Orchard – Susan Wiggs
Web of Deceit – Katherine Howell
Crystal Cove – Lisa Kleypas
I love this list each year. It gives me so many more authors to explore. I’ve now added five new books to my 2014 ‘To Read’ list, based on your readers’ favourites, Diane. I’m currently enjoying ‘Necessary Lies’.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
After Her by Joyce Maynard
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
Help for the Haunted by John Searles
Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
These are in no particular order