Robin's Top 5 Books of 2013

I read 53 books in 2013 and that doesn't include the unpublished books I read from my writing group and other author friends. Now you might be thinking I must be sitting around on my behind all day long because that is a stinkin' lot of books. Sometimes I wish that were the case, but I do have five kids and a husband to take care of. In actuality, I only "read" about 20% of the books. The rest I listened to on audiobook while running, cleaning, doing laundry, cutting coupons etc. So here they are:

Since you probably don't have time to read more than 50 books a year, I'm going to give you my top picks for 2013. How do they make it on my list?

1.) They receive at least 4 out of 5 stars.
2.) They keep my interest from first page to last.
3.) They have good taste (not trashy).
4.) They are well-written, well-thought out, and unique in some way.
5.) I would read them again.

Hope you have fun reading them!

ROBIN'S TOP 5 BOOK PICKS FROM 2013: 

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
4.5 Stars 
Breathtaking, heartbreaking, merrymaking. 
Clockwork Princess truly transported me to a world where I felt the characters were real enough to touch. Cassandra Clare knows how to bring characters and relationships to life. 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer4.5 Stars

Action-packed, laced with some fun romance. 
This in #2 in the Lunar Chronicles. I am really loving this series. The characters are so alive. The fairy tale elements are a delight to read. I loved discovering how Meyer was able take the story of Little Red Riding Hood and turn it upside down and inside out in a sci-fi world. Scarlet is trying to find her kidnapped grandmother and then has a run in with a man called Wolf, who she ends up liking, but who sometimes wants to eat her. I mean, how did she come up with this stuff?

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
4 Stars
Eye opening, heart wrenching, a good historical read. 
Louis Zamperini goes from boyhood delinquent to talented runner. Thinking he's on his way to his dreams of the Olympics, WWII unfolds and he is drafted into its ranks. His B-42 is downed at sea. Through wisdom, strength, and unending endurance he tries to survive against thirst, hunger, and sharks. His perseverance is tested even longer as he becomes a POW in Japanese territory.

I not a huge fan of non-fiction, but this one definitely turned my head. True stories are sometimes hard to get through because you know that there is no simple answer to complex problems in real life. Reading about Louis (and his friends) helped me understand a different side of WWII from the holocaust and Germany. The suffering of Americans in another part of the world opened my eyes to a strength I didn't think possible. The historical element of this book was brought forth using interesting facts and never-ending action. Glad I took the time to break away from fairy tales and love stories to give this one a chance.

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
4.25 Stars
Sweet and fun love story reminiscent of Jane Austen's Emma. 
It was refreshing to read a character who didn't want to give up her dreams of traveling to India and wasn't willing to let society change her mind. The mystery, the flashbacks, the regency time period, the clean romance, the references to music and birds--all these aspects made it worth the read.

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter 
5 Stars
Funny, clever, quick read.
Yes, this is a young adult book. Yes, it is about a girl who leaves a boarding school (she conned her way into) to help steal back paintings to save her father. Yes, it's a little juvenile in parts. BUT, I totally loved it! I couldn't help laughing out loud in so many parts. I loved how the perspectives changed, and yet you still felt like you could be Katarina, the cool and witty con artist. Don't ask me how the author did it, but I found that I could totally relate to this teenage girl and her plight as a member of this family in the business of stealing. I realize that stealing is wrong and I'm not in support of the Heist Society's lifestyle. That being said, I seriously want to join Katarina's family. Yeah, I'm kind of a little crazy like that. This is #3 in the series, but I have loved each one!

Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck (yes, I realize this is #6, but I couldn't resist)
4.5 Stars
A lovely ending to a compelling, adventuresome, intellectually-stimulating, and heart-strings-pulling series. 
This is #4 in the Tiger's Curse series. I'm so pleased with how this book ended! I wasn't sure how Colleen Houck would be able to tie loose ends. Somehow she did. The final battle got my blood pumping and the last scenes with Ren and Kelsey had my heart racing. It was a truly perfect end to this epic romantic fantasy!

Honorable Mention: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo 
4 Stars
A dark and emotional fantasy. I can't wait until the 3rd book, Rise and Ruin.

Monday Dynamos: My first giveaway contest!

Ever since I started writing my book, Remembrandt, I have been obsessed with anagrams (several of which you will find in the book).  Now for those of you not familiar with what an anagram is, let me explain. An anagram is a word or phrase that can be rearranged to create a new word or phrase.  For example:

Astronomer = Moon starer

Agree = Eager

Float = Aloft

Where you put a space or how the words are separated do not matter.  For my own personal rules, it's only a real anagram if it makes sense or is clever in some way.  Like my name, Robin King, could be rearranged to be "brink go in".  Even though all those words are real words,  it doesn't really make sense and has nothing to do with me.  On the other hand, you could rearrange my name to say "boring kin'.  Now I can surely see a few of my family members huffing up in anger right now, but we are a boring lot!

So for my Monday Dynamos, your challenge is three fold.

1.) In honor of someone quoted in my book, find the anagrammed name in this phrase (don't forget that is doesn't matter where the spaces are - you just have to use all the letters):

Hear me as I will speak = ?

2.) Find an anagram for your name (you could use your middle or last name too, or just your first name).  See if you can find something clever that works for your name!  Just post your answers in the comments section.

3.) Follow me on this blog!

***PRIZE*** 

The first person to come up with the correct answer for #1 and the cleverest (is that a word?) anagram of their own name:  You will receive a hardback copy of Cinder by Marissa Meyer, one of my new favorite books.

I'm excited to see what you all come up with.  

Debut Authors!

Fellow Delicious Reads members and I at the Fierce Reads Tour with some up and coming authors:


Top Row from Left - Kelly Dearth, Kellie Hall. Debut Authors: Anna Banks (Of Poseidon), Jennifer Bosworth (Struck), Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14), Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone), and Marissa Meyer (Cinder).
Bottom Row from left - Haley Stephens, Kate Johns, and Me

Fierce Reads Tour - A Win-Win

I never win anything.  Lots of people say it, but I'm overly unlucky. Really.  I'll never win the lottery (though that somewhat makes sense because I never buy a ticket).  I've never really won a raffle, drawing, or contest where chance is involved.  You know those sports games where the t-shirt is thrown to the crowd.  If you want to catch one, you should stand right next to me because chances are, it will hit me in the head and bounce right into your hands.  This has happened to me not once, but twice. 

So you can see that it came as a complete surprise last month when I "won" a spot in the lottery for the St.George Marathon 2012.  Now you non-runners out there are probably thinking, "Why is getting into a marathon considered a winning situation?" Think of it as the Superbowl for runners.  But for those avid marathoners out there, getting into the St. George Marathon is like getting the invite to walk (I mean, run) the red carpet.  Yeah, it's that cool.  I'll admit that I have mixed feelings about this "win". I mean it's twenty-six point freaking two miles.   But since I have tried to get into this marathon three times before and lost, I was happy to break my unlucky streak.


Running the Ogden Marathon 4 weeks ago

It turns out, my luck may be doing an about face permanently.  I recently had the opportunity to join some friends in attending the Fierce Reads Tour at their stop at Provo Library.  Don't worry, I didn't know what it was before I went either.  Basically, it's a book tour for Macmillan's new debut Young Adult authors (I'll post more on them later).  At the end of the night, they announced there was a giveaway.  I was about ready to get up and leave.  Why wait for the disappointment, right?  I decided to check under my chair anyway, and, lo and behold, I'd won a book!  And not just any book, but a book I've had on my Good Reads list for several months: Cinder by Marissa Meyer. 

Here's all the authors that attended:

So it's true I may never win an IPad or a new car, but I'm starting to feel little Irish.  Maybe I'll go to a BYU basketball game soon (but I'll wear a helmet, just in case).