So each year I try to read a few books. In 2012 I read 43 books. So I decided this year I would shoot for 45. Then I thought well why not try for 52 being as that would be one book a week. I thought one book a week was a lot until I saw on goodreads that some people are reading over 100 books a year. I must say that setting a challenge was a good thing because I pushed through some books that normally I would have taken months to read. I also read some books that I thought were horrible but wanted to finish so I could reach my challenge goal. So all that being said here is the list of the best books I read in 2013 in no particular order.
Skeletons on the Zahara : This was the story of James Riley and his crew that were shipwrecked on the coast of Africa and were picked up by traders and taken across the Sahara to be sold. The will to live of some me is so great that they are able to force that will onto others and as a group survive something that most would have gave up on from the beginning.
Born To Run : This book was recommended by my cardiologist who is a few mile a day runner. I am far from a runner. I've never even enjoyed running, if you ever see me running you may want to start running also because I am most likely running from something catastrophic. But back to the book. This book is about an epic race between some of the worlds elite super-runners and the Tarahumara. The Tarahumara are a tribe in Mexico that are known to be some of the best distant runners the world has ever known.
Fault in our stars : This book took me by surprise. I was overwhelmed with the story of Hazel who experiences life as a teenage girl dying of cancer. She tries her best to not burden anyone and has quite the cynical view on life that is until she meets Augustus who give her a little motivation to truly live as if she were dying.
The Sociopath next door : Well this book goes in depth on what makes a sociopath. She discusses traits they will have and keys to look for. By the end of the book I was examining all my neighbors.
Washington: Well going into this book I knew very little about George. After this very comprehensive biography I feel i know a great deal. I tried to slip in little facts during random times of conversation because Washington was a great man who actually tried his best to be a "Good" Person. He was a little temperamental over his ego before he became part of the United States which helped him define who he knew he was supposed to be.
Issac's Storm : This book was all about the hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. This book written as a historical fiction walks you through the events and what was happening before and after the hurricane. It helps you feel as if you were there.
Fat Chance : In this book Dr. Lustig talks of how the food we eat, the life style we live has a great deal to do with the weight we carry. He also goes into great detail how for some not all, or even most there are and can be chemical imbalances that we need to research more to figure out if there is a way to help isolate the problem.
So how many books will I end up reading by the end of the year, I'm not sure. but I have start to compile quite the stack that I will start come 2014.
