Meghan's Ultimate To-Read List for 2013

My Goodreads account is practically an epic love poem to all the reading goals that I have, but I figured laying them out with a little more specificity won't hurt.

Most of these have received some sort of acclaim or notice in the past year or two, which is how they made it to my list. Some of them are just new gems I've discovered and want to explore. An asterisk (*) indicates that this is a book a friend or family member loved and recommended to me.

Here it is, the best of the best, my reading goals of 2013:

• Nonfiction
• General knowledge 
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (*, my grandpa)
• Feminism
• The Purity Myth by: Jessica Valenti
• Cinderella Ate My Daughter by: Peggy Orenstein
• Memoir
• Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Suzannah Cahalan
• Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by: Jenny Lawson (*, Amanda, who shares my sense of humor and romanticism)
• The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by: Alice Ozma
• Wild by Cheryl Strayed
• Fiction
• Historical fiction
• The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty (if this woman has a son, I would like to marry him, please--check out that fantastic last name!) 
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
• The Age of Miracles by: Karen Thompson Walker
• Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by: Robin Sloane 
• This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz 
• Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green
• The Leftovers by Tom Perrota 
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (*, Addie, my little sister)
• A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan 
• I Have Blinded Myself Writing This by Jess Stoner
• Poetry
• Life on Mars by Tracy K Smith (2012 Pulitzer Prize Winner) 
• B by: Sarah Kay (TED conference video--must look this up) 
• A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver (Goodreads Choice Awards Winner for Poetry, 2012)
• Tinkers by Paul Harding (*, my brilliant musician and writer friend, Madison)
• Mystery
• The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
• Plays
• Aloha Say the Pretty Girls by: Naomi Iizuka (*, Elyse, one of my current roommates and the director protege of the Denison University Theatre Department) 
• Tigers Be Still by: Kim Rosenstock (*, Elyse again)
• Young Adult
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 
• Easy by Tammara Webber
• Warm Bodies by Issac Marion
• The Invention of Hubo Cabret by Brian Selznick (*, Ellen, the YA expert) 
• Wonder by RJ Palacio 

• Short Stories
• The Last Girlfriend on Earth and Other Love Stories by: Simon Rich
• Sherlockian Obsession
• Sherlock's Home: The Empty House edited by: Steve Emecz

Introducing: Meghan, Associate Book Reviewer

Two weeks ago, I put out a request for an associate book reviewer on In The Next Room. I wasn't sure if I'd find anyone, because I really wanted the right match for the site and for me. Luckily, I heard from Meghan! Her background, personality, and quality of writing all let me know she was perfect for In The Next Room. You can expect to see her reviews about once a week, and they'll be clearly identified. I'm so excited to welcome Meghan to In The Next Room. Here's a little introduction directly from her :)

My name is Meghan and I’m a 20 year old college student studying Creative Writing, Theatre, and Art History. My dream is to be a book reviewer—and for me, dreams really do come true here In the Next Room! I am so excited to become a reviewer for the site!

I read mainly fiction, though I do appreciate a good memoir or essay collection. I love poetry, short stories, YA fiction of all flavors, plays, mysteries, historical fiction, GLBTQ, fantasy, sci-fi, true crime, and independently published works. (Particularly those from authors in Ohio or Colorado—my two homes!)

I devour books like most people eat chocolate chip cookies: frequently, quickly, and with great joy.

The best books I’ve read so far in 2012:

1. Enchantments by: Kathryn Harrison

2. Rules of Civility by: Amor Towles

3. John Dies at the End by: David Wong

4. My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales edited by: Kate Bernheimer

5. The Catch Trap by: Marion Zimmer Bradley

You can find me here on Goodreads or here at my Twitter account, @meghanc303