Monday, January 6, 2014

MG Reads from 2013....And Some Reading Goals

I don’t have a book to talk about today for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday since I’m still a bit slow to jump back into blogging after my two week break (or maybe it's because of all the shoveling I've been doing). But I will share my favourite MG reads from my 100 book challenge of 2013.

For the past couple of years, I’ve challenged myself to read 100 MG and YA books each year. I decided that if I was really going to take my writing seriously, I needed to immerse myself in reading the kinds of books I want to write. Last year, I made more of an effort to divide my reading equally between MG and YA. 


My reading list is typically a mixture of newer books and books that have been around for a few years, so these lists don't necessarily reflect books that have been published in 2013. I've already posted my YA favourites from 2013, so here are a few I really enjoyed in the MG category:


Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy Cavanaugh

Rump by Liesl Shurtliff

A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean






and possibly my favourite of all, The Runaway King by Jennifer Nielsen.






One of the exciting things about starting the new year is that I'm embarking on a whole new set of reading adventures with my next reading challenge! I am once again looking forward to reading the Silver Birch nominated books and I'm going to try to read the Cybils nominees in the middle grade category. (Luckily, I've got a head start on both of these since I read a couple of them in 2013.)

Most importantly, I'm going to try to think more about the structure of some of the books I read, since this is one area I need to work on as a writer. 

Do you have any reading goals for 2014?

15 comments:

  1. I've read many from your favorites list and enjoyed them, too!

    I don't set reading goals but do have a goal to share about the MG titles I love. :-)

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    1. I enjoy sharing about good MG reads too! Even though my blog doesn't have tons of followers, I always hope that I'm helping the authors' a little by word of mouth!

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  2. I have a looooong list of books that I want to read this year~ I loved a lot of the ones you listed as favorites, and I especially can't wait for Jennifer Nielsen's third book in the Ascendance trilogy!

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    1. Oh, me too! I hope it's as good as the other two.

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  3. Happy New Year, Andrea! And congratulations on reading so many books. I also read and loved The Runaway King in 2013.

    I always try more or less to read 100 books, and this past year I managed to read 119 (some of which were adult books, but most either MG or YA). What I think I'd like to do this year is slow down a bit and analyze the books more.

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    1. Good for you, Joanne! I want to slow down and think more about the books I especially enjoy and what makes them great. Maybe we should compare notes :)

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  4. Ooh! Thanks for the list. I've got a 8 yr old who has CONSUMED pretty much everything on my shelves (which is impressive), and I'm starting a second TBR list for her. She won't read anything without me recommending it to her.

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    1. Wow - that's interesting! My daughters always read what I gave them but often lost interest at the beginning because it wasn't their style!

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    2. I must have raised her right, eh? ;)

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  5. Happy New Year, Andrea! I loved The Runaway King and am super excited that I was approved for an ARC of The Shadow Throne, the next book in the series. Can't wait to read it.

    With working, I can't quite read 100 books, but am hoping to keep reading 70+ books. I'm going to be reading the ones I pick for my interviews and then pick more books and ARCs I really want to read vs. random ones sent by publishers this year.

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    1. Natalie, I'm really looking forward to reading The Shadow Throne and your post (or interview) when it's ready.

      It sounds like a wise decision to think about what you want to read vs. random books. I am always impressed by your interviews and the books you feature on your blog. It's one of my favourite blogs to visit! :)

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  6. Andrea, I am delighted that Making Bombs for Hitler was one of your most memorable books of the year! Thank you! Underground Soldier, the companion novel, has just been published. Thanks for the recommendation of The Runaway King. I've just purchased the Kobo edition of The False Prince ....

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    1. Oh, I'll have to look for Underground Soldier. I hope you enjoy The False Prince!

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  7. I am so excited for the final book in the Ascendance Trilogy. The False Prince and Runaway King were both fabulous. I know the final will be wonderful too!

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  8. Welcome back. It was hard for me to get into my MMGM groove, but I managed to finish a book after New Year's. I haven't read any of these, but you've made me curious about them.

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