The end of the year is finally upon us. 2013 came and went quicker than we could say, “Amazon created drones?’
This is the time to step back and admire the best of the year’s literary accomplishments. Let’s begin with The New York Time’s 100 Notable Books of 2013. The list includes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction categories. Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep made the fiction list, as well as The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. The Cancer Chronicles: Unlocking Medicine’s Deepest Mystery by George Johnson made the nonfiction list, as well as the highly acclaimed Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg. Although 2013 may be at a close, this list may provide you with enough to read for the start of the coming year, that is, until the Spring 2014 reviews start rolling in.
Children’s books were important contributions to 2013’s literary merit as well. In The New York Time’s list of Notable Children’s Books for 2013, we get a taste of this year’s best young adult, middle grade, and picture books. If you are a fan of John Green, you may have heard about the young adult novel Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Green said about the book that it reminded him “not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”
If you’re curious about what Amazon’s Best Books of 2013 includes, check them out here. Amazon has lists for everything from the Top 100 Editors’ Picks for Kindle Books to the Top 20 Editors’ Picks for Teen and Young Adult. Also check out the 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards, which are the only book awards decided by the readers themselves. Almost two million readers cast their votes for this year’s awards.
Magazines have also made quite an impression on the past year. This list from Adweek spotlights the winners in the Print Category from their Hot List. Adweek named Cosmopolitan Editor in Chief, Joanna Coles, as the Editor of the Year. Adweek also named Cosmopolitan the Hottest Magazine of the Year. Howard Mittman, publisher of Wired magazine, is 2013’s Publisher of the Year. The list also names the top picks for other categories such as travel and food magazines.
Cosmopolitan also created its own “best of” book list, The 22 Best Books of the Year For Women, by Women. This list includes fiction, young adult, and nonfiction categories. A few on the list are The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman, Allegiant by Veronica Roth, and Her by Christa Parravani.
Ad Age named its top magazine picks as well in its 2013 Magazine A-List. This list honors the “glossy titles that are not only doing great in print, but smartly building their brands beyond the page.” The number ten spot went to Men’s Fitness, number five went to Elle, and the number one A-List magazine was Bon Appetit.
2013 has come and gone, but the best of 2013 will live on in these lists, and hopefully too, will continue to thrive in the backbone of the back lists.