Favorite Books in the second half of 2013

Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year! I even got to celebrate a birthday.....one year older.....blech.

In August I listed my top six books of the year so far. Here I will add my favorite books for the second half of the year. My reading pace greatly slowed in the second half of 2013 as I resumed coaching cheerleading, planning Baby Girl's birthday party, which was quickly followed by the holidays. Beyond the 11 previous listed, I only had four books listed as 5 stars. All four will be listed here in order.

4. 
My one fiction book on the list. Pivot Point was a lot of fun. As a huge fan of Doctor Who, and as a result, time travel, this novel satisfied my appetite. It followed two different storylines of the main character Addison, and thus felt like reading two different, awesome stories. The ending had me instantly begging for book two.

3. 
This book was written from the combined wisdom of Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. Sarah Mae's opened the chapters writing as a mother currently living in the trenches, which helped me relate. Sally Clarkson wrote than as a mother who has survived and come out the other side with buckets full of wisdom to share. This book left me encouraged, refreshed, and inspired. A must read for all mommies, especially those with littles.

2. 
Choosing between my second and first choice was incredibly difficult. Emily P. Freeman writes a fantastic book here, covering so many important topics, from dealing with the critics in our lives to the importance of understanding how we can make art in the everyday. A lot of it was so heavy I could only read in small snippets sometimes. Freeman's writing style is more free form and poetic and that made it hard to follow sometimes. Because of this tiny flaw, it is why I choose picked it for choice two, yet is still an incredible book. I could easily recommend it to anyone, even if you don't think you are an 'artist'

1. 
Courtney Joseph did a fantastic job with her first published novel. It's well organized, covering the topics of God, marriage, children, and home well enough to learn something and be encouraged. Joseph doesn't overshare her personal life and offers plenty of practicals. The reader can easily feel the presence of God pouring through the pages and thus left with an encouraging peace. Highly encouraging and motivating, I recommend this book to all Christian women, wives, and mothers. There is always more to learn on our walk with God, and Women Living Well is a fantastic tool to use along the way.

Honorable Mentions:
The Girl of Fire and Thorns 4.5 Stars
Shadow and Bone 4.5 Stars

So to recap...
My two favorite books of the year are Women Living Well and The Sea of Tranquility!! Glad to see a non-fiction and fiction each made the top two.

I have been enjoying all the favorite books of 2013 posts and consequently my TBR list is growing ever larger. I have set my Goodreads goal for 60 books, but am really excited to go above and beyond this goal! Happy reading in 2014, friends!