2013 was a good year for reading. I read a wide range of books, some brand new, some old favorites, and some old ones I'd only recently discovered. Either way, I got to read a variety of different stories with enchanting characters and inspiring themes. My favorite new book of 2013 was Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. My favorite book that I reread in 2013 would have to be Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher. My favorite old book that I read for the first time in 2013 was Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. These books, all very different, told stories that made me look at life in a different way.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer centers on a rebellious redhead named Scarlet. When her grandma goes missing, she and an unlikely companion named Wolf work together to rescue her grandma from her evil captors. Scarlet was my favorite new book of 2013 because it didn't just tell another version of a fairy tale. Yes, there were strong undercurrents of Little Red Riding Hood woven in with the central sci-fi theme, but the plot and the characters were taken beyond that. It's kind of like Little Red Riding Hood was Marissa Meyer's original inspiration, and she did everything but just write the same story. Scarlet isn't your typical meek and innocent fairy tale heroine like the original. She's more like your average teenager - going through a lot while trying to find her place in the world. I thought having a protagonist that seemed "real" really made the whole story fit together. It was also (thankfully) not the typical teen paranormal romance book either. The stakes were very high and there were so many twists and turns that by the end, any two characters that were still a couple seemed for real, 'cause you knew they had been through so much together. I liked Scarlet because it was really a fantastical take on a girl's journey, on how far she is going to go to save the people she loves. It also fit in nicely as a strong yet different sequel to Cinder,
Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher is about the adventures of one sixth-grade class as they attempt to run the class themselves for a whole day without a teacher. Flying Solo was my favorite old favorite of 2013 that I reread through a different lens because it handles the heavy topic of what it's like to have a classmate pass away while spinning a story that is very childlike - full of laughs and sweet moments and fun. I first read Flying Solo when I was ten. Back then I liked it, but I thought of it as more of a fun read and didn't pay as much attention to the bigger themes the book mixes in. This year when I read it, I looked more for those things. Unless you go through a loss like that of the sixth grade class Flying Solo focuses on, you might think that what happened to Tommy and how Rachel handled it are both unlikely and exaggerated. However, Tommy's death is not overdone - it's in a way that could really happen to someone. And Rachel's choice to become a selective mute after the loss seems real and genuine. She is a girl going through something that no girl should have to go through, and she handles it in the only way she can. What I liked most about Flying Solo was that it handled the way a child copes with loss effectively and realistically. And at the end, when Rachel makes the pivotal decision that she does, it does not seem rushed or forced. It seemed real.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo focuses on a man named Jean Valjean, who attempts to make his life meaningful after breaking parole. Les Miserables was my favorite old book that I read for the first time in 2013 because it creates a fascinating and large cast of characters and takes them on incredible journeys. Les Miserables would seem at first glance, long. All 1463 pages are stuffed to the max with complex words. I wouldn't cut out one page of it though. It balances the narrative with historical facts admirably, in a way not unlike The Grapes of Wrath. I enjoyed reading Les Mis not only because the story was charming, but also because I fully understood what was happening with the war and why thanks to all the background information Victor Hugo provided me with. The narrative itself was beautiful. The characters: Valjean, Fantine, Marius, Cosette, Eponine, and even Javert, have all suffered so much and somehow found the courage to keep going. Even though the story is old, it is in every way applicable to the present. It's a heartwarming tale mixed with an action movie, with twists and turns on every page. I was crying pretty hard by the end, but I was also given a sense of enlightenment after reading it. Valjean is a man trying so hard to be a good person, but he can never seem to do things without having Javert in his way. That feeling of being trapped is something we can all relate to. The battle scenes are fast-paced and intriguing. The love triangle at the heart of the story is compelling, and it gives way to some of the most remarkable words ever written. "Without love, the sun would go out," is one of my favorites. And the prose with which the whole book is written is musical and perfect. It is a treasure. Next on my list, to read it in French.
In conclusion, my three favorite books that I read in 2013, one, being a new book hot off the shelves, one, being an old favorite of mine that I discovered new meaning in, and one, an old book that I read for the first time and found inspiration in, were Scarlet, Flying Solo, and Les Miserables. These books are as different as can be, yet they all have themes that can connect. They teach us that finding a place in the world can be hard, because there will always be things and people trying to get in your way. The taught us that moving on from a loss and letting go can be challenging. And they teach us that we should love, because love keeps us going.
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