Year-end book lists can sometimes seem like a giant homework assignment you totally forgot about until the week before finals.
You meant to read the one that your friend recommended, or the other after your favorite author tweeted about it, but you never had the chance.
See also: If Classic Books Had Internet Headlines
Try not to think of this 2013's literary wrap-up as something you didn't finish this year. These titles are the perfect way to start your New Year's resolution to read more in 2014.
Leonard Peacock wakes up the morning of his 18th birthday with plans to kill his former best friend, then himself. Though he's introduced with homicidal and suicidal plans, Leonard quickly proves to be on of the most sympathetic and heartbreaking characters in YA literature this year.
This novel is about the transition from high school to college, and what it means when friends (or in this case, a sister) adapt at a different speed. While this is a pretty standard theme for YA novels, Rowell makes it fresh by making her protagonist, Cather, something of a star in the online fan-fiction community. A must-read if you've ever wondered what that "shipping" is all about.
Printz Award-winning author A.S. King tells the story of a teenage boy still dealing with the repercussions of his childhood being broadcast as part of a reality TV show.
A fantasy book for non-fantasy fans: Rudy moves to a small-island community with his parents and dying little brother, when they learn that fish exclusive to their coast heal the sick. The fish work, but their availability is threatened by a teenage merman who quickly become's Rudy's best and only friend.
A fast paced doomed love story, If You Could Be Mine follows the often told tale of childhood best friends that become a couple in their teen years. But in their home country Iran Sahar's and Nasrin lesbian relationship could get them killed.
Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner weaves together the stories of families and relationships over a span of over fifty years, jumping locations from the middle east to the US. Each story is compelling on its own but they're made even more so by their connections.
Carson revisits the story of Greyson that she began in 1999's Autobiography of Red in this novel told in verse.
The Good Lord Bird, which won the National Book Award in fiction this year, is a piece of historical fiction set in the 1850s following real life abolitionist John Brown and Henry Shackleford, the fictional slave who travels with him in the years before the Civil War.
Perfect for fans of mystery and suspense, Catton's sophomore novel about 19th century New Zealand earned her this year's Man Booker prize.
Greene's protagonist, pre-teen Alex who's dealing with his parent's crumbling marriage, is both funny and perceptive. It's a fast read that you'll be quoting for months.
A story not only of Twitter's beginnings, but of four people that helped to create it, this is the perfect read for anyone who was disappointed by jobs.
Named for Brosh's popular blog, Hyperbole and a Half is a hilarious collection of comics that have gained such popularity not just because of their wit, but because they're so relatable.
A National Book Award Finalist, Going Clear looks at Scientology, a topic many are interested in but has been very protective of its rules and practices.
Examining the foster care system from multiple angles, Beam's book looks at the struggles of birth parents, prospective adoptive parents, and the kids that bounce from home to home.
The story of the man behind the muppets, Jones' extensive look into Jim Henson's life should satisfy every Kermit fan.
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