Radnor Librarian's List of Best Fiction of 2013

Radnor Memorial Library Information Librarian Ann Etris has created a list of the best fiction books published in 2013.

FICTION ATK Atkinson, Kate -Life afterLifeThe award-winning author of Behind the Scenes at the Museum follows the experiences of a woman who after being born on a snowy night in 1910 repeated dies and reincarnates into the same life to correct missteps and ultimately save the world.

FICTION HOS Hosseini, Khaled-And the Mountains EchoedThe best-selling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns presents a story inspired by human love, how people take care of one another and how choices resonate through subsequent generations.

NEW FICTION MCB McBride, James –The Good Lord BirdFleeing her violent master at the side of legendary abolitionist John Brown at the height of the slavery debate in mid-19th-century Kansas Territory, Henry pretends to be a girl to hide his identity throughout the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Bythe best-selling author of The Color of Water.

NEW FICTION MOR Moriarty, Liane -The Husband's SecretDiscovering a tattered letter that says she is to open it only in the event of her husband's death, Cecelia, a successful family woman, is unable to resist reading the letter and discovers a secret that shatters her life and the lives of two other women. By the author of What Alice Forgot.

FICTION OZE Ozeki, Ruth L. -A Tale for the Time BeingA novelist on a remote island in the Pacific is linked to a bullied and depressed Tokyo teenager after discovering a Hello Kitty lunchbox that washed ashore in this new novel from the award-wining, best-selling author of My Year of Meats.

FICTION PIC Picoult, Jodi-The StorytellerDuring the summer of 1956, fourteen-year-old geek Gary struggles with the hormonal pains and obsessions of puberty as he experiences a passionate devotion to his rebellious cousin Kate and pursues his dream of becoming a writer, but when Kate gets into trouble with the local basketball star, Gary is forced to deal with the first pangs of a broken heart.

FICTION SAU Saunders, George -Tenth of December: StoriesA collection of stories by the author of Pastoralia includes "Home," a wryly whimsical account of a soldier's return from war; "Victory Lap," a tale about an inventive abduction attempt; and the title story, in which a suicidal cancer patient saves the life of a young misfit.

FICTION STR Strout, Elizabeth-The Burgess BoysCatalyzed by a nephew's thoughtless prank, a pair of brothers confront painful psychological issues surrounding the freak accident that killed their father when they were boys, a loss linked to a heartbreaking deception that shaped their personal and professional lives. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge.

FICTION WAL Walls, Jeannette-The Silver StarAbandoned by their artist mother at the age of 12, Bean and her older sister, Liz, are sent to live in the decaying antebellum mansion of their widowed uncle, where they learn the truth about their parents and take odd jobs to earn extra money before an increasingly withdrawn Liz has a life-shattering experience.