Book of the Year 2013 - The Outcast - Jolina Petersheim

Dear Readers,

 

Goodness I feel like it was only a few short weeks ago that I pick the 2012 book of the year.   I have had several of them once again that have shown the possibility to be the book of the year, but the one I picked was partly because I read it in a day.  I started it on a Sunday morning and finished it by that evening. 

 

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim was one of those books that made me want to turn pages and not lay it down, but it wasn't a fast paced book, it was one that just told a story that refused to be laid down.  It also made me interested in reading Jolina's next book,  The Midwife that releases in the summer of 2014.

 

As most of you who read my blog off and on know, Amish fiction is not my favorite genre, but that didn't really seem to matter in this book.  Then again, it is not your typical Amish fiction.  The subtitle on the book is "a modern retelling of the Scarlet Letter" and that is more of what this book is about than another Amish book.  Yes the main characters are Amish, but this story could and does happen in various forms around the world. 

 

I guess that is one thing I look for in the book I pick, it has to be something different.  It may tell a familiar story, but it needs to do it in a new and fresh way.  The Outcast was that.  I know originally the cover is what attracted my attention, but what lies between the lovely covers is what makes me pick this book for 2013.

 

Happy Reading.

 

P.S. Runners up include - Though Mountains Move - Julie Cantrell,  Secrets over Sweet Tea - Denise Hildreth Jones, Snow on the Tulips - Liz Tolsma, Burning Sky - Lori Benton, The Hero's Lot - Patrick Carr, Every Waking Moment - Chris Fabry.