In previous years I’ve set my reading goal too high and then felt let-down that I didn’t reach it by the end of the year. This year I think I probably set it too low. My reading goal for 2014 was 60 books, and I actually read 78. Woohoo! This next year I believe I will push myself to get in 100. Neither number reflects the books read for the Inspy’s, though, I should probably add those books into the mix. Actually I do know why {pardon me while I think out loud here}! It’s so hectic crazy insane busy during the Inspy’s long-list readathon that I don’t have time to keep up with the books on Goodreads. Anyways, back to discussing my favorites of 2014.
The lists below are broken into 9 fiction faves and 5 non-fiction = 14 in 2014! Cute how the math worked out, huh? These were not all necessarily published in 2014, just read in 2014. In no particular order:
1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. My in-real-life book club first read of the year, and it was the perfect feel-good comfort book for a brutal Georgia winter! {that’s such an oxymoron ~ brutal winter & Georgia should not be in the same sentence!}
2. The Ghost of the Mary Celeste. Atmospheric. Mysterious. Based on a true story. With an ending that I still have questions about!
3. The Accident. Somehow I missed out on reading Pavone’s first novel The Expats so his fast-paced plot and descriptive writing style were new to me. Perfect for conspiracy theorists + book lovers!
4. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. One of those feel good novels about second chances, bookstores and finding love in the most unexpected of places.
5. We Were Liars. Dubbed a young adult novel, this felt much more like a novel made for adults who had once been young adults…does that make any sense? Still a pretty darn good read.
6. Coptown. Wow! Y’all know I’m from Georgia, right? Set in Atlanta during the early 70s ranks this thriller blew me away. I cannot WAIT for Slaughter’s 2nd book in this series!
7. Marina. My favorite ghost story audio of October. If you’re a fan of ghost stories the audio version of Marina MAKES the book come to life.
8. The Book of Strange New Things. My first Michel Faber novel but definitely not my last. Deals with questions of humanity, morality, marriage, religion. . .what is right? what is moral? Another book I’m still pondering and one I tell everyone they MUST read, and yesterday.
9. Leaving Time. Still haunts me months after reading. My favorite Jodi Picoult novel ever.
1. Thrive. So refreshing to have someone as successful as Arianna Huffington say how important sleep is to our well-being and ability to function!
2. By the Book. A bunch of interviews with noted authors, celebrities, and politicians about favorite bookish things ~ perfect for book nerds like me!
3. Dreamers and Deceivers. A very close favorite to literature as a favorite subject is history ~ this book includes ten stories that tell the rest of the story like how the Ponzi scheme got the name, who really invented the radio, and probably my favorite dreamers of the book are Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball!
4. Trapped Under the Sea. Gave me the chance to discover how great narrative non-fiction can be and how little we are told as a society about the dangers of building under water.
5. The Power of Habit. A great book to read every December or whenever you are trying to make, or break, a habit. Will definitely use as a resource for many years to come.
What were a few of your favorites from 2014?
Are you a fan of certain genres or do you like to read a little bit of everything?
