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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Favorite Reads of 2014

I'm ridiculously behind in reviewing (and general blogging), but I had to post my favorites from this year of reading.  It's been a great year for me, but not generally in the reading department (and definitely not in the blogging area).  I read 71 books this year, but I'll save all the fun stats for a later post (that's my incentive to do said post :).  I have to admit, when I looked over the list, I didn't really have a lot of books that jumped out at me as favorites.  Basically, this was relatively easy!  Here they are, categorized by genre:

YA Historical Fiction:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Opened my eyes to how many stories and sorrows there are that I will never know about.  Cruelty of humankind will never cease to amaze me.  Also, resiliency!

YA Historical Fantasy:

Chime by Franny Billingsley (review to come)
Fascinating, strange, and beautifully written.  I was engrossed from the start.

YA Fantasy/Sci-fi:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312642970/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0312642970&linkCode=as2&tag=rambofalibr-20&linkId=3YXBECWOP3XQFPSZ
Cress by Marissa Meyer
More, please, Ms. Meyer.  I love this series!

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White (review to come)
I really enjoyed the fantasy and the magic woven in this tale.


Atlantia by Ally Condie (review to come)
Different and unique and once more, beautifully written.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (review to come)
Intriguing and fascinating and if I had had a copy in hand, unputdownable (I listened to the audio).


Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (review to come)
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (review to come)
Let's just get me the last book in this series, already.  I'm always surprised by where these books end up!

MG Historical Fiction:

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Hello, novel in verse.  I love seeing unique historical periods through the eyes of a child.

MG Non-Fiction:

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (review to come)
There's a reason this book is being raved about.  It is fantastic and I wish I could just read it over and over all day long.  Also written in verse!

MG Fantasy:

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy (review to come)
Many thanks, Mr. Healy, for the belly laughs.

Adult Fiction:

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (review to come)
Made me really think about where I've been and where I'm going in life.  Who do I want to become?

Adult Fantasy:

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (review to come)
Such a rich and detailed fantasy world Sanderson has created.  I'll take another helping, please!

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (reread!)
Never gets old.  Truly, the best fantasy for me.

Adult Non-Fiction:

Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand (review to come)
The book touched me in many ways, noting again the cruelty of mankind and the ability we have to rise above extremely horrific circumstances.  Truly inspiring!

What were your favorite reads this year?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

10 comments :

  1. Thanks for the list of your favorite books. I've read three of them so far--The Lord of the Rings (as you know), Between Shades of Gray, and Unbroken. I have many more to add to my TBR list now. Happy New Year!

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    1. I think I finally got to Between Shades of Gray because you and your book group raved about it. Maybe I'm mistaken? :)

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  2. Yours is the third list, I think, that I've seen Cruel Beauty on this year. I think I might need to get around to reading it!

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  3. I loved!!! What Alice Forgot when I read it a few years ago; I still think of that one a lot.

    I enjoyed Cress and Cruel Beauty this year too. I really need to read the Hero's Guide books...

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    1. I love that Alice sticks with you long after you read it! Hero's Guide for the laughs!

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  4. I'm glad you liked Cruel Beauty too. I loved it.
    I need to catch up on the Raven Boys boss. Grrr!

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    1. Yes! I can totally see you loving Cruel Beauty! I almost wish I'd waited to catch up on Raven Boys until the last book came out :)

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  5. Wow, you read some great books this year. I loved UNBROKEN, CRESS, MISTBORN, CRESS, LOTR, and BROWN GIRL DREAMING. I'm planning to read WHAT ALICE FORGOT and ILLUSIONS OF FATE right away.

    Happy 2015!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Hope you enjoy What Alice Forgot and Illusions of Fate - you know I did :)

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