Although I have a separate page for this topic, I figured I would make a post about it as well since I am just getting this blog started. Here are the top 10 books that I enjoyed reading so far in 2014. (Not all of these were released in 2014)
- Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Any book that makes me stay up late thinking about is a good book in my mind. I finished this book in two sittings because I needed to know what happened next. A popular teenager is killed in a car accident. She continues to relive the day she died over and over; she alters her decisions every day and slowly learns her purpose. This book made me think about life and death far more than I usually do. I wrote a full review here. - The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
A woman finds a letter written by her husband that she was not supposed to find until he died. The novel develops how her family, and a couple of others, will cope with her husband’s secret. I’m a sucker for a book where multiple peoples’ lives intertwine. I enjoyed this book because it made me more interested in reading “adult” fiction instead of my usual YA. Liane Moriarty has a few other books out that I want to read and I hope they live up to my expectations. I expect to write a full review on this book sometime soon, since it is one of my favorites. - Toxic – Pretty Little Liars #15 by Sara Shepard
This is the second to last book in the Pretty Little Liars series, and it did not disappoint. I devour these books within the first few days after they are released, and then am hungry for the next one immediately. I’ve been with this series since the year it came out and am anxiously awaiting the final book after the cliffhanger ending from Toxic! Unless people ask me for it, I probably won’t review books in a series. If I start a series now (since the blog just started), I may review each book as I read them since I would be easily able to start with the first. However, if you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend that you do! - Class of ’98 by A.L. Player
Two people from different circles in school attend their high school reunion; they end up getting zapped back into their senior year. An alterna girl (Jackie) and jock (Matt) are forced to repeat their senior year and try to find their way back into the present. They live as former versions of themselves, including having to date ex-boyfriends and girlfriends before things turned ugly, and be friends with now-enemies. They don’t want to change the course of their lives, so they try to keep everything the same as it was- but it’s not that easy. I really enjoyed this book; it was recommended on Amazon for me and I am glad I decided to read it. You grow to love the main characters and learn a lot about them. - Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
This was a YA shining star this year. The general idea is that two misfits fall in love. Eleanor, a girl with a rough home life, and Park, a half-white half-Asian boy, sit next to each other on the bus and develop a relationship. The book touches on a lot of heavy topics and you root for the two of them to make it through to the end…even though you know how difficult it is for a first love to last. The book’s ending wasn’t my favorite, but it didn’t leave me with a bad taste in my mouth at least. - Mr. Penubra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
I was intrigued by the title, plot, and cover of this book at B&N one day, but didn’t pick it up until I joined a Book Club and had to read it. This was a cool book with a unique premise. Still not sure how I feel about the ending, but this is certainly a book where the journey is more important than the destination. - Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin
I’m famous for reading fluffy YA books involving the typical “girl goes on a summer vacation to a beach town and falls in love” premise. This was a great one to fill that need for me. The second book was just released, too! There is something about summertime that just makes me want to read a book that doesn’t make me think too much. Maybe I’m still stuck in the high school/college mindset, but summer is when I turn my brain off. I can’t deny that the plot of this book was fairly standard for a young adult “romance” novel, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. - Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill
This was definitely out of character for me to read, but I was very happy I read it! This was a choice for my Book Club. I’ve always been fascinated by Scientology and cult-like religions; this book explained the whole religion and how Jenna was able to escape and lead a normal life. For a nonfiction book, it was certainly a pageturner. - The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Another book for my Book Club. It centers around the Fang family and their bizarre performance art pieces. The two children, Anna and Buster, return home to their parents’ house and find that things have not changed too much. The book flashes back between past and present, which helps the reader learn more about the Fang parents and their idea of art. Anna and Buster, in general, weren’t super developed as characters… I liked them, but I just felt that we didn’t learn as much about them as we could have. The book had an ending that really surprised me, which is why I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. - Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters
I listened to this as an audiobook (which I determined is a format I really don’t enjoy, unfortunately). The narrator’s voice made the main character seem incredibly whiny, which impacted my thoughts on the book. Apart from that, it was a predictable yet entertaining book. Overall, I can say I enjoyed it. It was nice having a book centered around a gay couple without making a big deal about it.
I love Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore too! It is one of the books I’m keeping for sure to reread some day.
It was a great one. Did you read Ajax Penubra yet? (I think it was a prequel?)
No, I haven’t yet. I heard the same, that it is Penumbra in his younger days.
It seems pretty interesting. I just haven’t gotten around to checking it out yet.