The Best and Worst of 2014

GOODBYE 2014, HELLO 2015

Another year of life and reading has gone by! Some goals were met and some were not. I'm one semester away from finishing grad school, and I've already accomplished a goal I set when I first started school. What was it? Have a job in book publishing before graduation! Done, I'm currently working full-time for a children's book publisher. It started as a part-time internship, and eventually turned into a full-time job. Sweet! Everything else that happens, including graduation, is just extra icing on the cake! My thesis topic was approved, but the actual execution of my idea feels a bit daunting. I just keep saying to myself, "It will all be over in May! It will all be over in May!"

Now, how have I done with my reading goals? Not so good. I set a goal of reading 50 books, but I came up short. Thirty-seven books isn't too bad. I started and stopped a lot of books. I went through several reading slumps. I gave some books more than the usual 50-60 pages. It was more like 90-100 pages before I gave up. Working and going to school also took up a lot of my time, it will again for the first half of the year. For 2015, I have to lower my reading goals (sniff). I'm going to shoot for 40 books, but still hope that I pass that!

There were so many books I wanted to get to in 2014, but so many books and so little time. Of the books I read, some I read were great and some were not so great......

(Note not every book on this list was released in 2014, but I just happened to read them in 2014)

 

TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2014 

1. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin -- Love, love books about books. It's the tale of a quirky bookseller who raises a girl left in his shop. Every chapter is a new clue to the mystery of A.J. Fikry.

2. That Night by Chevy Stevens -- After 16 years in prison, a young woman returns to her hometown and the scene of her alleged crime. She's trying to move on. She knows she didn't kill   her sister, but who will believe her? Definitely a thrilling read!

3. The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon -- Seedy nightclubs, corruption, and three women tied to one man? Sign me up!

4. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen -- A contemporary story with hints of magical realism. Lost Lake is the place where everyone goes to find themselves.

5. In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins -- A sassy heroine who loves Ben & Jerry's will always be on my list of favorite characters!

6. The House We Grew Up in by Lisa Jewell -- A family tries to overcome the emotional and physical horrors of living with a hoarder.

7. Sweet Nothings by Janis Thomas -- Funny and whimsical story about a woman overcoming the end of her marriage, with a little chocolate mixed in!

8. The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry -- This author has become an automatic buy for me. While this was not my favorite book by her, but I love a good family drama!

9. Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge -- One day Lucie Walker knew who she was, but slowly she lost herself. Then one day, she completely forgot who she was!

10. S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie Adeline -- An erotica novel about one woman's sexual and emotional awakening!

Honorable mention: The Art of Adapting by Cassandra Dunn, We'll Always Have Paris by Jennifer Coburn, and The In-Between Hour by Barbara Claypole White

 

 

 

The not-so good books of 2014

 

Fortunately, this list is much smaller! There were books that I stopped and started. But of the books I finished, here are the ones that disappointed me!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn -- Yes, has been out for two years but I finally read it before the movie came out. I detested Amy Elliot Dunne in the book. However, I loved the movie and Rosamund Pike's performance of this wackadoodle character.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren -- Again another book that didn't come out this year. I didn't review this on my blog, but I read it for an assignment in school. It's borderline erotica. There was no depth to the main characters. All they shared was a lust for sex, which is a big no-no for me. There has to be more than that to a relationship, which is probably why I prefer Tiffany Reisz's books. There is a lot of sex in her books, but in my opinion it serves as a secondary not a primary storyline.

What books were on your list?