My Top Reading Picks of 2014

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It's been 3 years now since I started keeping a rudimentary reading list, jotted and crossed off on a sheet of notebook paper.  My reading list is a dumping ground for titles I don't want to forget, but I also employed my library's list feature this year,  too.  Either method gets the books out of my brain space so I don't waste time and energy trying to remember numerous titles. My reading list  is an informal record sheet, too.  As I complete a book, I record a completion date next to the title and at the end of the year I type up a neat list of all the books I finished. 

This year I took it a step further and made a visual record of every book I read this year.  Here's a quick peek, but you'll need to click here or on the photo below to see the whole shelf.

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A few statistics:

I read 83 books this year. That's up 18 books from last year.

Here's my dilemma.  That number doesn't include the 29 books I read aloud with the kids for fun.  I feel like it's "cheating" to include those books, but why?!  I still read them!  And that number doesn't include the scads of books we read aloud for history, science, or art...or the endless stacks of picture books we consume weekly!

I read 27 non-fiction titles and 56 fiction titles.

First book I completed in 2014: Stones for Breadby Christa Parrish: deep character-driven story with great bread recipes
         
Last book I completed in 2014: Shopaholic to the Starsby Sophie Kinsella: fluffy chick lit for a busy last-week-of-the-year

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 A few specifics:

Overall Favorite: Still Aliceby Lisa Genova
It was almost impossible to narrow it down to one single favorite, but I tried to consider what book stayed with me after I put it down or entered my thoughts even after I returned it to the library.  Still Alice about a woman with early-onset Alzheimer's was a hauntingly well-told story, written from the perspective of the woman herself.  Try reading this book and not questioning yourself every time you can't recall a name or you forget what you were about to do.

Most Disappointing: Me Before Youby JoJo Moyes
I heard marvelous things about this book, but I knew almost nothing about the plot.  Somewhere near the middle of the book, I started guessing where it was all going to end up and I dreaded the conclusion.  To summarize, the book tells an intriguing tale, but the worldview was vastly different from my own.  I've read reviews the heartwrenching ending, but I didn't cry.  I went away let down and a tad angry. I gave another Moyes book a try, but the language was grating and I doubt I'll pick up any more of her books.


Favorite from Sisters Book Challenge: (tie)  Ordeal by Innocenceby Agatha Christie  & The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

This year, I read all ten books from the Sisters Book Challenge. Kati's book recommendations covered a variety of genres from historical fiction to Christian fiction to classics, kid lit, and non-fiction. My two favorites were wildly different, but Ordeal by Innocence(read full review here) was the best Agatha Christie book I've read since And Then There Were None. Plus I had been meaning to read The Yearling(read full review here) for years, starting (and quitting) twice before. Now I can say it was worth the effort.

Best Classic: I challenged myself to read classics this year.  I chose four (one for each season) and read a few others that would probably count as classics, too.  To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee which I read in the winter was hands-down my favorite.  I could not put it down.  There was depth of character, suspense, and relatable dialogue-- all things I love in a book.  I've still not seen the movie, though!


Best Memoir: The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Bookby Wendy Welch

I picked up this book from the library shelf on a whim.  I brought it home, but had so many other books to read at the time that twice I picked it up to return and twice I put it back in my stack. When I finally made time for it, I fell in love.  I loved the story of how the author left her desk job to start a book store in a small non-bookish Appalachian town.  I loved the anecdotes about people who visit the store and I loved the book talk.  Isn't it fun to read a book about books?!   It was a fun, intelligent, and read as smoothly as fiction!

Best Kid Lit That I Read on My Own: A Year Down Yonderby Richard Peck

This is the middle book of a 3-part series, but each book stands alone.  I actually read this one first.  Mary Alice goes to live with her grandmother in the country during the Depression.  Grandma is not your typical grandmotherly-type but instead a hunter, gardener, trickster, tough-as-nails, no-nonsense woman.  The book is funny and touching, a superb easy read.

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My 2015 list already numbers over 20 books and includes picks like:

• All the Light We Cannot Seeby Anthony Doerr
• Jacob Have I Lovedby Katherine Paterson
• Still Lifeby Christa Parrish
• Tales from Another Mother Runner: Triumphs, Trials, Tips, and Tricks from the Roadby Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea
• Sense and Sensibilityby Jane Austen
• the as-yet untitled 5th bookby Kate Morton

Did you have a favorite or stand-out read this year?  What are you planning for next year?