Monday, December 29, 2014

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.


http://www.shelfari.com/o1515647504/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.

*****

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

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






12 comments:

  1. All I have to to say is, "way to go" for reading so many books this year! My reading for myself dropped off the chart once Isabelle was born. I think you can definitely count the books you read with the kids--that's all I have to count :)

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    1. I'm not even sure myself how I find time to read so much, but it's a priority for me so I just do it. I've also mastered the art of reading in very small blips.

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  2. Count those read alouds!! It takes twice the time to read them aloud than to yourself and you've absolutely read them! Our favorite read aloud this year was "The Dark Sea of Darkness" by Andrew Peterson. It's the first in a series of four and my kids (from high school to 6 years old) are eagerly awaiting our reading of book 2.

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    1. I'm going to have to look up that series! My kids are ages 4-12 and we're always looking for recommendations!

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  3. That's an amazing amount of books! Congrats! I shot for 37 (only because that's my age and I didn't know what to shoot for), and I finished 24. You should totally count the stuff you've read aloud! Happy New Year!

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    1. 24 is a great number-- an average of 2 a month!

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  4. Count me in as one who counts the read alouds!

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  5. I'm glad you enjoyed the Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap -- that was one of my favourites when I read it a couple of years ago! We did Still Alice in my book club a while back as well, and had a fascinating discussion about it.

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  6. I was also unimpressed with Me Before You, but I did enjoy The Girl You Left Behind. All the Light We Cannot See was not only my favorite book in 2014, but in the past couple of years. So very good. Enjoy.

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    1. Maybe I'll give Jojo Moyes one last chance. The description on that one does look really good!

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  7. I had the same experience after reading "Still Alice" - getting worried about mind blanks which happen with alarming regularity! :) I love the sound of "A Year Down Yonder", too; my kids are a bit too young for it, yet, but I'll have to keep it in mind for down the road . . .

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    1. I know! I'm only 34 and feel like I have a keen memory, but after reading that book, I scared myself!!

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