Favorite Books from 2014

According to my Goodreads list from 2014, I read a total of 42 books last year.  Some of the books I read were old favorites, but most of them were new to me.  In order to keep track of the books I wanted to read, I made three reading lists and shared them on this blog:

• 2014 Fiction Reading List
• 2014 Fiction Reading List (continued)
• 2014 Non-Fiction Reading List

All together, these lists included 10 fiction and 5 non-fiction books. I didn't get through the entire lists like I had hoped and instead only finished 9 out of the 15 books.  So it seems like I have some catching up to do!  Not only am I going to try to read the 6 books I missed from last year, I am also going to put together a new list of 15 fiction books that I'd like to read this year.  I'll be posting that list soon.

In the meanwhile, I'd like to highlight 3 of my favorite books or series from 2014.  Here they are:

The Fallen series by Lauren Kate was the first new series I started to read in 2014.  I had just finished the Matched series by Ally Condie and I was ready for another good set of books to read.  The Fallen series was recommended to me through my library based on the other books I had recently read.  Although the series didn't sound like my usual reading style, I decided to give it a shot and ended up really enjoying all 4 books.  Here is the summary from Amazon of the first book:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

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The Selection series by Kiera Cass didn't show up on any of my 2014 reading lists because I hadn't heard anything about it.  I actually found the first book, The Selection, while wandering the aisles of Barnes & Noble.  The cover caught my eye and then the description of the book made me realize it was something I wanted to read. I believe I read the 3 books of the series in less than a week, and maybe more like 4 days total.  The story sucked me in and I had to keep reading to find out what happened.  In case you haven't read my blog post about the series, here is the summary from Amazon for the first book:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

As I was looking up the series on Amazon I saw that there is a fourth book coming out on May 5.  Without giving away what happens in the first 3 books, I'll just say that I'm excited to see how the story continues in The Heir.

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It seems like almost everyone I know has read the Fault in Our Stars, including my mom. It also seems like everyone really enjoyed the book and the movie.  Personally, I think they did a great job on the movie and it made me cry even though I hadn't cried when reading the book itself.  I think I connected more with the characters on the screen than the ones on the pages of the book, if that makes any sense.  In case you haven't read the book yet, here is the description from Amazon:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love. 

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And those are my 3 favorite books or series from 2014!  If you haven't read them yet, I would highly recommend them to you.

Please check back soon to see my upcoming 2015 Fiction Reading List.  Appropriately, it will contain 15 of my top choices for fiction for this year.