My original opening for this post was “Happy New Year, everyone!” because I started this post on the 31st of December thinking I could have it ready to post the next day.
HA. HA. HA.
As has been my tradition in recent years, this is a list of books I read in 2014. I thought it would be super cool to stick the book covers in, linking everything to Amazon for my and my readers’ convenience (affiliate links ahoy, btw). Remind me to never attempt this again. Holy tedious and time consuming. Adding the covers also meant that I had to write a bit more than I normally would about each book so it wouldn’t look weird. Which led me to fretting over consistency (eg: noting recommended ages every time? Only when I thought it was relevant?). I was not consistent. But I am not editing this behemoth post one more time or I shall lose my ever loving brains to madness.
I did try for some level of order by grouping the books by series and/or by author, and I’ve asterisked my favorites. As usual, I’m leaving out churchy books and innumerable picture books I read to Mr. B. Thank goodness, or I would not have finished this post until 2025.
I know nobody cares about these but me, but make me feel better for all the time I wasted spent writing it and pretend like you read it. Especially since all your feed readers are probably janking up all my painstaking formatting. (And let’s ignore the fact that I haven’t updated the sidebar thingy of books in months and months.) Tell me what your favorite book or series was of 2014, K? And send recuperative chocolate. I need a nap.
This is the first book in the series. It’s quite clever and different, a little dark and spooky at times. The dead are archived in a kind of spirit-morgue, and their disoriented shades can sometimes escape into a dark hallway between worlds. The protagonist (female) is tapped by her grandfather before he dies, giving her a key to that middle place, and her job is to get the disoriented shades back to the archive.
Second book in the series. Just as good, maybe better, than the first one. I’ll definitely read the third when it comes out.
I wasn’t sure what I’d think of Cinderella as part cyborg, but I liked it. The author overused the word “flinched” which drove me nuts. Full review here.
I was disoriented at first, as I often am, when an author switches the point of view. I still liked this well enough, but I had to air some grievances on goodreads. Even so, I will read Cress when I get around to it. (Update since this post took me nearly a month. I’ve finished Cress. Eh.)
This is a sequel to Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception, which I read some time ago. I really should have reread it but didn’t bother. Even with my fuzzy recollection of its predecessor, this book stood on its own.
If you asked me what I thought of this book and I answered you without looking back on my Goodreads review, I would have gushed about the book and told you how much I loved it. I’m surprised that in reality I only gave it three stars. Huh. Well, I suppose I make good points in my review, but still, the book has sat well with me long term and I’d recommend it, especially if you like YA but are getting a little tired of the tripe.
This book has a lot of five star ratings; I am firmly in the minority though, because I hated it. It was genuinely ridiculous. You can read all my eyerolls in my review here.
I absolutely adored the first book, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, and this one did not disappoint. I have not read the third one yet, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, though I plan to. Miss K. loves these as well.
When this YA dystopian fell flat for me too, I started seriously questioning whether or not I’d finally grown out of the genre. Full review here.
Tried to give this one a chance, but things just got more Lord of the Flies-ish and a whole slew of new characters were introduced where the originals were already kind of hard to keep track of. I speed read it and wished I hadn’t bought it. I read the rest of the series synopsis on Wikipedia and called it a day.
I took a departure from YA and read this at the recommendation of my mom, I think. It’s another I’d probably tell you I really liked, again I’m surprised I only gave it three stars on Goodreads. I’m glad I write this stuff down, because I’d forgotten all my beefs.
This book is similar to the above in that explores a similar theme (this one is early onset dementia). I was nervous to look at my review, because I remember this book fondly as well. But I really did like it, hooray. I’ll be interested in seeing the movie.
I read this on my friend Kat’s recommendation. We both have farming dreams and the people in this book have made that dream a reality. Full review here.
This is a sequel to Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin, Book I, which I read last year and enjoyed. I was a bit nervous to read another YA book, but I really liked this. I found this book even better than the first, and I will absolutely read the third one. Full review here.
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times*
Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse*
Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End*:
I loved these books. I watch the PBS series, too. Chummy is my very favorite and I’m still in fits over losing Jessica Raine.
The books provide an extra depth and insight you don’t get in the show — though the show is very, very well done. The glimpse you get into the workhouses and the tenements is incredibly eye opening, and of course I love all things midwifery. Highly recommend.
(Grouped by author; these books are unrelated, and are not a series)
I’d seen the movie, of course, but never read the book. This was my first Neil Gaiman and I fell in love. It’s quite different than the movie!
I haven’t seen the movie as I thought it looked a bit too creepy for the kids to enjoy, but I really liked this book! I am a die hard Gaiman fan now.
I really had fun with this book! It was completely unexpected since it’s written for children, yet I found it quite gripping… I think some of my kids would be afraid at certain points, especially the beginning when the murders occur, but really well done and would be fun for the older child who isn’t easily frightened / prone to nightmares.
I’m very sorry to say that I completely forgot about this book. It was a Kindle Freebie, I think it’s self published. It had some editing errors, but what I can remember I thought the author’s premise was a good idea, it’s a fairy tale rewrite and I’m fond of those. The main character is a descendent of the Brothers Grimm.
I’m a privileged white lady, but the white-washing of a tale set in South Korea was kind of disappointing; it could have been great. The interesting mythology and Korean setting made a colorful and vibrant backdrop for a story that should have starred characters just as cool. I was initially excited to have a part-Asian female protagonist with some serious defense skills. But then the love interest was a white bread American kid. Who spoke better Korean than the protagonist. And also did all the saving. Harrumph. I’m not the target audience, I’m sure teens will like this, but I constantly read and hear about the under-representation of cute Asian boys in our YA literature. With the perfect set up, why on earth couldn’t he have been Korean?
(Grouped by author, these two books are not related to one another)
I read this with a little apprehension because the movie is so cheesy (though my kids really liked it), but of course it was much, much better than the film. Some of the plotting felt a little weak, but I think it’s spot on for the target audience. Miss K gives it two thumbs up.
Goodreads review: I liked this one quite a bit more than Ella Enchanted and again think my daughter would love this. Miss K. has this on her Kindle now.
I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It is very clear the author did a lot of plotting and planning to get all the mind-bending time travel right, and after a slow start I found myself engrossed.
I usually ignore mini novellas between books, but this one was interesting. It gave some additional background to one of the main characters. I don’t think it’s necessary to the overall story though, just kind of fun.
I started this (free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers) before the end of the year so I’m adding it here, but I didn’t finish it until this month.
I didn’t love this, but the books have a pretty strong fan base, so maybe you’ll love it? It has an interesting premise – a girl dreams every single night how the next day will go. It allows her to be a very good student and star athlete without trying. There’s an Edward Cullen type. Ending was a little confusing.
This book has some problems; it’s the author’s first attempt. The author seems very nice and I’m sure she’ll improve, so I think that’s all I’ll say about that.
Oh dear. Okay, I tried to be nice with the last two, but I have words to say about this one. Right in the beginning, our protagonist watches her house burn down. With her loving foster parents inside. Her whole life, up in flames. People who loved her, took her in, cared for her, gone. Dead. There’s some kind of freaky grim reaper hovering over the house so she tails it to a warehouse and meets another angel of darkness. Who is totally hot, you guys. So hot that she forgets to mourn her foster parents. She’s such a great person! There’s another hot angel. Our heroine has some kind of birthmark that means the hot angels are supposed to kill her, but don’t of course because hotness… oh sorry, I have to go wipe up the liquified brain that is leaking out of my ear and staining my pajamas. Be right back.
I liked The Unbound and The Archived by this author, so I gave The Near Witch a chance. It was quite good — I think if you like Robin McKinley stuff (and I do), you’ll like this. Creative, different, and clever, while at the same time feeling like a very old tale.
I watched Disney’s Pollyanna many times growing up, and couldn’t believe I’d never read the book. So I did. It’s better, because of course it is. Pollyanna is a Mary Sue, but you can’t help liking her anyway. Who knew she got hit by a car rather than falling out of a tree? The aunt’s storyline is sweeter and she softens towards her little ward much earlier in the story.
I bought the Laura Ingalls Wilder full-color set back in 2011, fully intending to read the books aloud to my kids. We read the first one this year, and got partway into the second, but we stalled… and it’s mostly because I was kind of appalled. There are very racist attitudes towards the Native American Indians, which, I know, that was the climate of the era, but it’s harder to read than I remembered. We had some good discussions about those issues, but it ruined my memories of the books. Maybe we’ll come back to them when everyone is older. Right now I have a hard time reading “The only good Indian is a dead Indian” to my 5 year old.
Pam recommended Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series to me ages ago. All I have to say is WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG?! This series is AH-MAZING. If you haven’t read it yet, do it. It’ll take you a little bit to get into the story at the start, but please, stay with it.
This is not a perfect comparison, since I think Turner is in a class of her own, but the books have a similar feel to the best of Robin McKinley, Catherine Fisher, and Sherwood Smith, all authors I love.
The best part is that the entire four-book series is wonderful. There isn’t a weak book, and it’s such a great, epic story. The world-building is fabulous, and still very real and vibrant in my mind, even after months. The characters are rich and admirable, and the magic and intrigue is just right. Turner handles the politics between kingdoms with aplomb and it never gets boring.
This is the second book in this series. I read the first book, The False Prince last year. I came across a blurb comparing these books with The Thief series above. I read the synopsis for The False Prince to brush up on the background and dove into this. I gave it a harsh review on Goodreads here. I probably would have been kinder without the Turner reference?
I’ve been meaning to read this for years and finally did. As an Amazon freebie, there’s really no excuse. One should read the book that won the first Pulitzer Price for a woman, no? Seems like a general must. More from my Goodreads review here. Recommended! Read the book before you watch the movie.
I read this one hoping it would have more crossover appeal for a grown up. I thought maybe it could be a series we enjoyed together like Fablehaven, but it was a little too young for me and I wasn’t motivated to finish the other books. My big boys and my daughter have read them all, though and love this series.
I listened to this after my friend Kat recommended it to me. This sits a bit better in my memory than it apparently did right after I finished it. Slightly critical (though I think fair) review here on Goodreads. I’d still recommend it for anyone nurturing farm / homestead type dreams.
I saw the movie (I have a crush on Emily Blunt) first, and that colored my feelings about the book. The book a freebie if you have Kindle Unlimited, so give it a shot. I think you’ll like it more if you read the book before you see the movie. Full review here.
(I’ll group all the Francis Hardinge books, designating the ones that are a series. Hopefully it’s not confusing.)
Five hundred million stars. I can’t remember how I stumbled across this book, this first foray into the wonderful world of Francis Hardinge, but I was hooked. This is a stunningly written story with incredible world building like nothing else I’ve ever read. Poor comparisons could be drawn between this and The City of Ember or the Gregor the Overlander series, only for the similarity that the world building takes place underground. Here’s my glowing review at Goodreads. I’ve read all her books now, and this is still one of my favorites. It’s a stand alone novel, no sequel.
I cannot figure out why Francis Hardinge is not getting more buzz. It can take a little bit to get oriented in the beginning of a book, but once you do it’s totally worth it. Confusingly, this book is also known as “The Lost Conspiracy” for some reason (UK vs. US releases?) It’s a stand alone novel as well, and it’s gorgeous, too. Really cool world with interesting tribes and races, adventure, and eventual triumph. Short Goodreads review here.
Mosca Mye makes a wonderful and admirable protagonist. Taught to read by her rebellious father before she is orphaned, she’s one of very few who can in a world where reading is banned. Plucky and resourceful, her adventure takes place in another terribly interesting world. A world which grows even more interesting in the sequel below. Full review here.
I was able, of course, to get into this storyline more quickly since I was already acquainted with the world and the delightful characters. Mosca Mye is one of my favorite protagonists, and all the supporting characters are just as interesting. There’s a slight steam punk flavor to this? Hardinge left the series open for future books, though it’s not a frustrating cliffhanger. Full review here on Goodreads.
I was scared to read this at first. I’m not into horror and it was classified as such when I first took a peek, plus the cover is kind of creepy. I was afraid it might give me nightmares. But I read the reviews, and finally took the plunge. I am so glad I did! This is a wonderful story, sort of a reverse ‘changeling’ tale, told from the point of view of the changeling. That does NOT do it justice. It’s marvelous. Read it. More gushing here. It’s a stand alone, no sequel.
This book is also known as “Well Witched” – again, maybe due to the UK / US release differences? It’s my least favorite Hardinge book, but it’s still quite good and has a lot of interesting elements. The world building isn’t the same, as the story takes place in a regular, modern town.
All in all, I cannot wait for her to write more, she is cemented as one of my all time favorite authors.
I was really sad all the Francis Hardinge books were over. I downloaded a few samples of different Goodreads suggestions and they all fell short. So I re-read the whole Harry Potter Series, including the short (800 words) snippet Rowling wrote of the maurauder days.
My mom started reading the first book in this series to the kids when she was staying with us a the onset of my POTS symptoms. I finished it up, and read the rest. We all really enjoyed them — since the children in the books magically time-hop, there were lots of springboards for various homeschool history activities, too.
Eager is charming and has a way of writing that engages kids without talking down to them. My children loved the ‘twist’ of the last book. Really delightful. We need to add his other books to our read-aloud list.
FYI see my note on Magic by the Lake, there’s some racism that needs discussing if you’re reading aloud or letting your kiddos read these on their own.
(I’ll group all my how-to write type books together.)
This was a re-read for me. I’ve read this for the past couple of years, I think, to gear up for National Novel Writing Month, but I’ve cherry picked in the past. This year, I read it straight through and took better notes. She has good advice. I particularly enjoy her descriptions of different types of readers and why some of us (ahem) who perpetually feel like we have novels banging around in our heads fail to get them written down.
This book is constantly recommended to wanna-be writers. Folks say that even if you aren’t a Stephen King fan, you’ll love his thoughts on writing. I am decidedly not a fan of his work, but figured I could listen to his memoir on a road trip. My full review is here. In short, I don’t know if I can recommend the book as emphatically as others. I think I’d recommend it mostly for King fans who want to know a lot more about his life.
It’s not really a book that flows from chapter to chapter, it’s more a collection of talks and blog posts. Written by the editor who served as J.K. Rowling’s continuity editor in the states (I think for the 5th, 6th, and 7th books). She repeats herself a little, from talk to talk, but I enjoyed it. She has some good, practical advice, and offers some tools for editing and planning your characters and plot.
This was another re-read, and honestly, I read it again mostly because I was still in my post-Hardinge mourning period, and because I felt like I ought to continue reading something proactive to gear up for November’s Nanowrimo. It too, is a collection of essays, and it’s a bit outdated. Funny how 2002 feels like it should have been just yesterday, but was really quite a long time ago.
This is a re-read too. I have zero (less than zero) desire to be the next Rowling, but this book is insanely helpful in studying the structure of a successful novel. The author examines the Potter world under a microscope and it’s so much more help than books that do the same thing with works I’ve never read or seen.
Recommended by my internet soul sister, Jessica, this one is a game changer. It has the potential to ruin movie viewing and book reading forever more, but explains the structure (and the why!) behind a good book or screenplay and it’s pretty much the most helpful book on writing, ever. I’m even going back over it and actually doing the assignments.
We picked up this audiobook from the library to listen to together. It’s probably not fair of me to claim it as a book I read, as I missed chunks of it, but what I did hear was adorable and charming. I want to get the actual book and start over. Maybe we’ll tackle this series as our next read aloud.
This is the final book in the Legend series. I liked the first two books, the first especially was a strong debut novel. I’m a little lukewarm on the finish but I’m definitely not the target age for the book, so take that with a grain of salt. It’s recommended for grade 7 and up, and has strong reviews from boys (the books have both a strong male and female protagonist).
My brother recommended this to me. I thought I’d give it a try; see if regular ‘high fantasy’ type books held some appeal (since I’m getting a little tired of the YA scene). I don’t know if it was the best book to try genre leaping with, though. It had some good things going for it (interesting metal-burning magic), but overall it fell a little flat for me. It felt like an awful lot of time was spent on explaining how the magic worked, and that dragged down the pace.
Kat recommended this book to me, it was pretty life-changing for her. I think it provides really good insight into the introverted personality type, though it’s a little heavy handed with work-force anecdotes which got a little tedious for me since I couldn’t relate. It also assumes all introverts are highly sensitive people, and I am not. I definitely prefer quiet alone time, but I’m not the type to get my feelings hurt very easily. Full review here.
Edward Eager, author of the Half Magic series above, pays tribute to Edith Nesbit in each of his books. Nesbit’s books are a little tricky to find (this one I’ve linked to is credited to PG Wodehouse (??) even though it’s her book.) We’re actually not quite finished with Magic City, but I wanted to include it anyway. It’s super cute, and even my now 6 year old likes listening.
I love this series. I’m reading them aloud to the kids (we’re on the last book) with just a bit of censorship on my part (they’ve got some grown-up scenes and themes more suitable to older teens). The 6 year old isn’t captivated by them, but everyone else is (ages 9 – 13) and me reading even trumps tablet or computer time.
I cannot fathom why these books don’t get more press / swooning / fangirling. They are pretty rad with strong female and male protagonists, richly developed secondary and supporting characters, really vivid and robust world-building, action, magic, conflict, and romance.
Goodness GRACIOUS. I’ve made it to the bottom of the list. That calls for a dance party, no? I’m queuing up some Meghan Trainor and I’m going to carefully boogie in my bedroom. Have a super great Martin Luther King Jr. Day, folks.
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