Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish with a different theme every week.
Every year I make a list of the best books I read that year. You can read my lists for 2011, 2012, and 2013. I only put books on these lists that I gave 5 stars and it usually turns out to be exactly ten.
Best New Release
I only rated one new release with 5 stars this year and that honor went to:
Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger. This was just one of those fun, addicting reads that sucks you right in. I loved the world, the characters, and the romance.
Best of the Backlist
Almost all of the books I read and loved weren’t published in 2014. But that’s okay because all of these are awesome and I highly recommend them!
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- Best Book Club
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. This was a beautiful and haunting story about a boy facing the monsters within himself. I haven’t written an official review for it yet, but you can find it on Goodreads.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. I loved the funny writing and the crazy characters. My favorite thing about this book was the mom figuring out who she was. I could relate a lot to her.
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- Can’t Believe I Waited So Long to Read
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- Best Series
Northerner Abbey by Jane Austen. This is probably my favorite Jane Austen. The satire in here was so yummy and I adore the main character and her view of life through a bookish lens.
Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. If you are sick of love triangles or love at first sight then you need the romance found in this novel. It’s a great love story but it still keeps the romance very much a sub plot. It’s a refreshing YA fantasy novel even if you’ve read a bunch of them (like me).
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- Most Life-Changing
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. The main reason I love this book was because I loved reading it to my son. After he heard this story, it inspired him to draw about 20 different pictures based on the plot. It will always have a special place in my heart because of that.
Quiet by Susan Cain. This book changed how I saw myself. It made me realize that not only is it okay to be just the way I am but I also have a lot of built in strength because of it. Being shy and sensitive isn’t a bad thing. In fact, the whole book is about why that’s a good thing.
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- Told the Most People to Read
Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. Charming, fun romance that fills in that gap Jane Austen left behind when everything else you read is not good enough because it’s just not Jane Austen.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. This book taught me how to reprogram my brain and get rid of a bad habit that has plagued me for my whole life. It changed my life. Love this book!
Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund. I adore retellings and this was a stellar retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernell. It’s a science-fiction/dystopian/romance/retelling that you shouldn’t miss.
Tell me what the best books you read this year were!
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
So many of these books are on my TBR list! I loved Edenbrooke!
I love Edenbrooke. Have you read Blackmoore yet? I liked that one even better. And, I want to read Northanger Abbey. I just need to get to it.
Sadly, because I didn’t read a ton of books this year I’m not sure I could come up with a list of 10 books I loved. I really want to get to Girl of Fire and Thorns, though.
I love seeing everyone’s Best of 2014 lists. Yay for The Girl of Fire and Thorns! I’m not much for traditional fantasy-type books but I loved that series. And I thought Edenbrooke was a really fun read too. :)
I haven’t read it yet (because the cover looks scarier than H-E-double hockey sticks, but I hear they’re filming an adaptation of A Monster Calls in the UK. Maybe I’ll read it since a movie is in the future….but I’m a scaredy cat!
I’m a total scaredy cat too. I don’t read any horror at all and I found this one to not be very scary at all. I think you would like it!
Ooh I hadn’t heard about that re-telling before and it sounds GREAT!! And I’ve been meaning to read Edenbrooke so I must do that!!
My YA/NA list here and Adult list here
I actually just reread The Girl of Fire and Thorns this year, along with the second book in the trilogy, so that I could finally read The Bitter Kingdom. I LOVE the entire series. It’s a go to YA fantasy recommendation for me because the characters and the world are just so inviting. [:
Still working on my list! Stay tuned! You have many on your list that I still need to read….
I love Harold and the Purple Crayon too. It’s such a magical children’s book. We read it all the time when the kids were little. I’ll keep that copy forever.