2014 | My Year In Books

Last year, I set myself a challenge of reading fifty new books (that is, books I'd not read previously, not necessarily new books!) over the course of the year, and I was really pleased with myself to actually exceed this target! I kept a note in my Evernote app on my phone, adding each book to my list as I completed it, and it was really satisfying to see how the list grew. I decided I'd share my year in books along with my highlights and a couple of lowlights...
A warning; this could get to be a very lengthy post! First up, here's the full list of books I finished:

1. The Man With The Shattered World - A. R. Luria
2. The Winter Ghosts - Kate Mosse
3. The Windchime Legacy - A. W. Mykel
4. I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
5. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
6. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
7. Little Children - Tom Perrotta
8. The Rosary Girls - Richard Montanari
9. The Complete Short Stories: Volume 1 - Roald Dahl
10. Relentless - Simon Kernick
11. Ellis Island - Kate Kerrigan
12. Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
13. Wedding Night - Sophie Kinsella
14. Need - Carrie Jones
15. How Did All This Happen? - John Bishop
16. Entice - Carrie Jones
17. After Obsession - Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel
18. Tithe - Holly Black
19. Ironside - Holly Black
20. Valiant - Holly Black
21. Fire - Kristin Cashore
22. We Have Always Lived In The Castle - Shirley Jackson
23. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
24. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
25. Down And Out In Paris And London - George Orwell
26. The Last Lord of the Moors - Isabella Brooke
27. Teaching The Old Duke New Tricks - Isabella Brooke
28. As The Crow Flies - Damien Boyd
29. The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith
30. The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith
31. The Genesis Code - John Case
32. Middlesex - Jeffery Eugenides
33. The Girl With All The Gifts - M. R. Carey
34. The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
35. Never Saw It Coming - Linwood Barclay
36. Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life - Nina Stibbe
37. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson
38. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
39. Daughter - Jane Shemilt
40. The Aftermath - Rhidian Brook
41. Afterworlds - Scott Westerfeld
42. Hannibal - Thomas Harris
43. Hidden - Marianne Curley
44. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
45. Broken - Marianne Curley
46. Together Apart - Natalie Martin
47. Finding Emma - Steena Holmes
48. Game - Justine Elyot
49. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
50. The Girl Who Never Came Back - Amy Cross
51. Blacklands - Belinda Bauer
52. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Phew! 52 books. I'm actually really proud of my achievement, and whilst some of these were tough going (Pride and Prejudice, I'm looking at you!), for the most part I really enjoyed my year of reading. Here are some of my favourites and not-so-favourites; these are by no means meant to be reviews or anything like that, just a little sentence or two on what I liked about my favourite books of the year.

American Gods, Neil Gaiman I'd not read any of Gaiman's work until last year, but I really enjoyed American Gods; the concept of the story was one which really appealed to me and I think it worked beautifully, Gaiman's writing style is right up my street and I'm definitely keen to read more of his work. American Gods is definitely a longer read and it did take me a couple of weeks, if memory serves, but I found it well worth the effort. I also really enjoyed Neverwhere, which was the first book of Gaiman's I read.

The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith I started this knowing full well that it was written by J.K.Rowling and I have to admit, I half-wish I'd had the opportunity to read it not knowing. That aside, I loved the book - the characters were really nicely built up, the storyline drew me in, and I finished feeling like I'd got to know Cormoran Strike. I was keen to read more and actually pre-ordered Silkworm on my Kindle, which again I really enjoyed, and I can't wait for the next installment.

Middlesex, Jeffery Eugenides I read The Virgin Suicides a few years back now and remember being in two minds about it (I wanted to love it and found the whole concept so interesting, but felt like something was lacking in the execution). I happened to flick through Middlesex at a friend's and ended up being unable to stop thinking about the story, so I bought it and found it an absolutely fascinating read. The idea behind the tale and its presentation were spot-on for me. Again, Eugenides is an author I'd love to read more of.

The Girl With All The Gifts, M. R. Carey I think this was my favourite book of the year, I absolutely loved the premise and the execution - such a good story and so beautifully told. I really felt like I got to know the characters, and became invested in their lives. I started this without really knowing what to expect (the blurb gave very little away) but quickly got hooked in! Another author I'll be looking to read more from in 2015.

Afterworlds, Scott Westerfeld I was actually sent this to review (you can read my thoughts here) and as I mentioned in my post, I really liked the idea behind this tale and how the two halves of the story worked together and reflected each other, progressing one alongside the other. I started reading Westerfeld's Uglies series but got waylaid by Pride and Prejudice so I only actually read the first book, so the rest of them are on my list for this year.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler As a Psychology graduate, I found this utterly fascinating! I won't give away the premise of the story but suffice it to say, you should expect the unexpected with this one - it's a book that's stuck with me and I actually bought this for my best friend for Christmas, I enjoyed it so much. In one way, it's a tale about a typical family, but it's also a lot more than that.

Blacklands, Belinda Bauer Indulging my love of the morbid and macabre, I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons, not least because I find serial killers endlessly fascinating! I was also glad that Bauer kept her nerve, so to speak, and went with the logical ending (to my mind) rather than going back on herself somewhat in pursuit of a happy ending.

Nineteen Eighty Four, George Orwell I wanted to love this, I really did! I actually enjoyed the first third or so of the book and thought it had a lot of promise... And then it kind of lost me, and the rest of the book was a real drag to get through. I loved Animal Farm so I was really disappointed that this went downhill so rapidly for me, although it didn't put me off also reading Down and Out in Paris and London... which kind of lead me to conclude that Orwell isn't for me and Animal Farm was a one-off.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen I was so hopeful when I bought this! I'd been meaning to read it for years and this edition was so beautiful I decided it was a sign... Unfortunately, the pretty cover didn't really make up for the fact that this was a supremely dull story. I'm sorry, I know it's a classic, but it just did nothing for me and I managed to drag it out for around two months - I could have read another ten books in that time but I just didn't want to read it! Nothing happens!? Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't think Austen is for me.

All in all, I've really enjoyed my year in books, and putting this post together has been a lovely look back on my reading over the past twelve months. I'll definitely be keeping a list again this year to keep track of what I read, and I've got a little idea for a bit of journaling, too, which I might share if I get time to actually get round to doing it! What was your favourite book of 2014? Have you read any of these? Any recommendations for me to read in 2015?

xo