'Best of' 2014 reads

It's that time of year again! In no particular order, my top reads of 2014:

• Such a Rush, Jennifer Echols- So good, I read it twice! She is an absolute master of sexual tension.
• The Burning Sky, Sherry Thomas- I could gush on and on. Loved everything about this, especially the magic and Titus. Give me your tortured heroes, all of them.
• Seraphina, Rachel Hartman- Orma is my spirit animal.
• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin- Just brilliant, especially if you're a book person. Bookseller recommendation, and I picked up a signed copy.
• Grave Mercy, Robin LaFevers- God of Death hooked me; the brilliant writing kept me (for the whole series). I am almost always most partial to book 1 in series with rotating POVs...something about the first characters I fall in love with. (BONUS: Only $1.99 on Kindle as of this writing!)
• The Winner's Curse, Marie Rutkoski- I'm slightly obsessed with this book and especially the last line. This was a 'word of mouth' read that I snagged on a whim after I seemed to be hearing the title from every blogger I followed on Twitter. There's a reason they were all talking about it. A good one.

Honorables!

Best voice: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, April Genevieve Tucholke

Best series (that I read all of this year): TIE

• The Montmaray Journals, Michelle Cooper (I listened to these on audio and HIGHLY recommend that medium)
• His Fair Assassin series, Robin LaFevers

Best series starter: Blood Red Road, Moira Young

Best sleeper hit (ie. HFS, why aren't more people reading this?!?!): The Lost Sun, Tessa Gratton

My stats for the year: approximately 65 books read, though this number includes some novellas and an early chapter book or two I read with my daughter (and does not include DNFs or manuscripts, my own or critique partners'). This is four fewer books than last year; however, it amounted to only 1,600 pages fewer than last year's total, not even a chapter's worth of words. So I read a bunch of BIG books this year. Looking at my list, I understand why, because I devoured a good amount of rich fantasy, series conclusions, and historical fiction.

The above list is only a smattering of the books I loved and liked out of the 60+! Remember you can always follow what I'm reading on Goodreads or here on the blog.

What were your favorites of the year? What should I put on my TBR for 2015?

'Best of' 2013

Here we are again, wrapping up another year and delighting in everyone's 'best of' lists! What were my top reads of 2013? It wasn't easy to narrow down, and I might change my mind tomorrow, but right now, I'm calling it these:

• The Clockwork Princess, Cassandra Clare- A fantastic series conclusion. Fantastic.
• The Lucy Variations, Sara Zarr- Beautiful, subtle, and filled with the most perfectly imperfect characters. I was the reader made for this book.
• The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern- Another book I was meant to read. The style won't be for everyone, but the story is beautiful and the ending is perfection.
• The Dream Thieves, Maggie Stiefvater- Just so good. I'm desperate for the next and the next.
• The False Prince, Jennifer Nielsen- Broad appeal and awesome voice made this so very readable.

Fun fact: my top 5 titles all start with 'The'. Keep in mind all these books were read in 2013, not necessarily published.

Honorables!

Best voice: The Vicious Deep (bonus--only $1.99 on Kindle as of 12/30/13!)

Best series (that I read all of this year): Holly Black's Curse Workers, starting with White Cat

Best series starter: Gameboard of the Gods (Not everyone loved it, but I sure did!)

Best adult book (ie. books primarily intended for an adult audience, just to be clear.): Among Others

Best sleeper hit (ie. HFS, why aren't more people reading this?!?!): Dangerous Girls


If my count can be trusted (which, let's be honest, it probably can't), I'll have finished 65 or 66 books by the time this pumpkin turns into 2014 (not including manuscripts, my own or critique partners') and DNFed only 3 or 4 others. I'm excited that I exceeded my goal of 52 books by quite a few! How did I do it? I made some changes. First, I made reading a priority. I did less of some other things I enjoy in order to read more. Also, I changed the way I read. At any given time now I'm reading three books: one on Kindle, one on audio, and one print copy from the library. This way I maximize my reading time (depending on where I am/what I'm doing and which medium is accessible) and model all reading platforms for my daughter. It's allowed me to read more, though I admit I don't read with as much focus. It's a trade-off I'll accept for now!

The above list is only a smattering of the books I loved and liked out of the 60+. It was a good reading year!

What were your favorites of the year? What should I put on my TBR for 2014?

Top 5 of 2012

It's that time of year: for 'Best of' lists! I love reading them, so why not write one too? Just a little one, my Top 5 reads of 2012. If my count is correct, I read 48 books this year, not including my own or the ones in process. The following Top 5 weren't necessarily published in 2012, but I read them at some point during the past year:

• Delirium by Lauren Oliver- One of my favorite reads in many years, in fact. A heartbreaking story, beautifully written. I blogged about it earlier in the year.
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater- I'm a devotee to her words. There was a moment in this book where it went from good to eerily haunting me.
• Storm by Brigid Kemmerer- I just loved this one, the boys, the "powers". I've read everything else in the series that's out so far, and Chris is still my favorite.
• Forget You by Jennifer Echols- The voice in this book is nothing short of a delight, and it is so very inherently teen to me.
• The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- If you want to read this, you need to start with The Unbecoming (which I also read this year and was excellent), but the Evolution was even more brilliant. These words are sexy and creepy and breathless and you will love them.

Next year, my goal is modest: Let's see if I can bump my yearly total up to 52. I'd like to read the equivalent of a book a week. Actually, I'd like to read ALL the books, but realistically, if I want to write any my current pace is about what I can handle.

Any suggestions for books I must put on my to-read list for 2013?

Happy New Year all! Keep reading!