Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Favorite Books of the Year

Well another year is behind us and it's time for a holiday round up of my favorite reads of 2014. I read a lot of YA this year and a lot of mysteries too, so those will be well represented. I threw this list together kind of hurriedly with all the holiday craziness going on, and I didn't have as many favorites as last year. I read a lot of books that I enjoyed, but many just didn't rise to that level. Also, in reviewing my list from last year I was kind of holding books to that standard, and there were some books I absolutely loved on that list. It was interesting to compare from year to year. You can see last year's list here.

I've included a link to my review for each one, and a link to Goodreads as well. In no particular order...

Vitro (Corpus, #2)

Vitro by Jessica Khoury is a fast paced tale of a mysterious island and a girl who must go there to find her mother... and discovers a terrifying secret in the process. It's a story told from two perspectives, and it works really well. Probably my favorite YA thriller of the year.

Vitro at Goodreads.

Get Even (Don't Get Mad, #1)

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil was another fave of 2014, about four girls who form a secret group to get back at bullies, mean girls and teachers who cross the line. I have this a very enthusiastic review as it was just a lot of fun... and I'm looking forward to the sequel big time. A great read.

Get even at Goodreads.

The Originals

The Originals by Cat Patrick was a fun read about three identical triplets- who are a little more than they seem. Turns out their clones, and they all take turns living out a single, fictional life. The girls are all distinct, and while it a sci fi premise it's mostly a coming of age story- and it's suspenseful at times too.

The Originals at Goodreads.

The Counterfeit Lady (The Victorian Bookshop Mystery, #2)

The Counterfeit Lady by Kate Parker is the sequel to The Vanishing Thief, one of my favorites of last year. This was a great mystery set in Victorian times, Georgia is an antiquarian bookshop owner and must pose as the paramour of the Duke of Blackford to solve a msytery. As in the first one, her relationship with Blackford is both professional and personal, and the tension between them is fun to read about.  Probably my favorite mystery of the year.

The Counterfeit LAdy at Goodreads.

Panic

Panic by Lauren Oliver was a fun read about a game that gets out of control- and what kids with few options and nothing to lose will do to win a ton of money. It gets a little farfetched but it's a great read and I enjoyed it a lot.

Panic at Goodreads.



Behind the Shattered Glass is the eighth Lady Emily book, and a welcome change of pace. I didn't review this one for the blog but I liked it a lot. This time a murder occurs at the estate of Emily and her husband Colin, and the story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Emily and the servants downstairs, which was a nice touch. And the culprit was a BIG surprise- I was a bit shocked. The Emily books have been hot or miss for me of late- I'm happy to say this one was a favorite. I enjoyed Anglemore very much and would like to live there basically. :)

Murder at the Brightwell

Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver was a fun debut mystery and a great read set during the 1930's. Amory is a woman married to a philanderer, and has had about enough. When she goes to the seaside Brightwell hotel for a break- and accompanying an old flame- she gets involved in a mystery that hots close to home. This was one of my favorite mysteries of the year and had lots of atmosphere- a great read.




28 comments:

  1. Get Even and Counterfeit Lady are on my TBR because of your reviews. They sound great. I hadn't heard of Behind the Shattered Glass but it sounds interesting. And of course I want to read Murder at the Brightwell!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you will enjoy both of those, they are both fine reads. The Tasha Alexander book are hit or miss for me, but I liked that one.

      Delete
  2. Nice list of books! I haven't read any of the books you've listed although Murder at the Brightwell sounds intriguing.

    My list of favorite books will be posted at the end of the month. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brightwell was actually a good mystery, and a lot of fun. I highly recommend it! Looking forard to your list as well, I'll keep an eye out! :)

      Delete
  3. Oh gosh, I haven't read any of the books on your list. Bummer. I do have the Lauren Oliver book, need to read that one. Happy Holidays, Greg.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked Panic, and Cat was another discovered. Have a merry christmas!

      Delete
  4. I haven't read any of these books! Though Koury's Origin is on my shelf right now ready to be read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked Vitro a lot, and it made me curious about her other book. I like that they are the same universe, there was a reference to their "other facility" in Vitro, so I thought that was neat.

      Delete
  5. Vitro and Panic are on my wishlist. I like Lauren Oliver so will probably get that one and possibly the other. Good choices and I like that you read in several genres which makes for an interesting blog. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. OK... I haven't read a single book on your list and if you loved them enough to list them maybe I should pick them up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are all good in their own way... I was struck by how I read so many YA's and mysteries this year, for someone who gravitates normally towards fantasy. Guess my reading tastes have changed... or else fantasy is just not doing it for me.

      Delete
  7. Nice list! I have a few of these in my TBR right now - and I've been on the fence about a couple as well. I'll have to check those out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you enjoy them when you get to them. I enjoyed them but had a hard time with my list this year. These were all a lot of fun.

      Delete
  8. Nice list! I am planning to read more mysteries next year so I added the Vanishing Thief to my to-read list! I have heard of some of the others, but haven't read any of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you like it. It's a good one so I think you.

      Delete
  9. I still haven't gotten around to reading Get Even or The Originals. They're still on my TBR. *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are both good, so enjoy when you get to them. I was surprised by The Originals, like that one a lot.

      Delete
    2. I started Get Even yesterday! I really wish I had held off on it to finish the other 3 books I'm reading by the end of the year, but I didn't. I am probably going to try to finish one of those today though. I do like Get Even so far, but I've just barely started.

      Delete
    3. Get Even was a lot of fun I thought, but the cliffhanger at the end is a doozy. It kept me reading, and I wish I had the next book now. :) I liked Bree a lot...

      Delete
  10. I have to put my list together too. I liked Panic a lot but did not love it. I need to check out Get Even.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Panic was a tough one for me as to whether it was would make the list- I'm not sure I would but I went with it. I remember reading your thoughts and agreeing with them.

      Delete
  11. I love reading about everyone's favorite books! I may have to pick up Vitro and see if I enjoy it as much as you did. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. All your favorites are on my list to read - I think the Originals is highest on my list, but they all sound so good!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Greg, It looks like a great list. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have Get Even on my wishlist and hope to get to it in 2015. And I'm glad to see Panic made your cut. I agree it gets a whole lot unrealistic but I just love Lauren Oliver's writing and I can't get over how different every single one of her books are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked Get Even a lot, and hope you enjoy it. I had a hard time with my list, I read a lot of YA but had a hard time picking favorites. I agree about Panic though, I liked that one and it makes me more likely to read Lauren Oliver, definitely. Cat Patrick was another author that was new tome, and after The Originals I'm curious to check out some of her other work.

      Delete
  15. Get Even sounds really good, I need to add it to my TBR. I already have Panic there, so I guess I should just start it soon :)
    Happy reading, Greg.

    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

    ReplyDelete
  16. Can't wait to read Murder at the Brightwell!

    ReplyDelete