Top 10 of 2014 is a week long end-of-the-year blogging event, hosted by Rachel @
Reading YA Rocks, Jaime @
Two Chicks On Books, and Mindy @
Magical Urban Fantasy Reads. This is my third year participating in this event, and what I love most is that not all categories are focused on books published in 2014 - some can include books from any year, as long as they were read in 2014. This is good for me in particular, since it seems that I didn't read that many books this year that were actually published in 2014. Last year, I participated in a debut author challenge, and read a lot of books that were published in 2013, but I didn't have much time to read any old TBR books, so I figured I'd do the opposite this year. It seems I can never win...
Anywho, we're starting off the week with my list of the Best Books I've Read In 2014, no matter their publishing year, so let's take a look at my picks:
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The Golem and the Jinni //
If I had to pick one book for my best read of 2014, I would choose
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - it was the first book I read this year, and it was utterly amazing! I was enthralled by the world building and enchanted with the characters from the very beginning - I've never read anything like it, and I am really looking forward to seeing what Ms. Wecker comes out with next! You can check out my review
HERE.
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Ship Breaker //
Definitely a very gripping story - this is the first novel I've read from this author, and I will definitely be checking out the rest of his bibliography (including the Ship Breaker sequel!)
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Isla and the Happily Ever After //
I didn't think it was possible to beat the cuteness that was Lola and the Boy Next Door, but I was oh-so-very-wrong! I love Isla and Josh together, and read this in one sitting!
I think I really have a thing for pirate & assassin stories - I really enjoyed reading this book, as well as its sequel.
I enjoyed the whole series, but this particular book actually made me cry! I like it when I get emotionally invested in a novel - I feel that it's a mark of the author's storytelling ability when I get so sucked into their world that I actually grow attached to the characters.
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Silver Shadows //
This entire series is amazing, even more-so than Vampire Academy, in my opinion. I love Adrian, and was glad to see that he wasn't just thrown to the curb. I already pre-ordered the next book, which comes out in February, and even though I just finished the series recently, I may re-read it the week leading up to its release, just for the hell of it!
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Onyx //
Yet another series I couldn't put down once I started it - I don't know why, but for some reason Onyx was my fave of the lot. I just wish they'd do a re-release with better covers - the male model is hot, but the title fonts look ugly, and the chick on the cover does not look cheerful or dorky/nerdy like Katy should be (plus, she kind of looks like she has a bitchy attitude).
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe //
I picked this up to read as part of a challenge that required me to read a book by a local author, and Benjamin Alire Sáenz is from Doña Ana County, New Mexico, which is close enough. It helps that he's now a professor at UTEP, and that the book is set in El Paso. It's about growing up Mexican-American on the border, and trying to find a sense of identity.
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Choosing You //
This book was incredibly cute, and made for such a sweet NA romance! I'll warn you, though, the series gets pretty crazy in later books, but by then you'll already be hooked, so it doesn't matter.
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Lola and the Boy Next Door //
How could I not love a book whose lead guy is named Cricket?! This was my fave of the series until
Isla came out, but I still love it dearly. In fact, this may be one of the few series I know in which I truly loved each book better than its predecessor, rather than having favorites that fall in a random order (my favorite
HP novel was book 3, my favorite
VA novel was book 5, etc.). Huh.
So, have you made a "Best of 2014" list yet? If so, leave a link in the comments so I can check it out - I'm working on my 2015 TBR list right now, and could always use a few more additions!
