And…drumroll…it’s time for the Best Books of 2014!
My Best Books of 2014 have some similarities this year:
- Exquisite writing
- Twisty, turny plots
- Debut authors (3 in my Top 10, 2 of my Honorable Mentions)
- New to me authors (all but 1 of my Top 10 and Honorable Mentions)
Shannon at River City Reading made the point that most of us have been trumpeting our favorite books of 2014 for awhile now (if not in one, consolidated list), so what else can we really say about them? So, I thought I’d pretend I was back in high school and award yearbook style “Superlatives” to my favorite 2014 books!
On to the winners….
The Best Book of 2014
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (review)
Most Likely to Be Added to My All-Time Favorites List
Most “Quotable”
The Rest of the Top Ten
Back Channel by Stephen L. Carter, Historical Fiction (review)
Most Thinly Veiled Nonfiction
Best Female Heroine
Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, Fiction (review)
Most Backstabbing Plot Twists
Best Example of Wealthy People Behaving Badly
Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates, Fiction (review)
Biggest Surprise of the Year
Most Friends You Can’t Trust
My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff, Memoir (review)
Most Likely to Remind You of “Mad Men”
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles, Historical Fiction (review)
Biggest Collection of Evil
Reunion by Hannah Pittard, Fiction (review)
Funniest Take on Step-Families
Most Irreverent
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler, Fiction (review)
Most Likely to Make You Long for Home
Best Portrayal of Male Friendship
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, Fiction (review)
Most Deserving of All the Hype
Scariest “Could Possibly Happen in Real Life” Scenario
The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress by Ariel Lawhon, Historical Fiction (review)
Most Recommended Book of the Year
Best Example of My New Favorite Genre (Fiction Based on True Crime)
The Honorable Mentions
An Untamed State by Roxane Gay, Fiction (review)
Most Likely to Leave You in Emotional Pieces
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott, Nonfiction (review)
Most Entertaining War Book
The Martian by Andy Weir, Science Fiction (review)
Most Likely to Make You Like Science Fiction
Best “Main Character” Personality
What were your favorite books of 2014?
I love these year end TOPS lists. I’m working on mine.
I also enjoyed: The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress
Great list! I really like that you did something a little different 🙂
I completely agree with your choice of AJ Fikry. I’m going to buy myself a copy of Station Eleven, it’s not my normal type of book, but everyone is raving about it, so I have to read it 🙂 Great list!
Definitely try Station 11 – it wasn’t my type of book either and I loved it!
Nice sentence summaries. You’re right, most of them have been on your previous lists coming up to this one. Great list! I added a few to my TBR list.
I do want to read Station Eleven, once the hype has died down a little bit. I have yet to come across a negative review of it. I also want to read Karen Abbott and Andy Weir. My favorites this year were two classics, To Kill a Mockingbird and All Quiet on the Western Front.
Ah thanks a lot to give me a trick to resist a little to Station Eleven: a negative review! Whatever I think about them, they help me to make up my mind.
I’ve read All Quiet on the Western Front when I was a teenager; decades after, my memory of it is still vivid.
Such a great list, Sarah! I’m definitely going to have to read Station Eleven; I can’t stand it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing all of these and their corresponding reviews; I’ll definitely be referring back to this for some books that I need to read.
I enjoyed Black Chalk, though not enough to be on my top lists, it was just an ok book for me. Thanks for sharing! Here’s my Favorite Books of 2014.
I recommended Black Chalk to a ton of friends and there was sort of a love/hate reaction…some loved it and some hated it…kind of like cilantro.
Like you know, I’m still trying to convince myself I can read An Untamed State without falling into pieces.
A.J. Fikry was a nice read but I haven’t been impressed by it.
Love that you did the superlatives! I totally agree that Station Eleven is most deserving of the hype, even though that usually makes me too nervous to read a book…it totally worked this time.
I agree – I tend to end up not loving hyped books quite as much since my expectations are so high. I started The Wife today and really like it so far…great writing!
Love your list! I haven’t read most of these so I’m really excited to add them to my TBR for next year and check them out. You have such great taste in books 🙂
Why thank you!
Ha! I love your high school superlatives. Totally agree about Mark from The Martian. Loved his sarcastic wit. I can’t wait to read Station Eleven and Untamed State is high on my wishlist.