Here’s my annual list of my ten favorite books read in the year. As always, this is merely the best books I read this year not books published in 2013. For previous years see 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006. You may also want to check out My Favorite Books of All Time or see Every Book I’ve Ever Read cataloged in Library Thing.
In no particular order:
- The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
- Reign of error by Diane Ravitch
- Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
- The Race Underground by Doug Most
- Eden on the Charles: The Making of Boston by Michael Rawson
- Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell
- A wicked war : Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. invasion of Mexico by Amy S. Greenburg
- Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
- The Invisible Mountain by Carolina de Robertis
- An astronaut’s guide to life on earth by Chris Hadfield
And the complete list of books read in 2014 (books published in 2014 are in bold).
January
- Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham – **1/2
- Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (A) – *****
- Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins (A) – ****1/2
- Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins (A) – ****1/2
- The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (A) – ***
- A Tear at the Edge of Creation by Marcelo Gleiser – ***1/2
- Every Day by David Levithan (A) – ****
- Fables 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham – **
- Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins (A) – ****
- Fables 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham – ***
- Gregor and the Code of the Claw by Suzanne Collins (A) – ****
February
- The Monster in the Mist by Andrew Mayne – ***
- An Abundance of Katherines by John Greene (A) – ***
- Eden on the Charles: The Making of Boston by Michael Rawson – ****
- The Walking Dead: What Comes After (v0l 18) by Robert Kirkman – **
- The Walking Dead: March To War (vol. 19) by Robert Kirkman -**
March
- Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell (A) – ****
- A wicked war : Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. invasion of Mexico by Amy S. Greenburg – ****
- Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan – ****
- “Guns” by Stephen King – ***
- Where God Was Born by Bruce Feiler (A) – ***1/2
- The Walking Dead: All Out War (vol. 20) by Robert Kirkman -**
- The Information by James Gleick (A) – ***
- Doing Germany by Agnieszka Paletta – **1/2
April
- American Heretics: Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and the History of Religious Intolerance by Peter Gottschalk – **1/2
- Reign of error by Diane Ravitch – ****1/2
- Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Keating (A) – ***
- Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler (A) – ***1/2
- Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (A) – ***
May
- An astronaut’s guide to life on earth by Chris Hadfield – ****
- Strivers Row by Kevin Baker (A) – ***
- All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior (A) – ***
- Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh – ****
June
- Drinking Boston : a history of the city and its spirits by Stephanie Schorow – ***
July
August
- The Race Underground by Doug Most (A) – ****
- The Man of Feeling by Javier Marías – **
- Life Form by Amélie Nothomb – ***1/2
- Cousin K by Yasmina Khadra – **1/2
- Book of ages : the life and opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore – ****1/2
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (A) -***1/2
September
- One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson (A) – ****
- The Invisible Mountain by Carolina de Robertis (A) – ****
- Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić – ***1/2
- Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya – *1/2
- Pity the Billionaire by Thomas Frank (A) – ***1/2
- Be there now : travel stories from around the world – **
October
- The Castle of Whispers by Carole Martinez – ***1/2
- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (A) – ***
- Jerusalem by Gonçalo Tavares – ***
- The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty by Dan Ariely (A) – ***
- The Angel’s Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery by Justin Richards (A) – *1/2
- Eight World Cups by George Vecsey – ****
- Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (A) – **1/2
November
- Dalek I Loved You by Nick Griffiths – **1/2
- Unruly Places by Alastair Bonnett (A) – ***1/2
December
- The Happiest People in the World by Brock Clarke – **
- A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (A) – ***
- Closed at Dark by Rob Blackwell – ***
- Marbles : mania, depression, Michelangelo, and me by Ellen Forney – ***1/2
- Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin (A) – ***