My top 14 books of 2014

I went through my Goodreads account and went through all the books at had read. I read 86 books in 2014. I went through and pulled the books that I had given 5 stars. It worked out wonderfully because I gave 14 books 5 stars. I just wrote them down in the order I read them.

1. Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop: This is the second book in her new series.

2. Written in Red by Anne Bishop: This is the first book in her new series.Her new series is one of my all time favorites. 

3. Delusion in Death by J.B. Robb: This is book #35 in the "in death" series. I love this series  and if you are interested in it the first book is Naked in Death.

4. A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean. This book was the first in her The Rules of Scoundrels Series.

5. Skin Game by Jim Butcher. This is the 15th book in the Dresden Files series. This was one of his best books!

6. Slave of Sensation by Nalini Singh. This is the first book in her Psy-Changeling series.

7. The Martian by Andy Weir. Great survival story.

8. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. It was a sweet story and really makes you think about the choices we make.

9.  What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund. This was so fantastic.

10.  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I had not read this classic before and can't believe I waited this long to read it.

11. Worlds Afire by Paul Janeczko. Great book done in poems.

12. Doll Bones by Holly Black. This is a middle grades book.

13. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. If you are a fan of The Princess Bride you are going to love this book.

14. Christmas Brides by Suzanne Enoch. This is actually a collection of short stories by a couple of authors. This is a wonderful Christmas read.

I also realized when I was typing up this list that apparently I have an addiction to series....but i love them so much. 

Review for Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

                I loved the movie and when I first saw the movie I didn't know it was a book. Well I finally got around to reading the book. I had been looking forward to reading it for awhile.  Typically I love the book just as much or more than the movie. In this case I love the movie a lot  more than the book. I was very disappointed in the book. The plot felt a bit slow and the characters where not very likable. I was very surprised how unlikable the characters where.   I did not actually care what happened to them. I thought magic would also play a bigger part in the story, and it doesn't.  My biggest problem with the book was the character development. I would have liked more three dimensional characters and for them to be more likable. I gave the book 2 out of 5 stars. 

Classics Challenge: January

Classics Challenge: January
Classic read: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie

WHEN I Discovered This Classic: I actually found this book in the bookstore in Logan Airport in Boston.

WHAT Makes It A Classic: Agatha Christie is a staple in the mystery genre. I think her books are classics because they stand the test of time and are still widely read. 

WHY I Chose to Read It : I had decided to pic up one of her books because I loved the new editions that have been released. 

WILL It Stay A Classic: I think it will stay a classic. 

WHO I’d Recommend It To: I would recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries or historical fiction. 

Review of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Review of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

                When I started this book I actually didn’t know much about it. All I had really heard about it was that people really enjoyed it. The story starts in 1987, which was actually delightful. The author successful weaves an engaging and relevant story. I loved his characters and was very interested in what would happen to them. This book really makes you think and contemplate who you are and why you are who you are. What can you control and what things can’t you control. I loved his writing style as well. I actually went online and ordered another one of his books once I had finished this one because I need to read another one of his books. The topics Saenz deals with some very relevant topics that readers today can relate with. I think this is a very important book for  young adults to read. I think male and female readers would get a lot of out this book. If you are have a student in middle school I would recommend reading it first and see if your student is mature enough for this book, but every high school student should read this book.

2014 Reading Stats

2014 Stats

So as I had said in a recent post, this year was a really good reading year for me. I sat down and looked at the stats of my reading. The last two years I have kept a reading journal, but this year I also completed a spread sheet. I got the spread sheet from Book Riot and just modified it to my needs. So here is the break down for my reading.

Yearly Totals:

·         I read 86 books.

·         That is 25,301 pages.

Gender

·         Male Authors: 33 (38%)

·         Female Authors: 53 (62%)

Format

·         Paperback: 35 (41%)

·         Hardcover: 25 (29%)

·         E-books: 16 (19%)

·         Audio: 10 (12%)

Genre

·         Fantasy: 16 (17%)

·         Young Adult: 13 (15%)

·         Literary Fiction: 8 (9%)

·         Mystery: 6 (7%)

·         Graphic Novel: 13 (15%)

·         Nonfiction: 7 (8%)

·         Poetry: 7 (8%)

·         Romance: 14 (16%)

·         Classics: 1 (1%)

Length

·         Longest book: Cold Days by Jim Butcher (614 pages)

·         Shortest book: God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant (56 Pages)