2014 Book List
2014 Book List
Fiction - Adult
- The Circle by Dave Eggers
Everywhere you go, you're on camera whether you like it or not. Every single word you write online is saved. Somewhere. The Circle (or The Googlyahoofacetweet) takes that idea and ramps it up. The main character is very annoying, and but you'll keep rooting for her to finally get a clue. A quick book for 'a bit of light reading'. Worth the time. (Adult)
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
A well-written book about a woman from her first year at a summer camp for artsy kids to her depressing married, adult life. If you think that's interesting, then read it. (Adult)
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
I truly enjoyed this book. It has Rowling's signature deep characterizations with the added bonus of a mystery to solve. Well, mystery is her trademark too. Read it. (Adult)
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Harry August relives his life over and over again. If it sounds like Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (read last year), that's where the similarity ends. Harry remembers his past lives. Each time he's reborn, it takes until he's about three years old for all his memories to come back--everything he's done, all the people he's known, and all the knowledge he's gained. And he's not the only one! Harry activity manipulates his lives, seeking knowledge and experiences. At the end of one of his 'lives', he is told that the world in ending sooner than it should, a message from a future generation of kalachakra. Harry figures out why and sets out to put things right, even if it takes him ten more lives. It's all very interesting and well-written. (Adult)
Afterparty by Daryl Gregory
(Adult)
Mars Crossing Geoffrey A. Landis
Mr. Landis works for the NASA John Glenn Research Center and he has a lot of well-thought out detail on the geography of Mars as well as equipment and logistics. While some of the backstory seems a bit forced at times, the back flashes add to the reader's sympathy for the characters in most cases. The ISS orientation ritual mentioned, for instance, is ludicrous. The book is worth reading for the plot and descriptions, but I didn't have a strong preference for which characters made it home. Overall, it was interesting and the ending had a surprise.(Adult)
Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan
(Adult)
The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn
I have to admit to staying up late to read this. A rollercoaster.(Adult)
The Martian by Andy Weir
I gobbled this book up. A compelling survival story about the third manned mission to Mars which goes horribly wrong. Enough engineering and chemistry to satisfy science geeks. Highly recommended.(Adult)
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (AKA J.K. Rowling)
Private Detective Cormoran Strike and his formidable assistant, Robin, are back in a sequel to The Cuckoo's Calling. Ah...I enjoyed this book so much! I love J.K. Rowling, and her writing is so rich with amazing characterization and wonderful world building. This mystery involves the publishing world. I won't say anything more about it, but trust me, it's good and gross. There are many twists and red herrings. We learn more about Cormoran and Robin in this book too. Oh, and there is a Miss Brocklehurst, which is a name from Harry Potter. (Adult)
I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
Co-ed bathrooms? WTF! The drinking culture wasn't a surprise, since that has always been a part of the college mix, but the filthy rap lyrics punctuated the point of how depraved some people can be. Fantastic book regardless.(Adult)
About A Boy by Nick Hornby
Delve into the mind of a forty-something man-child. The book was clearly written for a Hugh Grant movie. (And it actually was!) I wonder if it's on Netflix.(Adult)
The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin
Period romance featuring a rebel photographer heiress, a mounted captain and his horse, and an Austrian Empress. Okay, but the heiress was too constrained, too forgiving for my tastes.
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Hmmm... Not sure what to say about this one. Alien creature? Mother earth? Return to earth? Virtual reality? Time travel? Well written, in any case. This book is the first in a trilogy, and there is no satisfying ending. I'm not sure if I'll continue. Maybe.
I Am Pilgram by Terry Hayes
An excellent spy thriller. I won't give anything away, but it's worth the hype. Recommended.
Rooms by Lauren Oliver
YA novelist Lauren Oliver tries her hand at an adult book about a family of emotionally haunted people who are actually being watched by ghosts. Very good.
Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress
This author wrote one of my writing books, Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotions & Viewpoint. I knew she was a science fiction writer, but I had never read any of her work until now. This novella, I believe, is a rich in characterization, telling a story about an evolutionary biologist who is trying to prevent a disaster during an alien visitation. (No spoilers here!) Very good. I want to read more by this author.
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress
Time travel, alien visitation, ecological apocalypse. Decent novella.
The Parasol Protectorate Series: Soulless by Gail Carriger
The Parasol Protectorate Series: Changeless by Gail Carriger
Fiction - Young Adult & Middle Grade
- Noggin by John Corey Whaley
A sixteen-year-old has cancer and gets his head cryogenically stored until such time in the future that it can be reattached to a donor body. It happens sooner than they think. The story starts with his new life: same head, new body, five years later. Interesting concept and a decent read. (YA)
The Amanda Project by 'Amanda Valentino' and Melissa Kantor
I saw a review of this at Common Sense Media, and thought I'd read it before my tween. It was a fast paced, easy read with built around the mystery of a new friend who is missing. It's not scary. It's part of a series with a website tie-in. It was okay, and my tween liked it.(YA)
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Deftly handled YA break-up aftermath story from the boyfriend's POV. I didn't realize this was a sequel until after I started reading it. The original story is called If I Stay (which I didn't read), and it's been made into a movie that will be out this August. I chose to read this book because I read another by Gayle Forman last year. See my 2013 Book List for my thoughts on it. (YA)
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
The story of a young girl during World War II who goes to live at Los Alamos with her scientist father. A sad, but hopeful story with vivid imagery. Recommended.(MG)
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
A family gathers on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts each summer. One year, there is a terrible accident, and no one will tell Cadence, the eldest grandchild, what happened. A mystery and coming of age story.(YA)
Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan
This is a hilarious book about an intellectually gifted teenager and her attempts to thwart the impending marriage of an older sister. A must read! Okay for mature tweens.(YA)
Free to Fall by Lauren Miller
A story set in the near future about a teen girl who goes to an elite prep school with secret societies. While there, she solves a mystery that sheds light on her own life, which also helps humanity. Better than most YA books, but not spectacular. Possible scary situations, death, light drinking, friend 'hooks up' with older man, prelude to sex (not continued), reckless food allergy situation. Not for tweens. (YA)
The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy
The second in this alien invasion series. (YA)
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Nineteen eighties all-boys boarding school coming-of-age drama about a high school student dealing with the death of his roommate and his lust for a young female teacher who helps him through poetry and prose. Nicely written. Drinking, sex talk, repressed homosexuality, and death. Not for tweens.(YA)
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
This is the second book I've read by this author this year, and it's very different from Noggin. This is a serious coming-of-age drama, taking on themes of family, belief, and purpose in life in a small Arkansas town. Very well done. Suicide, sex, extreme religion, death. Not for tweens.(YA)
Afterworld by Scott Westerfeld
I love Scott Westerfeld. I enjoyed his Leviathan trilogy with my kids, and later, the Uglies series with them too. This book has an older target market. The book is a story within a story, and the frame narrative is about an 18-year-old (of Indian descent--as in the subcontinent) who writes a paranormal novel in her senior year in high school, gets an agent and a two-book deal from a major publishing house, defers college, and moves to Manhattan to write the second book. This part of the book mainly depicts the writing life (which I found the most interesting) and her relationships with her family, her lover, and her characters. The novel she writes is revealed in alternating chapters. It is about a teenager who has a near-death experience (terrorist attack) and is guided to safety by a 'death god,' a handsome young Indian raj who is actually thousands of years old. She develops the ability to go into the underworld as a reaper, or psychopomp, and eventually solves a crime and ends the perpetrator. The language and innuendo is more 'mature'--if cursing is mature. This book opens with a terrorist attack in which almost everyone dies. There is a supernatural theme of death, and there are sinister characters. A lead character commits murder. This book was the first YA novel that I've read with a lesbian lead character in a relationship with a slightly older but more experienced woman. The focus of their relationship is about their culinary explorations (they are in Manhattan after all!) and their writing processes, both of which I enjoyed. What I didn't like about their relationship was that the older character was too experienced for the main character, and she also had too much weird baggage. Westerfeld is a wonderful writer, but this is not my favorite of his books. While the book-within-a-book scheme was clever on many levels and decidedly well written, at one point I really didn't care what happened to either of the main characters, and I felt like I was forcing myself to finish. I don't know if I'll read the sequel, but it's possible that it may get more interesting. Not for tweens or young teens. (YA)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
I finally got around to reading this much-hyped young adult book. I thought the beginning was promising, refreshing even, and I loved the vintage-inspired photos.The middle wasn't as good because I felt like the author reverted into the standard YA novel structure. Perhaps Mr. Riggs had trouble with the middle, and that was the formula, the solution. I think it was original in many ways, however. (YA)
Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
The final installment of the Gem Trilogy that began with Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue. Okay for tweens. (YA)
Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Book III - Raven Cycle) by Maggie Stiefvater
The latest book in the Raven Cycle. Satisfying and beautifully written, as always by Stiefvater. Violence, potentially scary situations, language. (YA)
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
A companion book to the Shiver/Linger/Forever Trilogy, which I read a few years ago. I just have to wonder what her character has against stylish guitar work. Actually, I know the answer: ego, but still... A cool car in this one too. Good study of two supporting characters from the original trilogy.(YA)
Non-Fiction
- The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
Read most of it for a book club. Am I happier yet?
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
I loved this book. But, ew. There is a LOT of detail about space bathroom issues. It really is a big concern in space. Mary Roach is a keen observer, adding just enough innuendo to make it amusing. Interesting and well worth the read. (I read this for research for my new in-progress novel.)
Colleges that Change Lives by Loren Pope
An ode to small liberal arts colleges.
Mind Set: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Why people succeed and how to foster success.
Recommendations wanted!
Past book lists, including my Writing Book List, can be found here.