Today, the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish have asked us to list the top ten best books we have read in 2014.
I’ve read 25 books this year so far, so there’s not actually that many to choose from. That being said, all these books that I list here are genuinely good reads that I enjoyed very much.
So here are my top ten books listed in the order I read them in.
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was the first book I read this year. Yes, it’s not exactly a new find, but I loved this book very much. Loved it enough to read the rest of the books in the series? Well, no, but I liked this book very much as a standalone.
- We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo easily makes it to my mid-year top ten list. Selecting this book was a no-brainer, and I am pretty sure it will make it to my year-end best books of 2014 as well. I loved it that much.
- Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne is a sweet and heart-warming story that I highly recommend for when you want to read something light but also meaningful at the same time. It’s also an awesome YA read for school children to learn a little something extra about life in England during World War 1.
- And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini was on the bestseller list in every country last year, I think. There’s a reason for that, and that is this book is very, very good. Highly recommend!
- Under the Dome by Stephen King is pure escapism. Though sometimes a trifle over-the-top, I enjoyed every moment reading this book, and participating in King’s March (online SK readalong in March).
- The Son by Jo Nesbo is an odd choice I know. But it’s a thriller with heart, and it’s well-written and absorbing. I really enjoyed this one.
- Bluebeard’s Egg by Margaret Atwood is a lovely set of short stories. I usually am not a fan of shorts, there almost always is a little unevenness in the quality of the stories. But in Bluebeard’s Egg, all the stories were uniformly top-class.
- Bucket List of a Traveloholic by Sarika Pandit is fun summer reading. I loved this memoir of a girl’s adventures in foreign lands. I can tell you that my travel bucket list now has about ten more places added to it, thanks to this book.
- Adopted Miracles by Anamika Mukherjee is a fantastic memoir of the author’s experiences with infertility and adoption in India.
- And to round off the top ten, I loved The Mother-in-Law Cure by Farha Z.Hasan that I just finished. My review is not yet complete but I can tell you that reading this magical book was an unexpected delight.
What’s your mid-year top ten list?
I haven’t actually read any of these. I need to pick up Bluebeard’s Egg.
Looks like some good reading. I read Outlander years ago and part of the series, but I think the first was the best.
@joyweesemoll:disqus I had a feeling that was the case. To be honest, it works pretty well as a standalone, I can’t imagine dragging out their story for the next 6-7 books.
I keep hearing great things about ‘The Son’ and of course I need to get to ‘Bluebeard’s Egg’ as part of my Margaret Atwood challenge. 🙂
Tons of great books I’ve been meaning to read, but Adopted Miracles is standing out because I don’t think I’ve heard of it. Definitely making a note of that one!
This is a great list… I’m looking forward to reading We Need New Names. I’ve heard so many good things about the book.
These are amazing, I don’t think I’ve read all of them.
Great list 🙂 Here’s my Best Books So Far This Year!
Ahhh, so many great-looking books! I am really excited to read We Need New Names. Bluebeard’s Egg has been on my radar for years. I need to just take the plunge already and add it to my TBR.
I definitely want to read We Need New Names one day, and the Hosseini (I’ve only read The Kite Runner of his). I just finished The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (one of my FAVORITE authors), but it was just so-so for me. Looking forward to reading more by her, I might go for Cat’s Eye next. Great list!
@kristinshafelomiccioli:disqus The Blind Assassin was disappointing for me as well. It was my first Atwood, and I didn’t like it at all. Definitely not worth all the hype it got.