02 January 2015

2014: My Year in Books


I love reading lists, particularly bookish ones, and I love compiling my own. As a bookseller, I'm often asked what my "Desert Island" list of books would be, and while that continues to be an impossible question to answer, I'm definitely more comfortable creating my personal Best Of lists every year.

For 2014, I reduced my reading goal on Goodreads from 125 (in 2013) to a more manageable 104 -- that is, a steady reading pace of two books per week, on average.  I'm happy to say that I met, and even exceeded, my goal for the year with 108 books read.  Before I launch into my list of my favorite books of the year, I'd like to devote a little space to my reading statistics.  Some books can qualify for more than one category, so occasionally the percentages will add up to more than 100%.

Of those 108 books, here is the basic breakdown:

Fiction 92% (99)
Nonfiction 8% (9)
Short Stories 5% (6)
YA/Middle Grade 20% (22)
Ebooks 12% (13)
Audio Books 19% (20)
Books in Translation 5% (6)

Okay, now here's where it gets interesting. I'd always figured that I read more books by women than by men, and my anecdotal evidence is borne out by my numbers.

Books by women: 63% (68)
Books by men: 37% (40)

But what gets me is that all year long, I was actively trying to diversify my reading.  There's been a look of talk in the book world about diversity (you can find a lot at #weneeddiversebooks, or you can watch this excellent YouTube video of BookRioter Amanda Nelson), and I wanted to put my money where my mouth was.  Or at least put my reading time where my mouth was, since most of the books I read I don't actually pay for. The thing is, even with trying, and even with expanding my definition of "diverse," fewer than a third of the books I read in 2014 qualify for my new shelf on Goodreads called "Diversify Your Life." To earn placement on that shelf, a book must be written by OR feature a main character who is either a person of color, or LGBT, or differently-abled.

Thirty-three books.  33.  In other words, about 30%. That's the number that I've been striving for all year, folks. It's damned hard.


That being said, I do find it fitting that the best book that I read this year was a debut novel, written by a black woman, about a black woman.  Cynthia Bond's incredible debut novel, Ruby, is one of the most beautifully written novels I've ever read, but it's also one of the most brutal.  Think Toni Morrison by way of Cormac McCarthy's Southern gothic novels, and you'll have a pretty good idea of the dark places this book might take the reader. Frankly, I'm flabbergasted that this book isn't making more of a mark on the literary world.

The other books I read this year that earned a spot on my favorites list, in chronological order of when I read them, are:


I technically didn't read this book in 2014, but it was published that year, so it goes on the 2014 list.  This is another debut novel that doesn't read like a debut novel.  Also dark and bleak, but told in expansive prose.  It's set in upstate New York and it explores themes of family, vengeance, and loyalty. I never reviewed this one, though I certainly meant to.


This is another book that I read near the end of 2013 but which was published in 2014, so it goes on this list. A quiet novel set in a small town in eastern Tennessee, just days before it's scheduled to be flooded in order to bring electricity to the region. When a young girl goes missing, the few people who hadn't already evacuated help search for her while her mother accuses an itinerant ne'er do well of taking her--or worse. Very well written but not in any kind of showy way. You can see my full review here. 


I was very surprised how much I liked this book, told in the twin narratives of two women: Sarah Grimke, born to a life of white privilege in antebellum Charleston, and Hetty, the slave girl who was given to Sarah on her 11th birthday. I learned about the real-life Grimke sisters who were instrumental in the abolitionist movement in the US.  You can find my whole review here.


This is another debut novel that feels extremely self-assured.  I thought this book was bleak and disturbing, but then I read Cynthia Bond's Ruby!  Still, this is an excellent first novel, set in the mountains and plains of the west in the 1980s, exploring one man's efforts to save children through the foster care system while failing to save his own daughter. I intended to review this one but I never got around to it.  C'est la vie.


This is another book that surprised me. My year end lists of favorite books don't typically have commercial writers cracking the Top Ten spot, but Jodi Picoult's novel that explores elephant empathy and elephant grieving held me spellbound.  I didn't care nearly as much about the human aspects of the story, but her pachyderm research for this one was extensive.  My full review is here.


I've been a fan of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's short stories since The Most Beautiful Book in the World was translated into English.  The first story in his newest collection may just be the finest short story I've ever read: war, dogs, family, redemption.  I think he's one of the finest short story writers we have today. My full review of it is here.


I was a total newbie to David Mitchell when I sat down to read The Bone Clocks. This book sometimes felt like the literary equivalent of the movie Inception. Literary, substantive, fantastical, and producing one of the finest character portraits I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.  This book isn't perfect, but wow, it's pretty impressive.  You can read my full, rather gushing review, here.


Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel is a book that I feel personally invested in. I've been following Emily's career since her first book, Last Night In Montreal, which was published by an indie press a number of years ago.  Now she's gotten the critical acclaim that I've been wanting for her, earning a spot on the list of finalists for the National Book Award in 2014.  I think what I liked best about this post-apocalyptic book was the way she portrayed some of the finer things about civilization that endured: drama, art, and the power of storytelling.


I became a devotee of Mariynne Robinson years ago when I read Gilead, the first of three books that she wrote featuring the Reverend John Ames and the small Iowa town of Gilead.  So I was pretty sure that I would love Lila, the final book in that grouping. I didn't write a full review of this one, but I do talk about it quite a bit here in my discussion of the five fiction finalists for the National Book Award.


I wouldn't say that this was one of the best written books I've read this year, but Caitlin Moran's first novel, How to Build a Girl, was probably the funniest, not least because I had the pleasure of reading it with more than a dozen other book bloggers in a pre-publication readalong. This is the coming of age book that I wish I'd had when I was a teenager, trying to figure out how to build myself, over and over. (I probably still don't have it right.) You can read about our collective reading adventure here.

There were a lot of other excellent books that I read in 2014 (All Our Names, Boy Snow Bird) that didn't emotionally resonate with me, and there were some great books that I started but didn't finish, for a variety of reasons (A Brief History of Seven Killings and All the Light We Cannot See).

There have been quite a few excellent books that I read in the last few months of 2014 that won't be published until later in 2015, and they will have to wait until next time to make my list, but they include A Little Life by Hanyah Yanagihara, S. M. Hulse's Black River, and Tania James's The Tusk That Did the Damage.

I also had some extremely disappointing reads in 2014, including The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner, and the new Haruki Murakami book, Colorless Tsukuru and His Years of Pilgrimage, all three of which I actually took the time to review. Actually, I didn't find The Flamethrowers disappointing so much as I just found it terrible.

What about y'all?   Did you read any of my favorite books on this list? What books kicked ass for you in 2014?  What disappointed or surprised you?

26 comments:

  1. I love Matilda, but I still can't help but think about how she sort of sounds serial killer-y in that gif.

    And I have added Ruby to my TBR list.

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    1. I've never read or seen Matilda, but I love that kid.

      Ruby is...tough. A good read, but you might want to have something by Tina Fey or Mindy Kaling or Amy Poehler or Caitlin Moran ready to read immediately afterwards. And maybe between chapters, too.

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  2. I loved The Bone Clocks. Other new books that I read last year and enjoyed are Goodhouse, J, and Room. I also finally got around to reading The Handmaid's Tale last year and it was every bit as awesome as I'd been led to expect.

    My first batch of library books for the new year includes the new Laura Ingalls biography and The Secret History of Wonder Woman! :D Happy New Year!

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    1. It's been years since I read The Handmaid's Tale, but I sure did love it when I read it at MSMS for Dr Poston's class!

      I really want to read The Secret History of Wonder Woman -- that author came to my store to read in November and her presentation was fucking amazing.

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  3. Invention of Wings! Yeah, that was a surprise. But wouldn't have been with a different cover. Ugh. That cover. I will never stop lamenting it.

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    1. Yes. Quite the surprise, and you're right about that cover. Terrible! UK and/or Australian one were SO superior. And since you're the person who pretty much convinced me I should read that book, THANK YOU, ALICE.

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  4. My memory w/o notes is only about 2 weeks long so I will tell you Big Little Lies was a surprise favorite in December. Moriarty completely nails ape shit parenting. Also Florence Gordon - my last read of 2014/first read of 2015 was quite excellent. The ending was perfectly undone. The characters those that I felt I knew my whole life. Belle

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    1. I really want to read Florence Gordon. And yes, the Liane Moriarty was a BIG surprise for me. I listened to the audio and really, really enjoyed it.

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  5. I still can't love Ruby the way you love Ruby...BUT The Bone Clocks. The Bone Clocks brings us back together on the same page, where I most enjoy being with you.

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    1. Yes, well, I can freely acknowledge that it's not the novel for everybody. But still powerful, no? And ALL THE YES to our mutual love for The Bone Clocks.

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  6. Hooray for Matilda! That reminds me that I need to read that one with David soon. :)

    You are not doing good things to my tbr list...or that list of books that I meant to read this year and somehow didn't!

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    1. Unbelievably, I"ve not watched OR read Matilda. Maybe 2015 will be the year!

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  7. I've had Ruby on my TBR shelf for a long time -- in fact, so long that the copy I have is an ARC. I'm a little afraid to read it. I did love Fourth of July Creek. Happy reading (and bookselling!) in 2015.

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    1. Ruby is intense and harrowing. Don't read it unless you're already in a pretty stable and happy place, I'd say.

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  8. I run a blog that reviews/interviews women only, so I thought my count would be VERY much in favor of books by women. However, I also read books for tours that I put together and write reviews for a couple of other places. Turns out, it was much more even than I expected! I read 38 by women and 29 by men. *surprised!*

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    1. It's funny how we sometimes think we're reading one way, and the stats show us that it's quite a different way. Best of luck to you in 2015!

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  9. I just read The Paying Guests and was disappointed too. I will have to dig out Invention of Wings; I didn't like her previous book but this one does sound like an interesting subject. And everyone has been raving about The Bone Clocks - I wasn't a fan of Cloud Atlas but I'll give this one a go when it's out in paperback. Happy new year!

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    1. I *did* like one of her previous books, but I thought this one was more substantive. Also, very cool to learn about a historically important woman who has since been marginalized in her own country. Happy new year back to you!

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  10. Oh dear - so many great books and so little time over Christmas. I have purchased Ruby and Leaving Time and looking forward to reading them following your reviews.
    The best book I have read this year is "Elizabeth Is Missing" by Emma Healey (unbelievably her first novel). An extraordinary book which was utterly captivating and beautifully written. Highly recommended!!

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    1. "So many great books, so little time" may well be my mantra, Christmas or no.

      I don't think I've heard of Emma Healey before, so I will have to check her out. Thanks for the rec!

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  11. I was very impressed by The Kept as well. Did you read Rene Denfeld's The Enchanted? That was one of my top reads for 2014. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward was definitely the best book I read in 2014. Several of your top books are on my shelf, which makes me happy.

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    1. I started The Enchanted but put it down after a while. Not sure if it wasn't the right book for me or just not the right time to read it. I have two co workers whose favorite book was Men We Reaped the year it was published, so I really ought to take a look at it.

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  12. I resolve to read The Bone Clocks this year! I did read How To Build a Girl earlier this year and mourned the fact that I missed the readalong - I think I would have enjoyed it better if I had read it with you guys!

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    1. The readalong is *definitely* the main reason that book made my cut off this year. We had such grand adventures discussing it, but I really do wish I had had it when I was 17-18.

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  13. I adored THE KEPT. I don't know what I expected when I started it but it was amazing. I still need to read STATION ELEVEN and - I saw you in Shelf Awareness today - and I still need to buy ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. It's going on my list of 2014 releases I wish I'd gotten to before the year ended.

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  14. So many of your favorites are books that I've waffled on deciding whether or not to read (Bone Clocks, 4th of July Creek, Lila) but knowing you liked them definitely makes a difference. And I just ordered Ruby from my local book shop. :)

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Please, sir, may I have some more? (Comments, that is!)