My Top Ten Books of 2014

This week's Top Ten Tuesday (thanks to The Broke and The Bookish) is counting down my FAVORITES from this past year of reading. I read quite a few books this year (though some people have definitely read more) but there are definitely some that stand out among the others. So, in almost NO particular order.

1. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell- Oh yea, don't you remember me ranting and raving about this book? You should. And if you haven't read this one yet, you should. I don't know what it is, but her books just work for me. The characters are so easily relatable. The setting is so familiar (hello Midwest!) and it just flowed. I feel like I got to know Beth the same way that Lincoln did, and what seemed creepy at first turned into something that oddly enough made sense. READ IT! READ IT! This story...it stuck with me.





2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell- Yeaaaa, ok I have more Rainbow to add to this. But Fangirl was so good! Again, so realistic. The characters just felt so real and I wanted to be friends with them. It was a situation I understood so well. Going to college and not knowing anyone but one single person. We've all been there and understand some of Cath's feelings. The only issue I had was my aversion to fan fiction, but I though the story was just so great. I inhaled this book. WHOOOOO RAINBOW ROWELL!







3. The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J Maas (Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire)- Yea, I started this series about a month and a half, maybe two months ago. Yeaaaaaaa I loved it. Kind of took over my reading life a bit. The world she created is awesome and the story line is so intense. And the characters! AH, the characters. So strong, but not like unrealistically strong. They have weaknesses, they have faults, and they deal with a lot of tough things in very real ways. I loved it. And the wait for book 4 may kill me. Seriously, can I have it now? Those last few chapters...so much I have to know.





4. The Young Elites by Marie Lu- Yet again, a book I read and am dying in anticipation for book #2. This book was fantastic. I loved the Legend series, so I wasn't sure exactly how this would look next to that. It was great. Completely different from Legend (minus having chapters told in various character's perspectives). This book was dark. Kind of eerie. And it showed that even those people that have that darkness inside of them can do good. They can overcome the darkness, even when it's difficult. I am so looking forward to seeing what happens next. I did not expect this book to end as it did, and I need more. Please and thank you.




5. Lady Thief (Scarlet #2) by AC Gaughen- Have you ever read a book that made you so upset that you had to slam it shut? And then did you open that book right back up to keep reading about 5 minutes later? Yea, that's what I did with this book (and with the first book). I love this book series. A little cheesy, but so awesome. Gaughen does things that I DO NOT want her to do, but in a good way. It's like she makes me fall in love with these characters and then has them deal with how life can be. And Scarlet. Scarlet is pretty awesome. This is a series more people need to get on with. The 3rd and final book comes out in May, so you can have less of a wait than me.




6. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn- Yes, I did jump on this bandwagon. I'm ok with that. This is not a normal book pick for me. I typically don't like this, and even after reading it I had to make sure to do something happy to make me feel better. So much manipulation, so much pure evil, so much screwing with each other's mind. I honestly HATED all the characters, except for Nick's sister, but I can appreciate that the author can create that. I read this book in 2 days. It sucked me in and I just HAD to know what came next. Worth the read? yes. Will I read it again? Probably not. But it definitely made the top ten for 2014.





7. Where She Went by Gayle Forman- Ok, so this book is the 2nd book to If I Stay. I read that one first and was feeling pretty meh about the mere existence of Where She Went, because I feel like it didn't need a sequel. Man, was I wrong. This book was just as emotional as the first. I was yelling at the characters (yep, I was having a fight with a fictional character). I was sobbing at parts. And I was finding myself really truly relate to these characters who were just trying to sort through their grief. I almost liked this one more than the first one, but you have to read the first one before this (because you would not feel the emotions as much). Gayle Forman, you kill me (in a good way) and I can't wait to read your next book.



8. Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu- Well, well, well....look who showed up on my list again. I started the Legend series last year and finished it in the beginning of 2014, and I loved it. Ending a series can be so tricky. EVERYONE has different expectations and wants, but in the end it's the author who has the last say. I won't give out spoilers (but you should probably read this series so we can talk), but I must say I am happy with the ending. I think it ended giving the reader hope. There were points where it seemed hopeless, but she left us with that hope. I loved it.






9. Conquest by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard- Oh...Jake will be so happy. I was forced to read this book. He kept bugging me and bugging me so I gave in. And I liked it. Typically, not into alien books. This was awesome though. So much action. So much happening. So many characters. A little violent, but not more than I could handle reading about. And this is the first in a series, so there are more to look forward to!







10. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley- I loved this book! So sad that I have been struggling to get the next book. This book follows Flavia de Luce, the most awesome 11 year old (besides Harry Potter OBVIOUSLY), as she tries to solve a mystery. This book kept me guessing and even had me learning a bit. It was a simple, fun read that also challenged me a little bit at the same time. It's definitely a mystery series for people that don't typically read mystery (like myself). And they keep releasing new ones! Plenty to go around!



I have read a lot of good books this year. Honestly, there aren't A TON that I rated really poorly. This list is basically what stood out to me the most this past year. And there is so much I wish I would have gotten my hands on, though this list would have been super hard then. Anything awesome I've missed this year?

I hope to have the chance to write something more later, but if I don't....Merry Christmas! Hope you all enjoy this time of year with family and friends!