Best Books I Read in 2014

The year isn't quite over but I felt inspired to make a list of the best books I read in 2014. I read some incredible books this year and narrowing it down was almost impossible. Here goes!

No One Else Can Have You - Kathleen Hale. Ms. Hale has come under fire as of late for some questionable activities. I think we can all agree that stalking reviewers is bad. I am not at all condoning the behavior. Moving on. The book is fantastic. I think about it often and I read it almost a year ago. Give me an unreliable narrator, a grisly murder, a sweet love story between two misfits, and town full of zany characters and you have given me my heart’s desire. This book is not for everyone. Some people absolutely hated it. But I loved it and I’m quite looking forward to the sequel.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown – Holly Black. You might be thinking, not another vampire book, but just hold up a sec. It’s violent and dark and so so good. Imagine a world where vampires have been discovered and banished to a “coldtown,” a fenced in city where all vampires and those infected are sent. Outsiders can watch the happenings in the coldtowns via the internet. So it’s reality tv cranked up a notch. Intrigued yet? You should be.

We Were Liars – E. Lockhart. Unreliable narrator? Check. One really screwed up family? Check. A gigantic plot twist? Check. It’s not the most uplifting book I’ve ever read but this book set the YA world on fire this year and for good reason.

Landline – Rainbow Rowell. I am a gigantic Rainbow fan. A fangirl even. (Ha.) This woman is talented. Landline is her first adult fiction since Attachments (which I also loved to pieces). So often, books and stories stop on the wedding day. This book examines the marriage of a stay-at-home dad and a working mom. Mom has a successful career on the edge of becoming hugely successful and the toll it takes on their marriage. A magical old rotary phone (it works, trust me) gives them another chance at love and it is beautiful. It’s both a heartbreaking story and an uplifting one. Read it right now.

The Diviners – Libba Bray. I loved everything about this book. It’s set in the 1920s and it’s full of flappers and speak easies and jazz. And it’s TERRIFYING. I cannot wait for the second one.

Me Before You – Jojo Moyes. Cry cry cry cry. That was me reading this book. It’s a beautiful and sad story about a quadriplegic and his caregiver. I’m about to cry just thinking about it. Yup. Wiping away tears now.

So there you have it. These books weren’t all released in 2014. Most of them came out in 2013 but I’m usually behind on new releases. All of these books have staying power. They all stayed with me for days (or weeks or months!) and I like that in a book. They don’t all have conventional happy endings but I don’t mind that a bit. All of them have complicated characters and very real conflict. Happy reading!