Unveiled! 2014 Reading

Hi. I love to read. Maybe you do too. This is a list of all the books I read in 2014 (you can also see the books I read in 2013 and 2012). I was surprised to see that I didn't read quite as many as usual in 2014. Maybe I'm finally learning that I have to just say no to picking up a book sometimes, because once I'm in the middle of it, all I want to do is read!

Anyway, this year my reading was very heavy on adolescent literature. That's my specialty and I completely love it. For this list I included all of the books that I picked up just to read by myself, but not the many children's chapter books that I just read with my kids. Also, when I was a freshman in college, I decided that I was going to read all of the books that have won a Newbery award. Although over the years I've sporadically made progress with that goal, I finally decided to put a higher priority on Newbery books so this year I broke them out into their own separate category.

Without further ado . . .

Oh wait. You wanted the list, not another slightly fuzzy picture of an incredibly adorable baby who loves to sit down and leaf through a book like he's a big kid. This is a fairly new thing for him, but it's definitely a thing. Anyway, the list . . .


Fiction

• The Story of Beautiful Girl, by Rachel Simon (This might be the best book I read all year!)
• The Silver Star, by Jeannette Walls (Fabulous book! I love her writing.)
• And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini (This book is beautifully written and incredibly moving . . . and you should only read it if you're okay with getting sad.)
• The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway (Excellent read! I loved it.)
• Atlantia, by Ally Condie (YA lit; this is a stand-alone novel, not part of a series, which is refreshing. I really like Ally Condie a lot and this book has such a fascinating premise.)
• Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See (I was glad I read this one but it wasn't a favorite. It's not for everyone. Thinking back, I'm not sure if it's for me.)
• Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein (YA lit; it took a while for me to get into this one, but once I did I found it very compelling. It was actually very cool to learn more about British intelligence during WWII and women serving as pilots!)
• Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell (YA lit; this book has a lot going for it. I liked a lot about it. But I don't think I can recommend it because of language and sexuality.)
• Under the Egg, by Laura Marx Fitzgerald (YA lit; I completely loved this one!)
• Fly Away, by Patricia MacLachlan (Children's lit; very nice and well written but not a stand out for me---maybe just because I read so many other great ones.)
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, by Chris Grabenstein (YA lit; this one was fun!)
• From Norvelt to Nowhere, by Jack Gantos (YA lit; this is a sequel to another book I read in the Newbery section. It's not as amazing as the first one, but if you like the first one you will really enjoy this one!)
• Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Farm, by Betty MacDonald (Children's lit; a classic---you can't go wrong with Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.)
• The Only Ones, by Aaron Starmer (YA lit; hmm. I think this book has a TON of potential. The plot is really unique and fascinating. But in many parts I didn't think the writing was very great, and I actually ended up really sad by some of the main plot points, in a way that didn't feel worth it.)
• When Did You See Her Last?, by Lemony Snicket (YA lit; so quirky and fun to read. Lemony Snicket doesn't disappoint. This is the second of a four-part YA series; billed as a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events.)
• 13 Suspicious Incidents, by Lemony Snicket (YA lit; this book isn't exactly part of the series, but it's about the same kid and is related to the other books. Lemony Snicket is crazy but I can't get enough.)

Nonfiction

• Riding the Bus With My Sister, by Rachel Simon (After I read The Story of Beautiful Girl, mentioned above, I couldn't resist this one. It's totally different since it's nonfiction about the author's life, but I enjoyed it.)
• Coming Clean, by Kimberly Rae Miller (Oh my goodness. This book about hoarding was absolutely disgusting and interesting. I loved it! And as soon as I finished, I stood up and cleared away several random piles that had accumulated around the house.)
• The Nazi Hunters, by Neal Bascomb (Liked this one a lot.)
• Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific 90 Days, by Judith Viorst (This was a random pick, and parts of it got slow, but it was enjoyable. I never knew that her famous book was actually based on her real life! And I discovered that she has recently published some awesome children's books about a girl named Lulu. Look them up and enjoy.)
• Stolen Innocence, by Elissa Wall (Liked this one a lot.)
• Waiting to Be Heard, by Amanda Knox (Oh man. What an awful experience. I was fascinated by it. I started out extremely skeptical about this girl and by the end, I totally believed her. I don't necessarily think I would like her, but I believe her. Dave couldn't get through this one though, even though I thought he would be interested by the Italian legal system.)
• The Guinea Pig Diaries, by AJ Jacobs (A very enjoyable read. It won't change your life, but he's funny and it gave me some interesting things to think about.)
• The Power of Everyday Missionaries, by Clayton M. Christensen (Really fabulous book! If you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I can't recommend it enough. If you aren't, go check out that link and we'll talk.)
• A Soul So Rebellious, by Mary Frances Sturlaugson (A random book that I picked up for free in the church foyer one day, mostly because the cover was amusing; the writing isn't amazing but I was really impressed by this woman's conversion story.)

Newbery Winners
I listed these roughly in the order of how much I liked them. Some of the older ones are harder for me to love. All of them were worth reading though.

• Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos (Hilarious! And yet deep.)
• Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool (I really loved this one.)
• The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate (Excellent!)
• The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong (Definitely my favorite of the "older" Newbery books! It's a great story and I love the writing.)
• The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Hmm. The writing here is incredible. I'm not sure if you should read it though. Parts of it are very dark.)
• Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson (Really a wonderful story.)
• Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold (I liked this one. It's sad to me though.)
• Invincible Louisa, by Cornelia Meigs (Interesting to learn more about Louisa May Alcott.)
• Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer (I liked it but wouldn't read it again.) 
• Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson (I liked it but wouldn't read it again. But it did make me want to be kind to animals.) 
• Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski (I wasn't super into this one.)

Series

I love Elizabeth Enright! She wrote Thimble Summer and Gone-Away Lake (and its sequel). I used to read Gone-Away Lake every single summer because I love it just that much. Enright is just brilliant. I've never read another author who can capture the magic of childhood and of summertime as well as she does. Imagine my AMAZEMENT when I realized that my favorite author has a series that I've never read! I truly can't believe that I never thought to look for more. There are actually four books in this series but I haven't been able to read the fourth one yet. I just highly recommend them.

• The Saturdays, by Elizabeth Enright
• The Four-Story Mistake, by Elizabeth Enright
• Then There Were Five, by Elizabeth Enright

I started this series about Maisie Dobbs in 2013 and finished it up in 2014. I really enjoyed it! The first one was a little slow to get into, but after I got in the groove I thought it was great. I will say that I was disappointed the series was done, though. If you like detective novels, give these a shot. I've been especially interested in everything I've learned about World War I and its psychological aftermath.

• An Incomplete Revenge, by Jacqueline Winspear
• The Mapping of Love and Death, by Jacqueline Winspear
• A Lesson in Secrets, by Jacqueline Winspear
• Leaving Those Most Loved, by Jacqueline Winspear