(Note: I rather stupidly put ‘2015’ throughout this blog, presumably because my mind was so worried about calling ‘2015’ ‘2014’, I actually got it the other way around… I changed everything but the picture, so let that be a big reminder that I am silly!) I don’t know about you guys, but I love year reviews! Whether that’s the ‘Top 10 news stories of the year’, or even the ‘100 stupidest words that were used in 2014’, I love a nostalgic look back at the year. As this is the year I fell back in love with reading after finishing my degree (yay!) I figured the best review I could do is the 10 best books I read this year! Granted, not many of these books were actually released in 2014, but I read them and loved them. If you click on the links below, it will take you directly to the Amazon page for the book so you can purchase them right now. Which you should.
So! In no particular order:
1.Anna and the French Kiss (and Lola and the Boy Next Door & Isla and the Happily Ever After) As a series it makes sense to put the three of them together (& it means more room for other books!). I can’t believe it took me so long to read these and now they’re finished I am desperate for more! Really great young adult books, with humour and passion and page-turning compulsion!
2.Ketchup Clouds Sometimes a book will haunt you long after you put it down for the night, and this is one of those. It’s honest and raw and more than a little heartbreaking but it is absolutely worth the read.
3. The Shock of the Fall This isn’t the kind of book I would choose to read outside of the bookclub I joined this year, but I am so glad it was brought into my life. It’s quite similar in tone to Ketchup Clouds, somehow and so I would recommend reading something different between them, but this is a very deep, quite emotional read.
4. Me Before You Another bookclub read that I would recommend to anyone. It’s a story of a disabled man and a clumsy carer, but it doesn’t follow the way that you would expect and it will make you rethink your opinions on a lot of topics.
5. The Skeleton Cupboard The only non-fiction book on the list, this book will make you feel emotions that you didn’t think could even exist.
6.Tuesdays with Morrie Such a beautiful, heart-wrenching book that will fill your Kindle with clipped quotes to help you remember how to live.
7. Eleanor and Park Another book that I wish I’d read sooner. The Feels!!! Not since John Green has a YA book hit me this hard.
8. Thirteen Reasons Why The narrator of this book is so real-feeling that her pain is your pain too and that’s a little hard to handle at times, but it really is a good tear-jerker.
9. It’s Kind of a Funny Story This is the first book I read after 3 years of academic reading and it made me fall in love all over again. So different to the film, a really honest and realistic portrayal of depression and mental illness. Somehow quite cathartic to read.
10. How they Met and Other Stories For a quick, easy read, this collection of various love stories is great. Sometimes a little repetitive in theme, but the rollercoaster of emotions will make the whole thing worth it.
It’s clear to say that this has been a year of reading Young Adult Fiction and a year of loving it. Weirdly, the YA genre seems more mature to me than a lot of chick-lit has become, with predictable storylines and nothing more than sexual attraction and domestic duties. I’m hoping to take part in the Goodreads Reading Challenge this year, (would you believe that I only properly discovered Good Reads this year?!) so feel free to connect with me: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21253712-codie-austin It’s going to be another great year for books!
Check out my other book reviews here