Top 14 books of 2014

Wow, another year has come and gone. I am excited for this next year where many things will happen and I will read so many books, some I will hate and most I will at least like. But today, we are talking about my top 14 books of 2014.
Because some of these books are going to be hard for me to place in my order of absolute favorites, I'm just going to list my favorites through the year in the order which I read them in. I do have a disclaimer that there is still some time left in the year and I may end up finishing another book or two before it ends, so it might change.

2014 in Reading!/2015 Challenges/Goals!

Wow, it's hard to believe it's almost 2015! And it's the time of year for reflection and setting goals and challenges for the following year. I am doing that as well. Especially towards the reading because I would love to spend more of my time reading.
For those of you who are waiting for my top books of the year to come out, that should be coming later in the week, either on New Years Eve or Day if I am not lazy.
Sorry for this intro that is short, but let's looks back on my 2014 reading year and my goals for 2015.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (Review)

Series: Anna and the French Kiss #1
Genre: Contemporary
Book Length: 372 pages
Publication Date: July 16th, 2013 (Original Publication: December 2nd, 2010)
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Format: Paperback

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Synopsis:

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

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12 Days of Christmas Book Tag

Happy holidays everyone! I am here to do the 12 Days of Christmas Book tag. I first saw this on Kassidy Voinche's channel (click here to see said video) and this tag was originally created by LizzieLovesBooks and click here to see her video. My procrastination has kicked in and I am doing a Christmas book tag last minute, and unfortunately at this moment I will not be able to provide much of an example for any of these. I will show the cover and title of these books and hopefully after the holidays pass by I will come back and add explanations for these. Anyway, let's get started.

Say What You Will by Cammie McGoveren (Review)

Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Book Length: 343 pages
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardcover
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Synopsis:

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

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Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King (Review)

Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Book Length: 307 pages
Publication Date: October 14th, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown
Format: Hardcover
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Synopsis:
Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities--but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she's never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person's infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions--and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying: A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women's rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she'll do anything to make sure this one doesn't come to pass.

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The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Review)

Series: Mara Dyer #2
Genre: Paranormal
Book Length: 528 pages
Publication Date: October 23rd, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover 

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Synopsis:

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.
She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.
They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.
She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

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Autumn Falls by Bella Throne (Review)

Series: Autumn Falls #1

Genre: Contemporary, paranormal

Book Length: 224 pages

Publication Date: November 11th, 2014

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Format: Ebook

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Synopsis:

Filled with personal elements from Bella’s own life, AUTUMN FALLS is the first book in Bella Thorne’s new series! It has everything readers will love and relate to: a real girl trying to find her own inner strength and be the best she can be, with a hint of magic and mystery, and a steady stream of OMG-I-can’t-believe-that-just-happened fun.

With her fiery red hair, new-girl outsider status, and tendency to be a total klutz, Autumn Falls definitely isn’t flying below the radar at Aventura High. Luckily, she makes some genuine friends who take her under their wing. But she also manages to get on the wrong side of the school’s queen bee, and then finds out the guy she’s started to like, funny and sweet Sean, hangs with the mean crowd. Now her rep and her potential love life are at stake.

When Autumn vents her feelings in a journal that belonged to her late father, suddenly her wildest wishes start coming true. Is it coincidence? Or can writing in the journal solve all her problems? And if the journal doesn’t work that way,  is there a bigger purpose for it—and for her?

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I want to put out the disclaimer that I am am not bashing Bella at all when it comes to my thoughts and opinions about her first novel. In fact, I applaud her since she is, or had, dyslexia and I am impressed and a little proud that she wrote and sold a novel. So, please take into account that, for everyone and anyone who likes Bella Throne, that I am not personally bashing her and this review is just my thoughts on her first novel.

Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi (Review

Series: Shatter Me #2.5

Genre: Dystopian

Book Length: 62 pages

Publication Date: March 25th, 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: Ebook

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Synopsis:

 As Omega Point prepares to launch an all-out assault on The Reestablishment soldiers stationed in Sector 45, Adam's focus couldn't be further from the upcoming battle. He's reeling from his breakup with Juliette, scared for his best friend's life, and as concerned as ever for his brother James's safety. And just as Adam begins to wonder if this life is really for him, the alarms sound. It's time for war.

On the battlefield, it seems like the odds are in their favor—but taking down Warner, Adam's newly discovered half brother, won't be that easy. The Reestablishment can't tolerate a rebellion, and they'll do anything to crush the resistance . . . including killing everyone Adam has ever cared about.

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Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (Review)

Series: Standalone

Genre: Horror, Graphic novel

Book Length: 308 pages

  Publication Date: July 15th, 2014 (Original Publication: July 1st, 2014)

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Format: Paperback

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Synopsis:

'It came from the woods. Most strange things do.'

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.

These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.

Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there...

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The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton (Review)

Series: Standalone

Genre: Histroical, Magical Realism

Book Length: 301 pages

Publication Date: March 25th, 2014

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Format: Hardback

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Synopsis:

Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird.

In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.

That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo.

First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (review)

 

 Series: Standalone

Genre: Contemporary

Book Length: 359 pages

Publication Date: February 21st 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: Hardback

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Synopsis:

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

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