Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far This Year.
I tried to limit the list to books that came out in 2014, but that meant leaving out several books published in 2013 that I didn’t get around to reading until 2014. And at least three of those absolutely had to be in my top ten. So… I added the 2013 books at the end – not because they aren’t as good or even better than some of my 2014 picks, but because they’re older. Here, therefore, is my list of the Fifteen best books I’ve read so far in 2014.
I was surprized to realize that the only two books to which I gave 5 stars are both MG. I tend to be a bit chary with the 5-star ratings, saving them for books that are really amazing. Well, these two are! A 4-star review from me is very good; it means I loved or really liked the book.
Cover links take you to Goodreads. Title links take you to my review.
Books published in 2014:
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy (Karen Foxlee) – MG fantasy (review)
Four Stars:
The Time Tutor by Bee Ridgeway – Time-travel fantasy (review)
(prequel to The River of No Return)
The Beekeeper’s Ball (Bella Vista #2) by Susan Wiggs – Fiction/romance (forthcoming)
Dreamweaver Trail (Eternity Springs #8) by Emily March – Contemporary romance (review)
Shadow Spell (Cousins O’Dwyer #2) by Nora Roberts – Paranormal romance (review to come)
The Corpse with the Emerald Thumb (Cait Morgan #3) by Cathy Ace – Mystery (review)
The Late Scholar (Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane) by Jill Paton Walsh – Mystery (forthcoming)
A Roux of Revenge (Soup Lover’s Mystery #3) by Connie Archer – Cozy Mystery (review)
River Road by Jayne Ann Krentz – Romantic Suspense (review)
Books published in 2013 but read in 2014:
Four and a half stars:
Codex Born (Magic Ex Libris #2) by Jim Hines – Fantasy (review)
Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer – SF/Fantasy (review)
Shadows by Robin McKinley – Fantasy (review)
Four stars:
Dark Witch (Cousins O’Dwyer #1) by Nora Roberts – Paranormal romance (review)
Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School the 2nd) by Gail Carriger – YA Steampunk (review)
Anna (herding cats-burning soup)
Oh I LOVE JAK! I’ve got to get that one soon.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
It was good! A return to her non-paranormal roots. Though I hope she finishes the Dark Legacy series that started with Copper Beach.
Jan @ Notes from a Readerholic
You have some great books on your list, Lark. Many of them I haven’t read, but several are on my list to buy and/or read.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I hope you enjoy them when you get to them! Thanks for coming by, Jan!
Lianne @ caffeinatedlife.net
The Late Scholar looks intriguing, will definitely keep an eye out for it 🙂 I have The Time Tutor sitting on my eReader–is it best to read it before or after The River of No Return (which is also sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read)?
Great list! My TTT
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Re The Time Tutor – definitely after. I think The River of No Return does a better job of explaining the Guild and the Ofan (the two organizations involved in time travel) as well as how time travel works. But The Time Tutor is a fascinating look into the origins of one of the secondary characters and the workings of the Guild and Ofan.
Cheryl
My daughter is reading A Snicker of Magic right now. I loved Scarlet. I just looked up The Late Scholar. It sounds wonderful.
Thanks for visiting The Book Connection.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Snicker is amazing — seriously, you should read it too. How the author plays with words and the whole concept of words… It’s a magical little book. The Late Scholar is very good but it’s always hard to measure up to Dorothy Sayers!
abibliophilesstyle
Ah, Shadows almost made my Top Ten – it was #11. I’m off to read your review! My TTT:
http://abibliophilesstyle.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/ttt-top-ten-books-this-year-so-far/
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Glad you liked Shadows! I’ll check out your TTT. 🙂 Thanks for coming by!
abibliophilesstyle
Of course! This is a lovely blog! It’s always great to find another homeschool mom. 🙂
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I’m glad you like the bog! And yes, it’s good to meet another homeschool mom. Even though my homeschooler has graduated and is off at college (well, she’s home for the summer, but you get the idea), it’s still and always will be part of who I am.
abibliophilesstyle
I understand what you mean. My mom homeschooled me and my younger siblings. My youngest brother graduated 10 years ago, but it’s still very much a part of my mom’s identity.
We just wrapped up our 4th year of homeschooling. My kids will be in 1st and 4th grades in the fall.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
That’s great! I didn’t homeschool at that age – we started when our daughter was in 8th grade, for a number of reasons. But I taught in a small private school for about 6 years, and loved working with my elementary-school kids. (English, for 3rd through 8th graders at first. Later I taught some high school English and drama – also fun, but I missed the younger ones.) I still get to work with kids now, through the choruses I direct, one for K-6th grade and one for 7th-12th. It’s such a joy!
abibliophilesstyle
Oh, how fun! I was in various choirs all through school (2 were all homeschoolers, the 3rd was a city-wide show choir). My son, almost 9, is part of the children’s worship team at our church. 🙂
brocsbookcase.com
I have had Scarlett and all of the rest of the Lunar chronicles books for AGES but still haven’t gotten round to reading them! Oh dear. I haven’t actually heard of any of the other books but some of them look quite interesting. I love a good fantasy 🙂
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
I know – I had to put Cress aside for some review books, and I want to get back to it but other things keep getting in the way! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you’ll check back in periodically — I love a good fantasy, too!
Katherine P
Great list! I forgot about Ophelia and the Magical Boy but I loved that one! The Beekeeper’s Ball will be being read next. I’ve got so many of these waiting on me that now I don’t know where to start!
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
You’ll probably be fine with any of them! 🙂
Anya @ On Starships and Dragonwings
Yey Codex Born, so much love! Oo intriguing, I have a Snicker of Magic and wasn’t sure about it, but since you adored it and I’ve been wanting to try magical realism…
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
A Snicker of Magic is a really wonderful book, and because it’s MG, it doesn’t take long to read (but don’t race through – slow down and savor what the author does with words.) Thanks for stopping by, and sorry it took me so long to reply!