Here I am back for another top 10. This one will be one of my favorites, seeing what everyone else liked from the year. It's fun to see what everyone else is reading, though again it shows me how I read such different books than many others. I've looked through those who have posted that I follow on Bloglovin' and saw just one person mention one of the books on my list, and saw a LOT of similar books read. I hope that maybe my list will give you all a few books you've never heard of, since I don't read all the normal things that everyone else is. I'm seeing Cress a ton, while looking at posts from others. I did read the series, and it would have been in my top 20, it didn't quite make top 10 for me.

This list is also roughly in order, the first 3 specifically, the others could be mixed up a bit. Having finished my 300th book of the year last night, it wasn't very hard for me to pick. I LOVE to read and I love a lot of what I read. I have gotten really picky about what I REALLY love and am extra critical, so these 10 have been the strong standouts, even though I've probably rated over half of my books 4 stars, or at least a really enjoyable 3 star.

With my list, I only went with books I read for the first time in 2014. I did some re-reads (The Night Circus & Harry Potter) and if I included those, they would take up half of the list. :) I also read a LOT of series, so even though I'm a fan of the series and may have read (and loved) multiple books from that series, I've either included the first one, or my favorite one, which might not be the first (usually is though). Typically with theses lists, I just give the cover, but this time I'm going to give some information, so if you haven't heard of it, then you can know a little about what it's about. So on with ~

Top 10 ~ Books I Read in 2014

1 ~ The Shadow of the Wind ~ the real start of my not paying attention to genres anymore. This literary novel isn't something I'd normally try but I was on a "books about books" kick and gave it a try and OMG did I love it, and it's sequels. A book mystery and I LOVED it so much!! I highly recommend, if you are up for something a little deep and heavy. My Review

2 ~ The Great Zoo of China ~ the opposite of TSotW in every way, this adventure book is all guns blazing and unimaginable creatures. Think Jurassic Park meets Godzilla (of the 90s). I'm a huge fan of Reilly, have read almost everything he's written, this is definitely my favorite of his. If you loved Jurassic Park, you're gonna wanna read this book! My Review


3 ~ Lock In ~ Don't look past this book because of it's description, which reads like it'll be some boring medical thing. It's not, at ALL. It's a mystery tied into the world where many people are "Locked In" to their own bodies and use robot like machines to house their minds, so they are able to still live in the real world. Different and very imaginative, it's definitely worth a read!! My Review

4 ~ Redshirts ~ The first book by Scalzi that I read, this book is a Star Trek spoof. If you are a Trekkie (as I am) you are going to find this book really enjoyable and so funny. I had a hard time muffling my laughs, when I listened to this book at night. Really enjoyable and this book as well as Lock In were made more enjoyable, for me, because I listened to Wil Wheaton narrate. While perhaps not the best narrator, he sure is entertaining!


5 ~ Timebound ~ This year saw me reading a lot of time travel books, which I don't know that I've done before. I enjoyed most of them, but the Timebound series was definitely my favorite. Kate learns she's a time-traveler and she's trained by her grandmother to fix the timeline, which a group of people are changing. Enjoyable story, great characters and a lot of fun to read.

6 ~ 15 Minutes ~ Another time traveling book that I enjoyed. In this one time travel is something you can do like taking a vacation, and Lara decides to go back and save her mother from being mugged when Lara was young. She didn't know everything else that was going on at the time and things end up changing in ways she couldn't imagine and didn't want. She spends her time trying to fix everything and make everything the way it should be. Really enjoyable!


7 ~ Cruel Beauty ~ My favorite cover of the year, I also really liked this lightly Beauty & the Beast retelling. I especially loved the castle and her exploring all of it. So far, I enjoyed the novella of the series and I really can't wait to read more about the world. Beautiful books in many ways!!

8 ~ An Evil Mind ~ this book is the newest from one of my favorite series. If you like reading crazy serial killer books, there isn't much better than the Robert Hunter series by Chris Carter. Carter writes crazy REALLY well and this one was definitely crazy and very enjoyable, if you like those kinds of books (which I do!).


9 ~ Forgotten ~ This was a different and enjoyable book. In it, London only has memories of the future. Everyday her memory is reset, so she doesn't remember any of the days before. She has to leave herself notes so she knows what she wore to school, and what tests are upcoming. It's really different and interesting. A really enjoyable story! My Review

10 ~ Hover Car Racer ~ another Reilly that I didn't get to until now, this book was just a real FEEL GOOD book. It's about young Jason Chaser who is just 15, and his younger brother Bug. They race Hover Cars, and go to a special school for Hover Car racers. I listened to this book on audio and stayed up all night listening to it, because I couldn't turn it off. It was just a great good, good for middle grade and up, as long as you are ok with some mild swearing. A really enjoyable book!


What books are your favorites of the year? Do you read what everyone else is reading, or do you find those unique reads that only you seem to enjoy?