Thursday, July 17, 2014

Top Ten 2014 Books So Far

Time for another mid-year check in point! Hard to believe 2014 is more than half over already.

So many good books this year. I've actually read more adult books this year than I have in the past few years. But I will focus on young adult for this list. You can definitely tell that I've been on a contemporary kick. 7 of the 10 books are contemporary. One of the paranormals feels contemporary most of the time.

Top Ten Young Adult Books of 2014 So Far:


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There is a time and place for hard-hitting, depressing issues novels. And there is a time and place for books that are designed simply to make you happy. Let It Snow is one of those happy books. Three, impeccably written novellas.



Being Sloane Jacobs is a must-read when you're looking for a book that has a strong sense of fun and will also bring a guaranteed smile to your face. It is predictable and unrealistic, but this is the book you read when you want both those qualities. It is well written, with lovable characters, and a heartwarming story.



If you haven't read the Blood of Eden series, you should put down whatever you're reading and pick it up. Julie Kagawa does with vampires what she did with fairies - turn the genre on its head and perfect it. The Forever Song is a good ending to a series I treasure.



Breathe, Annie, Breathe continues Miranda's streak of wonderful novels. You always know what you're going to get in a Hundred Oaks book, but I also always manage to be a little bit surprised. This is a perfect feel-good summer book and also a perfect book for runners.



The Name of the Star is a deliciously dark paranormal. Full of suspense. Ghosts and murders. Plus it's set in London and at a boarding school. What more could you want?



The perfect summer book features the beach and/or a road trip. Since You've Been Gone has elements of both! Plus, self-discovery, friendship, and romance. It's all around delightful.



These Broken Stars is a perfect combination of enchanting writing, intriguing characters, forbidden romance, and a suspenseful plot. The wonderful writing kept me glued to the page, and I loved both Lilac and Tarver.



Eleanor & Park really is a stand-out novel. It hits every note of a teenage romance with all its ups and downs, without feeling melodramatic. Eleanor and Park are characters you come to love and care for, despite their flaws.



Something Real is a hard hitting, realistic look at the downside of fame and at a severely dysfunctional family. And yet it is immensely readable. It manages to be funny, sad, touching, uplifting, and infuriating without feeling maudlin. One of the most compelling contemporary fiction books I've read in a long time.



Read We Were Liars. Don't look up anything about it. Just pick it up. It's a beautiful, heart-breaking book that stays with you long after you finish the last page.

12 comments:

  1. Just added "We were liars" and "The name of the star" to my Amazon wish list ;)

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  2. Only books I haven't read yet are The Name of the Star and Something Real. Definitely on my TBR though. Totally agree about the others, especially Eleanor and Park and We Were Liars! <3

    -Kimi at Geeky Chiquitas

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  3. I have Since You've Been Gone on my shelf just waiting for me to pick it up :) Something Real and We Were Liars is on my wishlist!

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  4. I can't believe I haven't read ANY of these yet! I am definitely going to have to check them out ASAP. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. I just read Cinder and can't wait to get to Scarlet. I've heard it's even better than Cinder and I adored Cinder.

    I want to read Rainbow Rowell's stuff so much. I've heard such good things about it.

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  6. Love this list! Going to beef up my TBR pile now!

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  7. I've managed to avoid spoilers for We Were Liars somehow so I'm excited to get to it. The rest of these are all ones I want to read as well, even though some of them don't even really sound like my kind of read. Of these, I've only read These Broken Stars and I'm basically dying for the companion novel now.

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  8. I have only read 2 books on this list but I do have the rest on mt tbr pile.

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  9. Loved Being Sloane Jacobs! I haven't read most of the other books, but some of them look and sound amazing!

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  10. I'm pretty sure every one of those books is on my TBR list!

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  11. I haven't read most of these but I loved These Broken Stars and We Are Liars.

    I'm having a really good reading year so I'm happy!

    I think my favorite so far is The WInner's Curse.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  12. I really enjoyed We Were Liars. I didn't see that plot twist coming at all! :)

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