2014 Reading Year in Review!

JANUARY

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
3. Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover
4. Shadow and Bone (Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo
5. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
6. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
7. Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

FEBRUARY

8. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
9. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
10. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
11. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
12. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
13. Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
14. Private L.A. by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

MARCH

15. Siege and Storm (Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo
16. The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
17. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
18. The Distance Between Us by Kami West
19. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
20. First Love by James Patterson and Emily Raymond
21. Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer
22. Black Horizon by James Patterson

APRIL

23. NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp
24. Panic by Lauren Oliver
25. The Giver by Lois Lowry
26. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
27. Tempting Fate by Jane Green
28. The King (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #12) by J.R. Ward

MAY

29. The Target by David Baldacci
30. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
31. The Collector by Nora Roberts
32. Everything to Lose by Andrew Gross
33. Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
34. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
35. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
36. Unlucky 13 (The Women’s Murder Club) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
37. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
38. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
39. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

JUNE

40. Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
41. The Immortal Rules (The Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa
42. A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey
43. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
44. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Illustrated by Dave McKean
45. Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

JULY

46. Invisible by James Patterson and David Ellis
47. That Night by Chevy Stevens
48. Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
49. Ruin and Rising (The Grisha Trilogy #3) by Leigh Bardugo
50. If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman
51. Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman
52. Cop Town by Karin Slaughter
53. The Sweet Spot by Stephanie Evanovich

AUGUST

54. The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket
55. The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2) by Lemony Snicket
56. The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass
57. The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass
58. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass
59. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
60. Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
61. The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3)  by Lemony Snicket
62. The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4) by Lemony Snicket
63. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay
64. The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) by Lemony Snicket
65. The Merciless (The Merciless #1) by Danielle Vega
66. One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
67. The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events #6) by Lemony Snicket

SEPTEMBER

68. Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
69. The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicles #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
70. Private Down Under (Private #6) by James Patterson and Michael White
71. Murder 101 by Faye Kellerman
72. The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner

OCTOBER

73. Obsidian (A Lux Novel #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
74. Onyx (A Lux Novel #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
75. House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus #4) by Rick Riordan
76. The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan
77. 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
78. Crave The Night (Midnight Breed #12) by Lara Adrian

NOVEMBER

79. The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken
80. Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3) by Stephanie Perkins
81. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) by Ransom Riggs

DECEMBER

82. The Escape (John Puller #3) by David Baldacci
83. The Prince (The Selection #0.5) by Kiera Cass
84. The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkin
85. Private: India (Private #8) by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi
86. The Guard (The Selection #2.5) by Kiera Cass
87. The Job (Fox and O’Hare #3) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
88. The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel (Outlander #1.5) by Diana Gabaldon and Illustrated by Hoang Nguyen
89. Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
90. Burn (Michael Bennett #7) by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
91. Shopaholic to the Stars (Shopaholic #7) by Sophie Kinsella

No. 22 for 2014

Title: Black Horizon
Author:  James Grippando
Rating: 4/5
Book: 22/50
Pages: 389 pgs
Total Pages: 8,493/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 21
Version: Book
Next up: NYPD Red by James Patterson and Marshall Karp

Grippando is an author that I have always enjoyed reading and I always look forward to his new books.

That being said, there was something lacking about this book. While it was still good and full of everything I enjoy about a Swyteck book, this one felt a little forced. There were parts that dragged little bit and the ending was too rushed. Everything was wrapped up with a bow in the last 15 pages or so. Still doesn’t discourage me from continuing on with the series.

About the Book:

Three summers after the Deepwater catastrophe-the biggest man-made environmental disaster in history-oil is again spewing into the ocean, from a drilling explosion in Cuban waters just 50 miles away from the Florida Keys. The situation is politically complex, involving a state-run consortium tied to the Venezuelan, Chinese, and Russian governments, and highly volatile. The Cubans not only refuse offers of American assistance, but threaten to fire on “hostile” U.S. vessels that enter their waters.

Attorney Jack Swyteck and his new wife, Andie, an operative for the CIA, are honeymooning in the Keys when Andie is called away on an undercover assignment. Jack, too, is soon back at work-representing a client whose husband was on the rig. Though the spill occurred in foreign territory, the widow wants Jack to file a wrongful death suit in U.S. court. Pursuing the unimaginably complicated case plunges Jack into a dangerous world filled with treacherous twists that lead him to a shocking realization . . . his case and Andie’s assignment may be lethally connected.

No. 21 for 2014

Title: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3)
Author:  Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5/5
Book: 21/50
Pages: 550 pgs
Total Pages: 8,104/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 20
Version: Book
Next up: Black Horizon by James Grippando

This series gets better and better with every book. It has been my general consensus with other series that the first book is the strongest in the series and the subsequent books decline in quality. This is so not the case for these books. I could not put this book down at all. I generally do not flip ahead to pre-read some pages in books but this book was so intense that I found myself sneaking a peek at pages because I couldn’t handle not knowing the result.

If you haven’t checked this series out and you love a good sci-fi/fantasy/fairy tale re-telling (but not really a fairy tale re-telling), you definitely have to check these books out!

About the Book:

Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

No. 20 for 2014

Title: First Love
Author:  James Patterson and Emily Raymond
Rating: 4/5
Book: 20/50
Pages: 260 pgs
Total Pages: 7,554/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 19
Version: Book
Next up: Cress by Marissa Meyer

I really enjoyed this book as predictable as it was. I really enjoyed reading Axi’s and Robinson’s story and getting to know their characters. I had the ending pegged about eighteen pages into the book but it was still an enjoyable read.

I think this book is similar (but different) than The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. TFiOS is definitely a much better read but for those who enjoyed TFiOS, you should check this one out.

About the Book:

Axi Moore is a “good girl”: She studies hard, stays out of the spotlight, and doesn’t tell anyone how all she really wants is to run away from it all. The only person she can tell is her best friend, Robinson–who she also happens to be madly in love with.When Axi spontaneously invites Robinson to come with her on an impulsive cross-country road trip, she breaks the rules for the first time in her life. But the adventure quickly turns from carefree to out of control after the teens find themselves on the run from the police. And when Robinson suddenly collapses, Axi has to face the truth that this trip might be his last.

No. 19 for 2014

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Author:  James Green and David Levithan
Rating: 3/5
Book: 19/50
Pages: 306 pgs
Total Pages: 7,294/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 18/18
Version: Book
Next up: First Love by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

This book was pretty good. Funny in spots but it wasn’t my favourite  John Green book. There’s no surprise that my favourite Will Grayson was Green’s version. Levithan’s writing style took me a little while to get used too with his use of the lower case letters but overall, this book was good. Definitely worth the read.

About the Book:

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

No. 18 for 2014

Title: The Distance Between us
Author:  Kasie West
Rating: 3/5
Book: 18/50
Pages: 312 pgs
Total Pages: 6,988/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 17/18
Version: Book
Next up: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leviathan

This book was okay. The story was enjoyable enough but the main character, Cayman, got a little annoying and whiny at times. I enjoyed Xander and I wished that we got to know him a bit better.

This was a fast read and somewhat enjoyable but I’m not sure if I’m going to check out any other books by this author. I didn’t <i>love</i> this book enough to.

About the Book:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

No. 17 for 2014

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Rating: 4/5
Book: 17/50
Pages: 374 pgs
Total Pages: 6,676/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 16/18
Version: Book
Next up: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

This was a great book with a great premise and I’m looking forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy. I loved Peregrine and Aria and I loved their dynamic. The two main characters didn’t like each other at first, which is refreshing over all of the insta-romances that are plaguing books these days. Though, when it was obvious that they were starting to have feelings for each other, I found myself wanting them to just kiss already.

I would definitely recommend this book!

About the Book:

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland — known as The Death Shop — are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent energy storms will. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild — a savage — and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must come together to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

No. 16 for 2014

Title: The Chase
Author: Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Rating: 3/5
Book: 16/50
Pages: 303 pgs
Total Pages: 6,302/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 15/18
Version: Book
Next up: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

This book was okay. I wasn’t sold on the first book in the series and this book wasn’t a strong follow up. I’m interested enough to keep reading the series but it’s not something I’d be dying to get my hands on come release day.

What the book does have going for it is the witty banter between Kate and Nick. I did enjoy that immensely.

About the Book:

 Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals. Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills f their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad. A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.

No. 15 for 2014

Title: Siege and Storm (Grisha #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Rating: 5/5
Book: 15/50
Pages: 432 pgs
Total Pages: 5,999/15,000 pages
Library Book?: Yes
No. of Library Books read: 14/18
Version: Book
Next up: The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

I have nothing but good things to say about this book! I love the characters, especially the Darkling. I love the plot and I love the world building in this book as well as the first. I absolutely cannot wait for the third book!!

The only thing that I have to say is that Mal is getting on my nerves. It’s obvious that Mal is jealous of Alina’s power but towards the end of the book, he just seemed whiny to me.

To everyone who is looking for a great fantasy series, I definitely recommend Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm!

About the Book:

Darkness never dies.Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.