I thought it would be fun to share which books I’ve read this year. I usually write more about the books I have been reading, but I didn’t really do that at all this year. I thought it would be fun to write a little bit about my favorites in this wrap-up post of the books I read this year.
SO, I read 13 books in 2014!!
Goodreads is a website that keeps track of all of your book reading FOR you and what your friends are reading. It is a great site and I’ve used it for several years now. Check out my profile HERE if you want to keep track of what I’m reading. Here are little thumbnails of the books I read this year:
(Also read Building a Framework by Abby Lawson, not pictured here.)
(From top row left to bottom row right)
1. I am a Church Member by Thomas Rainer
I read this book for a bible study, I probably wouldn’t have picked it off a shelf and read it otherwise. I gained a lot from the discussions in our small groups in bible study from this book, but not sure if I would have gathered much from the book alone. One of the most valuable parts of the book to me was to refrain from gossiping or talking about others behind their backs. This is something I have worked on a lot since reading this book and I’ve realized just how evil gossip can be…
My Rating: 3/5 stars
2. Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano
We went on a tour guide of China Town in NYC last summer and our tour guide recommended this book to learn a little more about China Town when immigrants first started moving into the area. It is based off a true story and such a great read… there are definitely some parts in this book that will have you hyperventilating until it works you through the situations.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
3. You are Loved: Embracing the Everlasting Love God has for You by Sally Clarkson
I read this during an online bible study, the authors of it used to be part of a devotional website for women (which has sense changed ownership and I’m not as crazy about the new site).
My Rating: 4/5 stars
4. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in his Presence by Sarah Young
I really think I could have gotten a lot more out of this if I had taken 15 minutes each morning to really read through this and to look up the complimentary verse. I may revisit this book again later and take more time with it as I think I could get a lot more out of it.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
5. Where’d You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple
Oh my goodness… LOVED this book… LOVED. I was really laughing my way through this entire book, it is such a delight!
My Rating: 4/5 stars
6. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
This is another book I would like to read again as it has so much great advice, yet I haven’t had time to act on any of it. If I were to read it again, I would like to jot down notes in a notebook… handwritten notes, of course 🙂 I also loved this book, because Gretchen is a fellow blogger… and, who doesn’t love bloggers turned authors?
My Rating: 4/5 stars
7. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Stephen King was my favorite author in high school, it was like I moved on from Sweet Valley Twins/High in grade school to Stephen King in high school. Is that weird? Well, I haven’t read too much King these days, but when I do it is a real treat! I think I might make it a goal to read at least one King book every year. This book was mind-blowing… I really can’t believe how much detail and thought King puts into each and every LONNG novel he writes, but WOW… just WOW. Totally recommend this one.
My Rating: 5/5 stars
8. Room by Emma Donoghue
Another great book about a mothers love for her son. This book is a little creepy and is told from the child’s viewpoint, SO the writing takes a little to get used to at first. But, oh, did I love this one! It was definitely a book I read quickly and couldn’t put down.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This was another great book that I highly recommend. It is another book that is ‘dark’, but it is such a unique idea for a book and how the characters are entwined makes it such a great read.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
10. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
This book was really interesting with how it describes how Chinatown sweatshop workers were treated… was really even more moving to me to read this after my first visit to Chinatown, too.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
11. Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
This book was written well and with a lot of suspense… the ending was well worth what built up to it. It has been made into a movie and I have yet to see it, but I want to.
My Rating: 5/5 stars
12. Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt
This was a really good read and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending. The boy in this book has severe asthma and parts of it made me uncomfortable as both of my kids have asthma and we have had our own set of scares… so, apart from that… I really enjoyed the book.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
13. Building a Framework by Abby Lawson
I follow Abby’s blog and was really excited when she announced she was coming out with a book to help out fellow bloggers. I learned so much from reading this book and plan to read through it again chapter by chapter, so that I can take notes and apply what I’ve learned.
My Rating: 5/5 stars
This is also something interesting that Goodreads does, it tells you how many books you’ve read this year versus previous years. I’ve been using Goodreads since 2011 and you’ll see in 2012 I read the most books! This is because I set a goal for myself in 2012 to read at least 2 books a month. I haven’t really set a goal for myself since then as I’ve been pretty good about reading. I think if I were to fall under 12 books for the year, then I would maybe try to push myself to read more. I have been reading the first Outlander book for the last 2 months and if it wasn’t so long, I am sure I would have read another 1-2 books this year.
Do you have a favorite book for this year? I’d love to hear what it is! Have you read any of the books I read this year and were any of them your favorites? Isn’t reading great?! I really hope my kids grow up loving to read as much as I do!
