Tuesday, December 30, 2014

My Favorite Books of 2014*


 
I made a resolution last January to read more. And I did! I kept my resolution and read double the amount of books that I’d normally read in one year. Being in two book clubs, listening to audiobooks in the car and reading aloud to the kids helped me with my goal. I also spent 3-4 nights a week reading, instead of doing something else (like blogging, hence the dust around here!). Keeping books scattered around the house, near all my sitting areas, also helped.

Today I’m linking up with the Modern Mrs. Darcy to discuss my favorite books from this year. *These are books that I read this year, they were not necessary published this year. I read so many great books, it’s almost impossible to narrow the list down. I decided to go with the standout books – the ones that impacted my life – and the stories that I really enjoyed. These are the books that that I would recommend or give to a friend.

Fiction

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell


 
I conquered this beast of a book during the summer. I had mixed feelings going into it because I had heard mixed reviews and I liked the movie but wasn’t sure how the melodrama would translate in the story. The first quarter of the book was a little slow going for me but once Rhett Butler came on the scene I was completely and totally hooked on the story. Oh, Rhett Butler! Never have I loved and, at the same time, hated a fictional character as much as Mr. Butler. I would recommend this story for its characters alone, but the added bonus is how much I learned about the Southern perspective of the war, the harsh conditions they endured and the shady post-war reconstruction dealings. The ending was gut wrenching, even more so than the pathetic ending scene in the movie. It’s a time investment but well worth it!  


The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion



Hands down, The Rosie Project was my favorite “feel good” story of the year. The sweet but misguided (and super uptight) main character, Don Tillman, finds himself paired with the easy-going but street-wise Rosie in a project to find her real father. At the same time, Don is trying to find his future wife using a series of tests that he’s created. Over the course of the project, they discover a few things about themselves, often with hilarious and sometimes poignant results. The story showed that we don’t always know what’s best for us.


Non-Fiction

Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver



This is the story of how Barbara Kingsolver and her family moved to a farm and lived on locally produced food products for a year. She sprinkles the story with sobering information about our current farm practices and yet keeps us laughing with her stories about life on the farm. This book reads like a good conversation with a witty friend. The highest praise I can give it, though, is that her story was persuasive enough to cause us to change our habits. We started shopping at the local Farmer’s Market, my husband started making his own bread, and now we check labels in the produce section to see how far our apples have traveled. If you eat, you should read this book.
 

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist



Do you notice a trend? I like books about food! This is not a cookbook (although the recipes are a nice perk!). It’s a compilation of stories, from her life, about food, friends and family, and faith, and how they are all connected. I think Shauna Niequist has such a neat writer’s voice. She gently inspires, encourages and makes the reader laugh, all at once. I feel like I could be her friend. I want to be her friend! This is a book to be savored.  



Wherever the River Runs by Kelly Minter



This is Kelly Minter’s story about how God lead her on several missions trip to South America and how it impacted her life. It reads like a travelogue, but inspires as much as some of my favorite Christian classic books. Read at your own risk, the story is so impactful that it might make you want to go on a missions trip!





Favorite Family Read-Aloud Book

Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West by Marguerite Henry



We read a lot of books together. This year we’ve read SO many great stories. I could write a whole another post on the topic. I’ve included this story here because I think this book is worth reading even as an adult. It is based on the true story of an unlikely hero, Annie Bronn. It starts with her early childhood and her struggles with polio, and then goes on to tell how she took on big business and the government to help save the wild mustang horses from being slaughter. Her story kept all of us on the edge of our seats, wondering how it was going to turn out. I think it’s an important story to read to kids because it shows how people can turn struggles into triumphs. It also made me think about how sometimes in life we are given situations that we can’t turn our back on and how we must find the strength to fight for what we believe in. It is truly a great book for all ages.

 
- The Runner-Ups -
These books didn’t make the cut but are worth mentioning….
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (great story but too bizarre for the “best of” list), 
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (a solid love story with a Kleenex-worthy ending), 
Out of the Depths by Edgar Harrell (not as good as Unbroken but equally inspiring), 
Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

My complete 2014 reading list is here.

What books did you enjoy in 2014?