My Top Ten Books of 2014

MY TOP TEN BOOKS

Being a lover of books – as a reader and, of course, as a writer – and with ‘Top Ten’ popping up almost everywhere you look this time of the year, I feel compelled, as I did last year, to share the top ten books I read in 2014. Since this list is of the books I read in 2014, be aware that not all the books were published in 2014. In some cases, the book may be thirty years old. Additionally, some books that are beloved by many may not rate as highly on my list as others may like and that may be due to many factors. Sadly, I may have already been ‘brainwashed’ by more recent books of a similar vein or I read the book around the same time the movie version came out and, having seen some previews for the film, I may have been unintentionally influenced. So, without further ado, here is my list of top ten books I read in 2014 with the one I enjoyed the most at number one.

1.     Waylaid by Ed Lin (Kaya Production, 2002; first published in 2001)

2.     The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2012)

3.     Under The Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury (Wendy Lamb Books, 2008; first published in 1994)

4.     Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (Penguin Young Readers, 2014)

5.     The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2014)

6.     Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (Harper Collins, 2014)

7.     The Living by Matt de la Peña (Delacorte Press, 2013)

8.     The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (Penguin Young Readers, 2012)

9.     Amulet, volume 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi (GRAPHIX, 2008)

10. Monkey King, volume 7: The Expulsion of Sun Wu Kong by Wei Dong Chen and Chao Peng (Illustrations) (JR Comics, 2012)

Honourable Mentions:

The Giver by Lois Lowry (Laurel-Leaf Books, 1994; first published in 1993) and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Tor Books, 2010; first published in 1985).