Challenge: 50 Books discussion

I'm really interested in finding out what was everyone's favorite book for 2014 this far - please name the book, the author, the genre, and maybe a little about the book.

I will go first. I started my book challenge in July so I only have 17 books under my belt and I have two favorites (like so many other things in my life).

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover is a romance - new adult genre book. It's about a girl down on her luck who forms an unlikely bond with the very taken (and sexy) next door neighbor. They share a passion for music and are drawn together because of it. But the feelings they have for each other may just tear them apart. This book had a few good twists and turns. A fun dialogue, great characters, and (although I didn't get it) a small soundtrack of the songs they write together.

Ugly Love - by Colleen Hoover (also a romantic, erotic at times, new adult novel) would be my 1st favorite. There was something so completely raw about this book. There were no outlandish millionaires or unrealistic scenarios. It's a story about a woman looking for work while living with her brother. She quickly finds herself on a roller coaster ride of emotion with her brothers best friend. Whom has made it clear what he needs and nothing more. But his actions tell a different story. She is going to have to break down his walls if they are to be together but does she have the energy? Does he want to be infiltrated? Will they be together in the end?

Okay, so I can't wait to hear your favorites from 2014, don't be shy there is no wrong answer and no judgement.

I have such a hard time deciding on one favorite book, so I will give two books:
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Goodwin's narrative about Lincoln and his cabinet during the Civil War is wonderfully written. She makes the history come alive. She has done her job as a biographer/historian, by whetting my appetite to read more of the Civil War, and her other books.

My other favorite this year Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.

It seems as though with each new book by Sanderson, his writing and world building just get better and better. The Stormlight Archive series is his best by far. Sanderson is so different from the other fantasy writers out there, and IMHO, he is even better than Martin.

I would have to say that The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics has been my favorite book so far this year. The book is the true story of the crew team from Washington State that went on to win the 1936 Olympics. It was a great read because I knew nothing previously about the sport of crew racing and it interwove beautifully not only the history of the sport, but the lives of the boys in the racing shell, and also what was going on in the world at the same time (the depression, pre-WWII and Hitler's Germany). The author did a great job of weaving everything together and by the end of the book, you were on the edge of your seat and cheering for this team of boys, who came from nothing to win.

Lauren wrote: "I would have to say that The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics has been my favorite book so far this year. The book is the t..."

I totally agree with you, Lauren. It's also my favorite from this year. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption was my favorite from 2012 -- I may be stuck in a rut, but both of those WWII-era NF books were outstanding!

If we go by what I've recommended, reread, or bought after reading the GBPL's copy:

Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson. Just gob smacked by how this worked on so many levels. The radish is happy.

It Happened One Wedding by Julie James. Read it for the snappy dialogue and authentic Chicago setting, stay for the luscious romance.

Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan. Everything that is awesome.

What if? : Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe. Still laughing and thinking.

I'd have to choose two as well:

1. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. I only started reading this book because I wanted to read Started Early, Took my Dog and realised it was the fourth in a Jackson Brodie series. I'm glad I did!
This is a mystery more than a thriller. Three unrelated murders take place in the past and they are figured out in the present, all with the backdrop of Jackson Brodie and his life, which is falling to pieces. Atkinson interconnects the characters and plots in a marvellous way and it was a refreshing take on murder/mystery, for me.
I've read the next three and they're written in the same way and I have found a new favourite author.

2. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
Based on Jane Eyre, this is the story of a girl who has to live in the shadow of husband'a ex-wife.
Dare I say I preferred it to Jane Eyre? Maybe not :) but it was on par and I loved it.
I've read a couple of other books by du Maurier too and can't believe what I've been

Oh man, I've read some very divergent books this year and it's be hard to pick just one favorite. However, I think I'd go with Someone Else's Skin: Introducing Detective Inspector Marnie Rome by Sarah Hilary. It was such a twisty, well-written mystery. Very atmospheric. Interest characters. Beautiful writing. What more could you want?

Soo hard to choose so I'll grab a couple from my list.

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier. It was exciting and filled with all my favourite fantastical creatures. I absolutely loved going on the adventure in it.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It really put some perspective on that whole end of the world, what would we do to survive. The whole series has been amazing!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. I honestly didn't expect this. I was sure it was a werewolf novel but nope. The only thing I didn't like was the desperate need for relationships in it, otherwise it was really good.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I didn't think I'd like this one but it was so well done. I don't even think I need to see the movie now because it couldn't compare to the book.

I just read Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan and I loved it. For me it was everything an emotional love story should have. I feel like all the characters were well rounded and the story just flowed. I highly recommend it if you are into the "New Adult" type books - not 50 shades of grey erotica but a Notebook kind of love story.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It's a fun little book for people that miss the 80s. Fiction -- though genre is anyone's guess.

i have no problem at all picking my favourite. when it comes to liking books it seems they fall into two categories .... i either really enjoy them or really admire them. when i find a book that falls into both categories ... well that's a thing of beauty. only a book that falls into both categories ever gets five stars from me. i only gave out five stars once this year and that was to a beautifully written, well-constructed story by Antony Marra called A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. set in Chechnya it describes the hardships and suffering of that country and a group of people who's paths cross in expected ways. sometimes without them even realizing it. only we the readers see how it is all connected .... that constellation of vital phenomena. it is so beautifully written and the story is so intricate and delicate despite it's subject matter.

Ugly Love was good. I think my 2 faves this year were Unbroken and Me Before You. 2 books that everyone should read.

Sooz wrote: "i have no problem at all picking my favourite. when it comes to liking books it seems they fall into two categories .... i either really enjoy them or really admire them. when i find a book that ..."

I totally agree with you, Sooz. Constellation was awesome. All of my friends who have read it agree. It's not an easy read, but it's well worth the time and effort. Great choice!