Favorite books from 2014

I really liked Sarah's post on this topic and have adopted for myself.


Letting Ana Go by Anonymous
This is a story about a teenage girl's struggle with Anorexia Nervosa. It is her very powerful journal, which starts out as a food journal for class and turns into an obsession. Having struggled with eating disorders myself, I found this to be a novel that lead me to dark places internally, but I do not regret reading it.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
This is one of my favorite novels. I have read it so many times. I love the characters immensely. I think that one of John Green's successes as an author is that he can illustrate the heart and soul of what it truly means to be a young adult without trivializing the experience.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
I attempted to read this novel several times and was successful in 2014. While the books in this series are very dense and long, the characters are fascinating. This novel had me feeling a myriad of emotions. The series is very dark, however. I also read the second novel in the series and started the third, but had to take a break. My goal is to finish the next three books before the seventh come out. (!)
Sway by Kat Spears
Another YAL novel. I guess I can't get enough of them. I was really taken with the main character, Jesse (Sway). He tries to keep himself so emotionally shut off, but events in his life lead him to open up about many of the emotions he has kept shut out. He is very troubled and some might consider him a bad guy. I found him to be good with all the beautiful and ugly flaws that come with humanity.
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Another favorite that I reread for the movie release. I found the novel to still be my favorite of the two mediums, but I think they did a fabulous job with the movie. Once again, John Green covers a troubling issue (this time, cancer) that young adults may deal with honest and beautiful words.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
This novel is set in the 1970's. A daughter goes missing from a family of five. As you read and get closer to resolving the mystery of the missing daughter, many other family secrets are uncovered.
Margot by Jillian Cantor
This is a fiction novel that focuses on Margot Frank, sister of Anne Frank. The novel follows Margot's life after the war, as if she had survived.
Graveminder by Melissa Marr
This is a gothic novel. The main character, Bek, discovers that she has taken over as the town Graveminder. This is a role her now-deceased grandmother held. A role that Bek thought to be just a personality quirk on the part of grandmother. This brought up a lot of interesting points about life and death, good and evil, afterlife, etc.
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
I LOVED this novel. I did not love the movie. I think that the main character, Pat, is illustrated so much better in the novel. I also found his relationships to be so my richer in the novel.
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
I think I have read everything that Jhumpa Lahiri has written and this novel only served to further my belief that she is one of the richest authors of this century. She primarily writes about the experiences of Indians immigrating into the United States. Lahiri has great talent in helping the reader feel what the characters are feeling. It is so easy to get attached.
The Collector by Nora Roberts
I read an awful lot of romance novels. I love them because they are mostly predictable and when I am in a bad place emotionally, they perk me right up. Nora Roberts is one of my favorite romance authors. This novel follows Lila, a professional house-sitter, who witnesses a murder. As I have an equal love for the mystery genre, this novel covers all the right bases to turn a depressed mood into a happier and more relaxed mood.