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Bibliofile - December 2014/Best Reads of 2014


Well, I didn't hit 100 but I sure came close. After reading 7 books in December when all was said and done I'd read 98 books last year. Like the other months last year, December had it's highlights including books by Augusten Burroughs, Rachel Joyce and Stephen King.

In Dry Burroughs, who wrote the biographical Running With Scissors about his dysfunctional upbringing, again returns to his own life in a very humorous look at a very serious subject: addiction.

The Love Song of Miss Queen Hennessy was a simply delightful read about the woman at the centre of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, itself a wonderful page-turner.

And finally, what can one say about Stephen King that hasn't already been said. In Revival King returns to form as an intriguing story teller who lulls you in then hits you with a brick in the face near the end.

Here are the books I read:

Dry -Augusten Burroughs *****
Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones - Paul Trynka ****
Special Deluxe - Neil Young ****
The Love Song of Miss Queen Hennessy - Rachel Joyce *****
Awakening - Ray N. Kuili ***
A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis ****
Revival - Stephen King *****

Now every one and their dog has been talking about their favourite books of the year, so I may as well too.

Keep in mind these may not all be current best sellers. They're just books I read this year. And since I've been reading for the last 12 months I went with my favourite 12 books of the year, although I kind of cheated because one choice is a trilogy and another is two books in a series. But, hey, this is my blog and I can do what I want.

1. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
2. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
3. I Was Dora Suarez - Derek Raymond
4. The Girl Who Saved The King of Sweden - Jonas Jonasson
5. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - Gabrielle Zevin
6. Here Comes The Night - The Dark Soul of Bert Burns
and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues - Joel Selvin
7. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
8. Stoner - John Williams
9. Before I Go To Sleep - S.J. Watson
10. The Divergent Trilogy - Veronica Roth
11. The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell
12. The Rosie Effect/The Rosie Project - Graeme Samson

How about you? What were your faves?



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Comments

Bryan G. Robinson said…
I want to get to The Book Thief and The Girl Who Saved The King of Sweden this year. Among my favorites were Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Yesterday I read High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, which I think you'd like because of the musical references, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, which I think would be your kind of quirky novel.
5 January 2015 at 11:46
nonamedufus said…
You're absolutely right about the Curious Incident... I have read it and, yes, I loved it. Well, Bryan, it's a new year. We better get at it. So many books so little time.
5 January 2015 at 12:25
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