The best of 2014 in six books, one movie, one plus four podcasts, and three apps
I read many, many books this year, but here are the ones I enjoyed the most, in no particular order:
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. Kept me up way past midnight. Waters is a master.
Caught by Lisa Moore. Delightful detail, smart dialogue and an intriguing plot. Wonderful! #CanLit
Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson. Wow. I will read this novel again. If I had to chose one book for the year, this would be it.
The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. I listened to this on audible.com, as read by Meryl Streep. Simply amazing.
Longbourn, by Jo Baker. I loved this novel about the servant world of Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Extremely well done.
They Left Us Everything, a memoir by Plum Johnson. An often-funny yet moving account of dealing with parents’ “stuff” after their death. I wept! I laughed! #CanLit
Of course, I must also mention movies—well, just one, which I watched three times and will watch three times over again, no doubt. It’s the 2005 release of Pride & Prejudice, staring Kiera Knightly. I love this movie so much I can hardly stand it.
Ok, now for podcasts—but again, I’ll just mention one: Serial. It’s a reality-crime-mystery sort of series, and therefore highly unlikely to capture my interest, so trust me on this. It’s very well done—and extremely compelling.
Yet! How can I not also mention the podcasts that have been my daily bread for years? They include: This American Life, Learn French by Podcast, Book Review by the New York Times, and Writers & Company from CBC Radio.
In addition to my standby apps, I became fond this year of: Duolingo and Anki (for learning languages), and Lyne (a game).
And, as if this weren’t enough, here is another 2014 shortlist:
You might also want to check out my last year’s round-up:
My top 5 fiction titles for 2013: virginal and not
