The end of year top 5 books of 2014

[Margot]

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Us by David Nicholls
Family Secrets Liz Byrski
A Fort of Nine Towers My Family in Wartime by Qais Akbar Omar
The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt

[Liam || Books 'n Beards]

In no particular order

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding

[Kathryn]

OK, my top 5 for the year so far are:

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen by Paul Torday

And I'm loving looking through everyone else's lists!

[Andrea]

I didn't think my list would change that much from what I picked at mid-year, but there has been a little movement:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (probably to be joined very soon by Bring Up the Bodies which I am enjoying enormously right now), and
Us by David Nicholls

Fascinating to see 4/5 female authors here!

I think I'm going to borrow Kathryn's idea and set myself a personal challenge for 2015 based on books in this thread - there are quite a few already on my TBR.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Great idea Andrea:)

[Kathryn]

Andrea wrote: "I didn't think my list would change that much from what I picked at mid-year, but there has been a little movement:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
..."

Yes, I got some good reads out of it this year, and am already ear-marking possibilities for next year!! Hope you enjoy, Andrea!

[Rachael]

Like a lot of others - hard to decide but ... in no particular order
The Amber Fury
Me Before You
A Man Called Ove
Big Little Lies
The Yellow Papers

I have The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry on my TBR and it is on 3 lists that I can see (Carolyn, Julie and Nicola) so I think that is a good multi-friend recommendation!

[Sarah]

I saw a couple of people talking about the Sand omnibus. I loved Sand! He wrote one short story afterwards that I know of. There's another guy named Michael Bunker who is writing a series of short stories set in that universe. The first is called Dunes over Danvar. I haven't read it yet but he's writing then with Howey's permission.

[Sarah]

I was a bit overzealous with the five star ratings this year so I decided to go with the first five that came to mind and then let it stew. I only made one change.

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
The City by Dean Koontz
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Fuzzy Nation and The Sparrow were so wonderful that I will reread them very frequently. And finally, I have to add the two books that I read this year that I really wish I had never read...

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Sadly, some books just can't be unread.

[Jessica]

Here are five of my favourites from the year. There's probably a few more, but this is mostly from memory... Also, the first two are my very favourites. :)

The People Smuggler: The True Story Of Ali Al Jenabi, The 'Oskar Schindler Of Asia'

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

The Hiding Place

Ruth and Boaz: Strangers in the Land

The Book Thief

Has anybody else read and enjoyed these?

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I've only read The Book Thief from your list Jessica, and absolutely loved it!

[Sarah]

The Book Thief was unbelievably amazing. I started Unbroken and could tell it was going to be a touching story... so ironically I decided to wait for the movie. Which is completely backwards to my journal behavior! Angelina Jolie always does an excellent job of telling a story so I decided to wait. I loved the way it was narrated.

[Sarah]

Normal, not journal. Autocorrect.

[Meg]

in no particular order and after many changes of mind...
The Signature of All Things
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Goldfinch
Life After Life
The Light Between Oceans

[Sarah]

Life After Life was SO fascinating!

[Odette]

My top 5 in no particular order are:

1. Ember Island by Kimberley Freeman
2. Tears of the Moon by Di Morrissey
3. A Dangerous Inheritance: A Novel of Tudor Rivals and the Secret of the Tower by Alison Weir
4. The Detective's Daughter by Lesley Thomson
5. Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas

[Sarah]

I loved the Alison Weir novel about Lady Jane Grey. I didn't know about A Dangerous Inheritance. I really do need to read that. Weir is amazing.

[Trevor]

After much though, my top five books for 2014 are:


1) Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas
2) Something Like Summer by Jay Bell
3) The Confidential Agent by Graham Greene
4) Breath by Tim Winton
5) Wonderboy by Tom Conyers

[Trevor]

Odette wrote: "My top 5 in no particular order are:

1. Ember Island by Kimberley Freeman
2. Tears of the Moon by Di Morrissey
3. [book:A Dangerou..."

I only gave 5 stars to 3 books this year and Barracuda was one of them, I loved it from start to finish.

[Lynxie]

Trevor wrote: "After much though, my top five books for 2014 are:


1) Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas
2) Something Like Summer by Jay Bell
3) [book:..."

Breath is on my list for next year Trevor, glad you rated it so highly, I am sure to enjoy it!

[Odette]

Sarah wrote: "I loved the Alison Weir novel about Lady Jane Grey. I didn't know about A Dangerous Inheritance. I really do need to read that. Weir is amazing."


I have read both Innocent Traitor and A Dangerous Inheritance.
A Dangerous Inheritance: A Novel of Tudor Rivals and the Secret of the Tower is a story told in parallel (100 years apart) about Katherine Grey, the sister of Jane Grey and Katherine Plantagnenet, a daughter of Richard III.
Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World is next on the list of Alison Weir novels to read.

[Odette]

Trevor wrote: "Odette wrote: "My top 5 in no particular order are:

1. Ember Island by Kimberley Freeman
2. Tears of the Moon by Di Morrissey
3. [..."

Barracuda is one of my most memorable books from this year.
I read Cloudstreet a few years ago and want to read more of Tim Winton's books. It is a decision between Breath and Eyrie - not sure which one.

[Trevor]

Odette wrote: "Trevor wrote: "Odette wrote: "My top 5 in no particular order are:

1. Ember Island by Kimberley Freeman
2. Tears of the Moon by [author:Di Morrisse..."

I read Breath this year and loved it.

[Heather]

I had quite a few 5 ★ this year.
But the ones I know I talked about or stuck in my head were:

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre
Love Me to Death by Allison Brennan
Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye
White Bones by Graham Masterson

[Mell]

My favourite books of the year were:

A Beautiful Forever by Lilliana Anderson
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
A Beautiful Star by Lilliana Anderson

[Christy]

My top 5 of 2015 are.......

1. The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys

2. The Seduction of Water by Carol Goodman

3. The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

4. Time Will Tell by Fiona McCallum

5. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

AND just because I LOVED this book I have to add one more in Sideways by Rex Pickett

Looks like we all had a great year of reading and here's to 2015!!

[Sarah]

I love Sarah Addison Allen.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Some really excellent reads across the board from everyone! Looking forward to even better from 2015:)

[[deleted user]]

Saree by Su Dharmapala
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Deeper Water by Jessie Cole

I would also suggest reading the non-fiction book Hard Drive: A Family's Fight Against Three Countries - this is a tragic real life story

[Visible]

My top reads for 2014 were
Terry Pratchett - Raising Steam (Discworld, #40)
Ben Aaronovitch - Rivers of London (Peter Grant, #1)
Benedict Jacka - Hidden (Alex Verus, #5)
Geoffrey McGeachin - St Kilda Blues (Charlie Berlin, #3)
Jim Butcher - Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15)

And one extra as as I was weighing up between this and Skin Game and it was an impossible choice; Richard Kadrey - The Getaway God (Sandman Slim, #6)

[Jenn]

My top 5 for 2014, in no particular order

1. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

2. Already Dead by Jaye Ford

3. Wattle Creek by Fiona McCallum

4. Sniper One: The Blistering True Story of a British Battle Group Under Siege by Dan Mills

5. The Happiest Refugee: A Memoir by Anh Do

[Kim Marie]

A couple of changes to my mid-year list since my first choice rated 5 stars:

1. Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb
2. The Opposite of Life by Narrelle M. Harris
3. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
4. Beau Geste by P.C. Wren
5. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

[Kira]

My very late addition to this list (in no particular order):

1. Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith (and the rest of the series so far).
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. World After by Susan Ee
4. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
5. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

[Jess]

Is there a way to get your top 5? Or is it just what you rate as your top 5? I'm a bit confused

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Jess wrote: "Is there a way to get your top 5? Or is it just what you rate as your top 5? I'm a bit confused"

Just your own personal favourites Jess, ones that you rated 5*s. So the best of your best ;)