My 10 Books You Need to Read in 2014 was one of my most popular posts all of last year. I joined a book club in 2013 and read some fabulous books and am looking forward to seeing what my book club picks this year! Since I wrote that last post (a year ago!) we’ve also read some great books plus I’ve done a bunch on my own that I just loved. Here are 10 you need to check out if you haven’t read them already:
Orphan Train – here’s an excerpt from my review on GoodReads.com (I included some spoilers after so if you’ve read it and what to hear what I had to say, click through)
My grandmother immigrated from Ireland in the late 1920s, almost exactly around the same time that the heroine of the book did. I heard tales of discrimination of the Irish back then but you don’t read much about it in literature so I liked the validation of hearing of it in this book again. My grandmother was also in NYC and much of the beginning of the Niamh/Vivian’s story sounded true to some of the tales I have heard so that aspect made this read really interesting to me.
The Boys in the Boat – Rarely do you see a book on Amazon with 5 full ratings, especially when it has more than a couple of reviews. There are over 7000 people rating this book on Amazon and almost all of them have given it 5 stars. It’s on my list this year!
Station Eleven – I’m a lover of dystopian fiction and often read youth adult DF because that seems to be the best of that genre, so I was thrilled to read this adult book that has quickly become a New York Times Bestseller. A virus kills 98% of the worldwide population and this book is about what happens and how those people who survive function. It goes back and forth between the time the virus hits and 15 years later and the book had me in its grip for its entirety.
The Pearl that Broke Its Shell – another book club pick, I have to admit, I was not excited about this one. I yawned through the first chapter but that was it. I was sucked in after that. This book tells the tale of two Afgan women in different generations (a great-great grandmother and then a century later, her great-great granddaughter) and while this book is a work of fiction, you know it’s based on fact and it was amazing to read and surmise how little times have changed for the life of a woman in Afganistan today as it was 100 years ago.
Big Little Lies – From the author who brought you The Husband’s Secret comes the book Big Little Lies. I have it on my to-read list and I have heard from friends that it’s as good as the Husband’s Secret or better.
Still Alice – from book club, a 50-year-old Harvard professor is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. The general consesus at book club was that we all felt we had it after reading this book (ha!). But seriously, this was another riveting read that painted a painful picture of the world of Alzheimer’s for the Alice and her loved ones. This one is coming out as a movie this year with Julianne Moore starring as Alice and I can’t wait to see it.
All the Light We Can Not See – I was scheduled to host my next book club when I asked friends on Facebook to recommend my next book choice. I selected Orphan Train but this book was my second choice with several friends raving about it. It’s set in WWII and follows two story lines that eventually converge.
Me Before You – I read this one earlier in 2014 and it definitely let me with a lot of food for thought regarding mercy killing and love. It made for a heated book club discussion.
Outlander – if you haven’t yet read them, the Outlander books are fabulous for lovers of historical fiction, romance, Scottish history or time travel. A lifetime ago, I read book one and never again picked up the books until the series came out last year on Starz. I’ve re-read Outlander and will be moving through the series.
The Martian – this one’s on my list to-read and has rave reviews. It’s about one of the first astronauts on Mars. While there, a storm leaves him stranded and he has to rely on his wits to survive. It’s also coming to the big screen as a movie this year with Matt Damon starring.
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