The Books of 2014

December 30, 2014 – The Books of 2014

At the end of every year, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to look back over a list of the books that I read during the previous 12 months.  Keeping track of my reading is a habit that I developed in high school.  It stuck with me over the years and grew into a full-blown obsession.  For several decades, I used index cards alphabetized by author’s last name, but I switched over to an Excel spreadsheet (and transferred all the earlier data) six or seven years ago. 

I still remember quite vividly sitting in the library of Eagle Avenue School, on one of those low stools, pulling “real,” i.e. not picture, books off the shelf.  What a thrill it was when I discovered that I could read chapter books!  From that moment on, I was addicted to reading.  I plunged into various series, such as The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew (girl detective), and Cherry Ames (student nurse). 

My goal this year was to read a book a week.  I didn't manage to read 52 entire books, but as 2014 comes to an end, I see 43 titles, both fiction and non-fiction, on my list.  Thank goodness for the Fairfax County library system!  Without their books and e-books, I’d be broke.  The list doesn’t include books I read for my classes at George Mason University.  In addition, I felt I couldn’t list many of the non-fiction books that I merely skimmed or read in part.  This included several cookbooks, travel books, history books, etc.  I always note which books I particularly enjoyed, and I’m pleased to share a few of the highlights with my fellow reading enthusiasts.  Here they are, in no particular order:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert – fiction – a long, fascinating novel with beautifully drawn characters.

Longbourn by Jo Baker – fiction – retells Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the servants. 

Guests on Earth by Lee Smith – fiction – a novel set in a North Carolina mental instutition; one of the characters is Zelda Fitzgerald.

My Promised Land by Ari Shavit – non-fiction – an Israeli perspective on Israel – both controversial and eye-opening.

Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart – memoir – wildly entertaining and touching memoir by the writer who immigrated from Russia to the U.S. as a young child. 

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris – fiction – based on historical incidents related to the Dreyfus case and the investigation into a cover-up involving top officials in the French government and military. 

Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan – fiction – based on the true relationship between an American woman and the writer Robert Lewis Stevenson. 

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – fiction – a somewhat quirky novel about a quirky bookstore owner, sure to appeal to lovers of literature. 

Lovers at the Chameleon Club by Francine Prose – fiction – set in Paris before and during World War II, based on some actual historical characters and events.

My Notorious Life by Kate Manning – fiction – historical setting, based on true events involving the struggle for women’s reproductive rights in the 1800s. 

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Klein – fiction – a compelling story of two women covering several decades.

What is Visible by Kimberly Elkins – fiction – based on the life of the first deaf-blind woman who was learned to communicate, before Helen Keller. 

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriques – fiction – focuses on the lives of today’s immigrants as they struggle to fit into American society. 

The Medici Boy by John L’Heureux – fiction – set in Renaissance Italy, this novel follows an apprentice in the workshop of the sculptor Donatello.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – fiction – a moving account of World War II in France by a young blind girl.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – fiction – life for a group of women in a contemporary Australian suburb.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters – fiction – suspenseful novel set in post-WW I London.

I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira – fiction – based on the relationship between the American painter Mary Cassatt and the French artist Degas. 

Happy reading!