My favorite reads of 2014

A lot of bloggers are posting their favorite books of the year and I am no exception. A few years back I decided to make a favorites list each year so I could and share it with colleagues and friends. My lists are a little different because they are a favorite lists of books that I actually, finally got around to reading, so some are old and some are new.

1. Rainbow Rowell 
I read all four of Rainbow Rowell's published books in 2014 and I discovered an author that I LOVE! It started with Elanor and Park, after which I ran to my local library to checkout Fangirl. After devouring Fangirl, I ran back to the library , only to be disappointed that Attachments had been checked out, so I bought the kindle version to read immediately and then had to wait until this summer to get my hands on her latest book Landline.
I have tried to understand why it is that I love her books so much and have come to the conclusion that I like her because she seems familiar to me. We were born in the same decade and claim the midwest (although in different states) as our home. When I think about this connection it reminds me of the campaign #WeNeedDiverseBooks. I am fortunate that I can find books with an author that seems to speak to me and I want that for all of my students and library patrons.  It drives my collection development and pushes me to find those unique books that may catch someone's eye. Everyone should be able to find "their book" or "their author". I was lucky to find another one this year.

2. Sarah Maas
Ok, so I found two new authors this year that I love. The other one is Sarah J. Maas. I read Throne of Glass at the beginning of last year and LOVED it! I love fantasy books and ToG made my heart sing. The second book had been recently published so I was able to get it right away but had to wait until this fall for book three. Unfortunately, I was also in the midst of a new job so, I was unable to read it. That is what winter breaks are for and hopefully, I can complete it before the New Year!

3. Greg Neri
My library hosted a few author visits this year and one of the books I read in preparation for Greg Neri's visit was Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty. It is a graphic novel that portrays and gives some insight into a real person. Yummy was an 11 year old boy who had a very short and tragic life. I really like how Neri, in all of his books, takes real-life events and puts them in his stories. I loved this book. It will break your heart but it will open your eyes as well.

The rest of the books are in no particular order. 

Love stories, hopeful endings, holiday theme

You will cry

You will laugh

Science Fiction

Assassin, historical fantasy

More crying

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was really surprised by how much I liked this book. Short stories are hard for me. I have to read one and then put the book away for a day and then read another one. I am someone who delves into a book and is usually sad when it is over. I have trouble entering another world after leaving one I thoroughly enjoyed behind. These stories were great! They are all love stories and end on a hopeful note.
There were also plenty of different characters and different settings that made these stories enjoyable. If you want something fun to read for the holidays, this is a great choice!

View all my reviews

Better late than never

I am a high school librarian. Although, this is not my first year being a school librarian, it is my first year in this school. There have been so many things in these first few months that have challenged the way I think about libraries, librarians, teachers and students that I feel the need to write.
I want to think deeply about issues surrounding my school, issues surrounding school libraries, technology and its role and of course, the amazing power of books.

Let's start out with something fun! The Broke and the Bookish Blog has Top Ten Tuesdays and this week's installment was about books they are looking forward to reading in 2015. It's a great list, which highlight some authors I have enjoyed reading.
Coming soon will be the top ten books I have read in 2014, so stay tuned!