Books, books, books -- 101 (and counting?) read in 2014!

It might be hard to believe, but I didn't set out to read so many books this year. Since I started keeping book records in 2006, I've read 40+ books every year. Last year was my biggest reading year yet -- 92 books! -- and I was convinced that it was probably a ceiling because I had the luxury of extra time due to my three-month sabbatical.

This was the first year that I didn't keep a running tally as I was reading. As part of my push to enjoy life more and track things less, I compromised by recording the books I read along with their ratings but I didn't keep an eye on how many I had read. Last week I decided to tally things up to see where I was, and I was shocked to learn that I had read 98 books! With a week to go, I knew that I could hit triple-digits, so I closed my piano keyboard and my laptop and buried my head in some books.

Because let's face it -- ending a year with 99 as a number is not acceptable. 100 was nice and round, but 101 is a palindrome, so that's okay too.

Truth.

So today I'm sharing my annual "Top Reads" list along with some of my favorites from the last part of the year. There is something in here for everyone!

Best of 2014
No, I wasn't able to pick one favorite, or even some nice round number like five or ten. Instead, these five fiction and two nonfiction books were my eclectic choices for favorites for 2014. If forced to choose, my favorite is probably one of the first three. But I can't promise that for sure.

The Interestings (Meg Wolitzer): Meg Wolizter was a "new" discovery for me this year -- sort of embarrassing to admit considering her first novel was published the year before my birth. Wolitzer might be my new Ian McEwan because, like him, she spins interesting character webs that you wander into and become deliriously entangled.

The Interestings follows six teens who meet at a Northeastern summer camp -- after the camp, their lives break and come together again in unpredictable ways. Through tragedy, loss, connection, and modest victories, we come to know the world through the perspective of Jules, whose quest to be someone interesting changes her life forever. Literary enough to appeal to the snobs among us but accessible to draw in a casual reader, The Interestings is well worth your time!

And the Mountains Echoed (Khaled Hosseini): When I first read the Kite Runner it was because I was interested in learning about Afghanistan beyond the IEDs and body counts. What I discovered instead was a gem of a writer in Hosseini whose words make Afghanistan come alive in my imagination. Through multiple generations, perspectives, and locations, this story starts and ends with the lives of a brother and sister, Abdullah and Pari, and what happens when Pari is sold to another family. Prepare to feel heartbroken and uplifted -- and as full of cliches as this short review is proving to be, I promise that you won't be disappointed by this book.

We Are Water (Wally Lamb): Lamb is a frustrating author who only releases his brilliant novels every five to ten years. They'll catch me by surprise when I'm wandering around a bookstore and when I saw We Are Water, I had to pick it up to touch and smell the pages, as if contained in it were old memories. I was not disappointed.

We Are Water is the story of Annie Oh who has left her husband after falling in love with her wealthy patron, a woman named Viveca. Told from five points of view (Annie, ex-husband Orion, and children Arianne, Andrew, and Marissa), We Are Water not only deals with the complexities of a truly modern family, but of topics such as art and creativity, forgiveness, acceptance, and adapting to new social norms. Lamb is never for the faint of heart -- but those who dive into his works are always, always rewarded.

Valley of the Dolls (Jacqueline Susann): It wouldn't be a year-end book review without at least one classic on the top reads list, and this year my favorite classic was about these "dolls--" Susann's way of describing the pills as well as the three young women who abuse them. The novel, which starts after WWII and runs through the 1960s. It is a turbulent time in American history, and Susann helps us understand what it was like to be a woman when your value and position in society was shifting below your feet. Valley of the Dolls was difficult at times, both i the story and in the harsh writing style, so it's not a book that everyone will enjoy. Still, it is a cultural landmark and one well worth your time.

Past Imperfect (Julian Fellowes): Every year I look to find at least one "pop fiction" book that I can recommend to my followers, and this year that honor goes to Past Imperfect. Last winter I was in a Downton Abby slump post-season and I was thrilled to learn that Fellowes, the creator, had written two novels. All you had to say was "Amazon Prime" and two days later my face was buried in this book. What I can add to my original review is this -- not only does it take a lot for a book to rise above the rest of the popular fiction I read but it takes a lot for me to obsessively check Amazon to make sure that an author hasn't written another novel (as I now do for Fellowes). Even the most patriotic American girl needs a good rollick with some nice British characters -- you know, for the history (cough, cough).

Columbine (Dave Cullen): It was hard to make my top books list for nonfiction this year. Perhaps it was my desire for some escapism, but I spent most of my time with my head buried in volumes of fiction. I read both this book and the next early in the year, but after everything else, they stayed in my mind as the clear favorites.

I am not sure what else I can say to convince you to read Columbine. Unless you were living under a rock, Columbine, like 9/11 or Oklahoma City, is lodged in your cultural memory with the rest of us. But in a world of 24/7 online news, this book slows everything down and shifts your perceptions of the event, what led up to it and what followed, and the shooters, their families, and the victims. It breaks down cultural myths and helps you understand the complex conditions that led to this school shooting. It was an eye-opening read and helped me on my never-ending quest to understand my fellow human being and what motives him to behave the way he does.

Quiet (Susan Cain): I've learned so much about myself this year and with all of this reflection, I felt like this book was speaking my language. I've never been a pure extrovert. but these days nothing sounds more enjoyable than coming home and curling up with a book (obviously). Quiet is an important read for extroverts, ambiverts, and introverts alike because we live in a culture where extroversion is more valued and privileged than introversion. There is a pervasive sense that we should want to socialize and be with others all of the time instead of appreciating and understanding the beauty of quiet.

As I mentioned in my initial review of the book, I self-identify as an ambivert (purists will tell you there is no such thing, but I beg to differ). No matter how you self-identify, this book will deepen your compassion for whoever the "other" is and help you understand the much-undersold benefits of introversion.

Last quarter of 2014 reads
To mix it up and do something different, I decided to write these as recommendations for different people in your life. Yes, we're just through the holiday season, but I can promise you that as you're shopping for birthdays in the coming year, there is no better gift than a book. And -- bonus! -- a book is always a worthy gift to give yourself.

For the singleton: The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion): Don Tillman is on a quest to find a wife and has created a sixteen page survey to efficiently find the best candidates. During his quest to find a wife, he stumbles upon a young woman named Rosie with a project of her own -- she's on a quest to find her father. It doesn't take much of an imagination to see where this might go, so why include this book on my list? Simsion's debut is smart and snappy and he lovingly portrays his main characters (Don, we conclude, likely has Asperger's). Because I spend my days with engineers (analytical and rational), this book deserves a special place in my heart and reminds us, as our mothers always said, that no matter who you are, there is someone out there for you. And -- bonus! -- Simsion's next book just hit store shelves last month. I'm excited for another installment.

For the romantic: Silver Bay (Jojo Moyes): After I finished Me Before You (which I threw off of the bed in a rage when I finished it -- no joke), I wasn't sure I could, in good faith, recommend a Moyes book this year. But darn it, Silver Bay is a charming tale and I just can't help myself. Romantics, pay attention -- this follows just enough of a romantic book arc to keep you happy but has enough surprises and twists to keep you guessing.

For the hipster: Attachments (Rainbow Rowell): What is more hipster than new YA fiction with minimalist covers? Other than beard ornaments, I can't think of anything. I picked up attachments because I was waiting for Eleanor and Park, another of Rowell's books, to finally come out in paperback (yes, I know -- and yes, I'm still waiting). Attachments is told through two primary means -- a set of emails exchanged between colleagues (and friends) Beth and Jennifer, and the experiences of Lincoln, an IT tech charged with monitoring emails. When Beth and Jennifer's exchanges are flagged, Lincoln can't help himself -- he starts reading and can't bring himself to stop. Get your free-trade, environmentally-friendly Kleenex ready, hipsters. You'll love this book.

For the history buff: The Aftermath (Rhidian Brook): If you've followed my reading recommendations for some time, you know that I love historical fiction and I have a particular love for WWII novels. The Aftermath, surprisingly, was a first for me in that the book focused on the rebuilding efforts in Germany in 1946. The story follows two families -- a British family who moves to Hamburg so that Colonel Morgan can oversee the rebuilding, and a German family whose house they will inhabit. There are multiple narratives woven throughout the story so we can get a glimpse into what it was like both for Germans and British, as well as adults and children, during the reconstruction. For a new perspective on this historical period, the Aftermath is a great read.

For the free spirit: Wild (Cheryl Strayed): First off, I haven't seen the movie, so I can't offer you any comparisons. And I didn't choose Wild of my own volition -- it was chosen as the read for the book club I'm a part of. But I'm glad that I picked up this book because it is nothing else if not a story of redemption, forgiveness, and you finish it feeling just a little bit cleansed. You probably know the basic story by now -- Cheryl Strayed decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail because her life is in tatters. She's lost her mom, she's recently divorced, and she's been using drugs on and off. Part travelogue, part autobiography, this can be one wild trip (especially for a mild-mannered girl like myself). This won't inspire me to pitch a tent any time soon, but it will touch the free spirit in you just as it did me, no matter how small that part of you is.

For the serious literary type: The Absolutist (John Boyne): The Absolutist is the type of book that I'd call a "new classic" because it is written in a tightly-wound, sparse style but is set in the years following WWI. This is a love story of an interesting variety, and the novel commences with a young man named Tristan taking a packet of letters to a young woman in Norwich, England. What we soon come to learn is that these letters once belonged to Tristan's beloved, a fellow soldier named Will. Alternating between the trenches in France and the streets of Norwich, I never felt settled into this novel and was unclear where it would lead. All I can promise is an interesting journey and a semi-satisfactory conclusion.

For the travelista: The Woman Who Fell From the Sky (Jennifer Steil): I did more traveling in my mind than on planes and trains this year, and Steil's travelogue of her year spent in Yemen was my favorite. Forget Italy, France, or Japan -- I'm more curious about out of the way places that I haven't heard about before (my other favorite travel book of the year detailed the relatively inaccessible Bhutan, just north of India). Steil lives in Yemen to help the staff of the local English-language newspaper, and her stories of struggling with deadlines and grammar brought back found memories of my journalism days. It is the little details that make her story so interesting (how everyone in the country simultaneously breaks their Ramadan fast with a date, the eyes of her female colleagues, the only thing visible behind their veils) and it is a delicious treat to learn more about Yemen.

For the one with a dysfunctional family: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (Karen Joy Fowler): When I saw this book at the bookstore, I flipped it over to see what it was about, and I didn't get past "I was raised with a chimpanzee" before I knew I had to read the book. Fowler plays with space and time in this book and she often starts stories in the middle, which was interesting and kept me engaged and wanting to know, "But how did this start?!" The start of her stories was often heartbreaking, and we learn to sympathize with Rosemary and her "twin" sister Fern. If you're recovering from family holiday dysfunction, I think this might make you feel a little better.

For the animal lover: Wild Ones (Jon Mooallem): Curious by the disconnect of trying to save animal species and keeping them locked up in zoos, Mooallem decides to look into animal conservation in North America through the lens of three different species -- the polar bear, the Lange's metalmark butterfly, and the whooping crane. Through it, you gain a deeper appreciation for all of the volunteers working to save these species and appreciate how challenging it is to define what it means to "save" a species.

And a little something for you: The Lowland (Jhumpa Lahiri): Treat yourself to a good read to start the new year -- my recommendation for you, my book loving friend, is The Lowland. The story of two brothers, Subhash and Udayan, the Lowland is another multigenerational, multi-location epic by Lahiri. Her books were what caused me to fall in love with India from afar (it still tops my "want to visit" list) through her descriptions of sights, smells, tastes, and sounds. Like in her other novels, her characters wrestle with their identities, discovering what it means to be Indian at home or in a Western world. Even if your family is nothing like those of Lahiri's characters,

Phew -- that's all, everyone! Happy reading, and can't wait to trade book recommendations with you in 2015!

xo,
Sarah