Favorite Books of 2014!

I read SO many good books this past year, which made choosing my favorite fourteen extremely difficult. If you would like to see the sister video I posted on my BookTube channel, where I briefly discuss/show each book on this list, click here. If not, I will be starting at book number fourteen and working my way down to one.


14. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

13. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

12. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

11. Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

10. In the Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3) by Alexandra Bracken

9. The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

8. Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

7. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

6. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

5. Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs

4. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

3. Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3) by Patrick Ness

2. The Archived & The Unbound (The Archived #1 and 2) by Victoria Schwab

1. Cinder, Scarlet and Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #1, 2 and 3) by Marissa Meyer




What are some of your favorite reads of 2014? I could use some recommendations for the new year!

Thanksgiving

This year, if I am thankful for anything, I am thankful for family. Up until recently, I have associated that word with blood but, unfortunately, it has become increasingly apparent just how skewed that way of thinking really is. Blood does not make someone love you. It does not mean that they will not turn on you, given the opportunity, or attack and blame you for things that have gone wrong. A family is made up of people that care for you, despite your faults, and do not use them against you; those that remain by your side even when your back is turned and do not lie to your face in an attempt to gain something in return. So, even though the upcoming holidays will be more bitter than sweet, I am very, very grateful to those that have offered their love, encouragement and sympathy these last few weeks. To my parents and siblings, friends, coworkers, members of our church's congregation and random, long-lost acquaintances that have shown up at our door with prayers and support: you are all my family and I love you.

Top Ten Tuesday [July 22]

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they update their blog with a list of ten things that have to do with a predetermined topic.

This week's topic is...

Which ten fictional characters would you chose to be stranded with on a deserted island?

1. Percy Jackson from the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series: Percy can control water. We are stuck on a deserted island. All he has to do is conjure up a wave or summon a few of his father's sea creatures to give us a ride and we would be all set.

2. Kai from the Lunar Chronicles: If, for some reason, Percy is unable to rescue us from the island and we are forced to create our own society (of sorts) until help arrives, I feel like Kai would be our best bet as leader. He is very diplomatic, kind and reasonable.

3. Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games trilogy: She is a great hunter and won the Hunger Games twice. Who wouldn't want her on their team?

4. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series: It would probably work to our advantage to have someone as smart as Hermione stuck with us, as she probably has a plethora of information on the best place to make camp, what kind of wild creatures are indigenous to the area and which water is safe to drink. Plus, she's a witch.

5. Mackenzie Bishop from the Archived trilogy: Mackenzie is strong and unafraid, making her the perfect sort of warrior/fighter should we be attacked by pirates, aliens or the undead.

6. Leo Valdez from the Heroes of Olympus series: Leo would be a source of comic relief; making light of our unfortunate situation and keeping things upbeat. Also, he can make fire, which is sure to come in handy.

7. Liam from the Darkest Minds trilogy: When everyone else is freaking out and/or trying to strangle Leo one another, Liam would be the voice of reason. I would want someone like that around, especially if we are stuck on the island for some time.

8. Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings trilogy: I mean, if nothing else, he can tell us stories and conjure up some fireworks to keep us entertained. Who knows, maybe someone will see the display and send help.

9. Perry from the Under the Never Sky trilogy: Perry has proven himself to be resourceful on more than one occasion, and would be just level-headed enough to make himself useful. He could aid Katniss with her hunting and then come back and plan a way off of the island with Kai, Liam and Percy.

10. Luc from the Dispossessed series: He may be part gargoyle, but it would be nice to have a set of wings on the team. As insurance.