A lot of newspapers and websites are releasing their end-of-year top ten lists, so I thought I would get in on the action. Here are my favorite books that I read in 2014.
I read a lot of non-fiction last year, so there’s a tie here. As You Wish by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden tells about the making of the beautiful movie “The Princess Bride” by the actor that played Westley. The Innovators by Walter Isaacson covers the people, developments and inventions that led to the creation of the modern personal computer and the Internet. My first runner-up is Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty.
My favorite fiction book from last year was Cinder by Marissa Meyer. This futuristic retelling of Cinderella focuses on Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, who catches the eye of Prince Kai while people they love die from a mysterious plague and the ruthless lunar queen attempts to gain power on Earth. It is the first of the Lunar Chronicles, which I highly recommend. The runner-up for fiction is Rogues edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.
The picture book that I loved was Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Christian Robinson. Gaston, a proper bulldog raised in a family of poodles, meets a tough little poodle raised by bulldogs in the park one day. The first runner up is The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems.
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