Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favorite Books Read in 2014

Today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a blog meme for posting a themed list for every Tuesday of the year!  Check out the meme here to see all of the lists, and here to see today's post if you want to join in!

This week's theme is Top Ten Books Read in 2014.  I have to say, I do have quite a few favorites! :)

Here are my favorites, in the order in which I read them:

1. Wonder by RJ Palacio
Although the copy I borrowed from the library was (heavily) chocolate stained, I couldn't put it down.  I still find myself thinking of this book whenever I call my puppy "Auggie-Dog."

2. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
I recommend this frequently at work to kids who are not quite ready for the Hunger Games series, or those who want a really awesome adventure story.  It doesn't hurt that Gregor is such a great character!  Plus, giant bats you can ride!!!

3. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
I read this one over my spring break while procrastinating on a final project.  I got the project done, but I was desperate to read the rest.  While I really enjoyed Fangirl, I do consider this one my favorite of the two.

4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
I bought an e-book version of this on a whim when I saw it on sale for less than $3.  What a bargain!  I adore fairy tale retellings and this one was just so badass that I couldn't stop reading!  I've since finished Scarlett by my cousins are all nagging me to finish Cress already so we can talk about it!

5. Shug by Jenny Han
My supervisor at work is obsessed with Jenny Han.  Knowing this, I decided to give this one a shot.  How cute.  I love a good contemporary fiction story every now and then (not sure if there's such a thing as reading too much fantasy), and this was such a nice break from my usual routine.

6. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
I think I cried at least four times while reading this, and I have zero regrets.  I'll recommend this book to anyone that will listen.  Even though my heart broke a dozen times while reading it, I would do it again in an instant.  The beautiful writing, plus that wonderful cat companion, Taggle, made this one un-put-downable for me.

7. Every Day by David Levithan
Admittedly, I kinda raced through this one, but I enjoyed it nonetheless--so much so that I picked it for my teen department's next book club title.  I'm hoping they like it as much as I did!  David Levithan, master of LGBTQ fiction (and, well, awesomeness in general), made so many wonderful points about gender identity and sexuality without being preachy, all wrapped up in the coolest concept.  What if you woke up as someone else every day of your life?

8. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I listened to the audio version, and, let me tell you--it was like listening to a play.  A really awesome play.  It was weird for me at first, because this audio had a full cast (a different actor for every character, plus a narrator), but that made it all the more enjoyable as I got used to it.  Wonderful voice acting, if you ever get the chance to listen!

9. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
My only regret is that I didn't get a chance to read this one in fewer sittings.  I had to take a couple of breaks from it, due to assigned readings, but holy wow is this one witty and delightful.  Auxier's writing reminded me a lot of Lemony Snicket, except a lot less... well, insulting to the reader.  Does that make sense?  It was immensely clever, but not in a way that put down the reader's intelligence.  So much sass!  Plus, Sir Tode was just too weird not to love.

10. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
I love apocalyptic fiction.  It makes me completely anxious, and totally warps my brain as I'm reading it, but I love it all the same.   It's because of this title that I'm now starting on more apocalypse fiction now that the semester is over...  I had to do a big read-alike project with three titles from my syllabus (for which I also made lists on Eleanor & Park and Graceling), and this was my favorite.  I love diary format books, epistolary novels (letters), you name it--so this was very enjoyable.

And my runner up, up through the end of my teen lit course, was Akira: v. 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo.  I actually caught some of the movie on TV when I was about 11 years old, and was so freaked out by the graphic violence (and the guts--OMG, the guts) and million-year-old children that I was a little unsure about choosing this one to read for my class's graphic novel and comics week.  Well, surprise, surprise!  It was fantastic.  I guess I have grown up (and I've probably hardened a bit from watching The Walking Dead, although I have trouble reading that series).  I recently requested volume 2 via Inter-library Loan and can't wait to start!  It's crazy!

Half of my titles are actually from my two lit classes from spring and fall.  I've had to do a lot of reading for class in the past year, which can be pretty stressful, but it's so much more rewarding to actually enjoy the books assigned!

So, what were your favorite reads in 2014?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Want to Reread

Today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a blog meme for posting a themed list for every Tuesday of the year!  Check out the meme here to see all of the lists, and here to see today's post if you want to join in!

My top ten reread choices (if I only had the time) are:

1. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry - I've reread The Giver several times in the last few years, for class and for fun.  While I like the book, I'm getting really tired of all the hype, and it'd be refreshing to read one of its sequels again for a change.
2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - I'm very aware of my fangirl status for Maggie Stiefvater now, but this is the book that started it.  I was skeptical because of the werewolf component (the Twilight series and its contemporaries really turned me off to the whole vampires vs. werewolves thing), but I ended up loving it.  Now I will read anything she puts out!
3. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - I picked this book up on a whim and I loved it!  I recently found out that there was a companion novel released...  Maybe I should read that one before rereading this!
4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - I have an ulterior motive for wanting to reread this one...  I'm leading a teen book discussion on it in a couple of weeks!  I'd listen to the audio book to save time, but it really is kind of dangerous to be driving while crying hysterically...
5. Plain Kate by Erin Bow - I adored this book and I felt so many emotions while reading it (meaning I cried about four times).  I borrowed it from the library, but I have been yearning for my own copy ever since I finished it.
6. Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones - Okay, so I've read this quite a few times already...  But it is probably my favorite DWJ novel and I think of it constantly!
7. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini - Another one that I've read a couple of times...  I would never mind reading it again.  It's a story that remains close to my heart.
8. Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini - Another Ned book, yes--but this one is just so delightfully bizarre that I really think it deserves a reread.
9. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I read the entire (first) series back when I was doing my undergrad, and it was surprisingly helpful when I was taking my classical mythology class!  My cousins are all reading the follow-up series, The Heroes of Olympus, and I feel like I'm really behind.  Maybe I should just read some summaries...?
10. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty - I never thought I'd enjoy the Jessica Darling series when my friend recommended that I read Sloppy Firsts way back when, but I ended up really loving (and relating) to Jessica and have tried to acquire the entire series for myself.  I was rereading them a year or so ago, but didn't have the time to continue.  I think I left off at Charmed Thirds.

That's my list!  What books have you been dying to reread?  Share with me in the comments below!