Favourite Books: 2014 Edition

Have you ever tried making a Top 5 list of your favourite books? It's hard. Like, really hard. Especially when you're only trying to include books from the previous year. (I'm lucky if I remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, let alone what I read back in January.)

The list below went through several drafts; I have lots of books that I love, and quite frankly it's not fair that I'm only allowed to pick five of them. (But if I were to list all of them, well, we'd be here all day.) I think I'm finally satisfied with what I ended up with. Until next week, anyway.

Now, before I change my mind again, here are my TOP FIVE FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2014 (more or less):

5. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

One of the three--count 'em, three--adult fiction novels I read this year, and let me tell you, I adored it. I was a little shaky on the premise at first, I'll admit--I mean, it centers around an IT guy reading the e-mail correspondences of two female coworkers in another department, which can definitely come off as a little creepy--but it was executed VERY well! I myself loved reading the characters' e-mails, as well as the changes the main character made in response to them. Everything linked together so well and to top it all off, it takes place in the late 90's. Who doesn't love the 90's?

4. Just One Day by Gayle Foreman

This book, to me, is magic. There's this large sense of adventure, and the character development is perfectly on point throughout. Not to mention the mystery that unfolds throughout the second half of the book--it all unfolds so wonderfully. I loved it!

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Congrats, Rainbow, you made it on the list twice! Fangirl is probably one of the most relatable books I've ever read. It's about writing, it's about fanfiction and internet fandoms and the emotions that you connect with a story that's been around since you were a kid. And it's about growing up, and bringing the story into your life in different ways. I never thought I'd be able to relate to a story so well, and yet, here we are.

2. The Divergent series by Veronica Roth

Minor cop-out here. I had to choose the series as a whole, because choosing just one book just isn't fair; they all contribute to the plot and to the character development and I JUST LOVED THEM ALL OKAY. (Yes, even the last one. More or less.) The world was so wonderfully crafted and the characters and emotions just so real. And again, character development. On point.

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is the only addition to this list that I didn't have to second guess myself on. This book has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time now, but I didn't get around to reading it until this past July.

THE ONLY THING I REGRET IS THAT I DIDN'T READ IT SOONER.

This book was so happy, and wonderful, and fluffy, and romantic, and cute, and basically everything I look for in any book ever. How I made it this far without this book in my life is a mystery that will forever go unsolved. I absolutely ADORED this book, with all of its characters and relationships and locations. (Paris. PARIS!! I've been to Paris and this just played it in an entirely different light.) This is one of those books that I just hugged to my chest for hours after I finished because I loved it so much. (I proceeded to do the same with its companions, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After. All three books are beautiful and if you are at all a fan of romance or contemporary or rom-coms then PICK UP THOSE BOOKS RIGHT THE FRIKKITY FRACK NOW.)



If you'd like to take a look at the other 30 books I read throughout 2014 and the countless books I read before, you can check out my Goodreads page here.

How many books did you read this past year? Do you have any reading goals for 2015?

Until later,

- Justyne