2014 Book List *Updated 07/01/14 - 2 books read*

22. White Truffles in Winter by N M Kelby 6/10 hmm what to make of this book? It wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It's a book based on some facts regarding a chef called Escoffier, the rest of the story is pure fiction and I'm not quite sure that it actually worked. It was entertaining and informative in parts but not a good read if you're feeling nauseous as there's alot of talk regarding food!

28) The Vintage Teacup Club - Vanessa Green

very cute story, easy to read. Chick lit to the max 7/10

23. When you walked back into my life by Hilary Boyd 7/10 An easy to read book with a little bit of a twist but not too much to make you sit up wide eyed! A pleasant bedtime read.

29) the Guilty One - Lisa Ballantyne

Really enjoyed this book. Lots of emotion and a twist at the end that I didn't expect. A journey from boyhood to manhood. 8/10

30) Don't Cry - Beverly Barton.

Random free book from the kobo. Didn't expect it to be as good as it was. Didn't want to put it down. 8/10

24. A Higher Call by Adam Makos 10/10 A moving true story that narrates the stories of a German and American WW2 pilot and how the German pilot makes the decision to escort a damaged bomber out of Germany.

Hi Otters, I keep lurking on this thread as I'm trying to get back into reading more books, so hoping it's OK to join in? I know it's really late but I've loved some of the recommendations!

1. Gone Girl
I read this before the film came out and I loved it. Then it got to the end and I could've thrown it across the room in frustration! Was really gripping and the ending let it down completely. Still think it's worth a read, lots of thinking about the dynamics of relationships etc.
7.5/10


2. Gentleman & Players, Joanne Harris
This was OK, billed as a psychological thriller it's set in an old private school. I didn't find it edge of the seat stuff and I thought the twist was easy to guess quite early. Saying that, it was well written and easy to read.
6/10

3. Daughter, Jane Shemilt
I really liked this one, flicks between past and present but is easy to follow. Keeps you guessing and I thought it was really well written. Made me think "what would I do" quite a bit too. A good 'who dunnit" without a predictable ending.
8/10

Almost forgot...

4. The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion
I read this on holiday, a real feel good read. Reminded me a little of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime, as the lead character appears to be autistic. It's a love story about a guy who doesn't understand love.
8/10

Fault in our Stars - John Green. 8/10 Haven't seen the film but loved the book. I think it has a particular style of writing that either captures you or doesn't as a colleague who read it didn't feel involved with the characters. I was and it is sad in parts but not as sentimental as you might think and in some ways anti-sentimental. Have bought some of John Green's other books to read now as I so liked his style of writing.

Playing the Game - Simon Gould 3/10. This was a cheapie amazon offer. A crime thriller around an LAPD detective. Awful writing style and awful plot. This is writing by numbers. A rip off of every good thriller book but done half as well. To give you a flavour - the story is based in America around the LAPD - and written by an English Guy who lives in Glossop. Knows nothing about the LAPD and it shows. Quite apart from the awful plot it is clumsy amateurish writing that will make everyone think - I can do better than that. Had to start re-reading another favourite book to wash it out of my brain. Gave it 3 as I did manage to reach the end which is more than some of the romantic mush I started reading from my mother's kindle list.

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt. 9/10 If I was rating this book at about 3/4 way through it would have been 10/10. The writing style is incredible in the way that it draws you in and makes you feel involved with all the characters. Effortlessly flows through the story in such an eloquent way. I felt virtuous while reading as if I was absorbing the words and becoming more intelligent. Fabulous story - so different. No writing by numbers here. But then towards the end it seems to lose the thread and descends into depressing lectures about the futility of life. Was really disappointed with the ending. But worth a read nonetheless. If I had to pick one book for people to read this year it would be this one. Just remove sharp objects from around the house before you read the lectures about what is the point of life anyway.

So this year I haven't actually read very many books as the wedding took up so much of my time and thoughts I couldn't really concentrate on one for much more than a page so since the wedding I have been catching up on my ever growing pile of "to read" books.

1. One Dog at a Time Pen Farthing - a lady at work leant me this book and I really enjoyed it. I am a dog lover and its a good read and quite heart warming but also quite sad. Its an easily accessible book giving a glimpse into what our armed forces experience out in Afghanistan but the dogs help bring more of a light relief to it. I would say 7/10. And I now want to go visit the Nowzad dogs stand at Crufts next year.

2. Meet me at the cupcake café Jenny Colgan - leant to me by a friend. Its a good holiday book. Chick lit. OK story and not amazingly written but its an easy read and there's recipes in there that make you desperate to get in the kitchen and get baking 5/10. I also read the christmas sequel fairly recently which was all very similar really but ok for an easy read to get you in the festive spirit!

3. Half of a Yellow sun Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - this was a really good book. It’s a great story and gives an insight into the history of Nigeria which I would never have known about otherwise. Some parts were quite harrowing which made it a bit of a slower read for me and I needed to take a break every once in a while. The structure of the book did help to break it up a little. There were 3 main characters and each chapter would rotate between the 3 of them. The first quarter of the book started in the early '60s and then flashed to the late 60's but left a couple of years gap which it then later went back to fill in. 9/10

4. The fault in our stars John Greene – This was a really good book and had me blubbing at the end. Its strange as I didn’t particularly like the main characters but I enjoyed it nonetheless! 8/10

5. Ghost girl Torey Hayden – I am currently reading this book. I’ve not yet finished but it is really good and I’m really enjoying it (well as much as you can “enjoy” a book with disturbing content). I have read books by this author before and enjoyed them so this was a charity shop purchase. It’s a non-fiction novel and is based around the experiences of the author whilst working with children with selective mutism and how she helps them. This book was based on when she was working as a special education teacher and had a selectively mute child in her class. The content of her books can sometimes be quite disturbing as it involves various forms of child abuse and neglect but it’s a very good read. 9/10

31) Newton's Fire - Will Adams

Overall, a pretty good religious/scientific conspiracy and an easy read. The characters weren't always very believeable and although the story showed a good level of research, it was hard to identify with and imagine the characters. 6/10

32) Wideacre - Phillipa Gregory

I read this while I was on holiday. It was really easy to read, however in parts was harrowing and uncomfortable, just as Gregory intended. It really showed how different life was for women in the 18th Century compared to today and the lengths that they would go to to get equal rights. 8/10

5) The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August, Claire North

This is an amazing book! Harry August is born again every time he dies into the same body with all the memories from his past lives. Lots of time travel and science stuff, and lots of moving between characters which initially I found really difficult to keep up with and get into but I'm so glad I persevered. It's essentially a really page-turning thriller and it's so well written. 10/10

We've now read a combined total of 202 books in 2014 ladies. That's 4 a week over the 49 weeks of 2014 so far. Keep it up ladies, hopefully I'll get at least another 1 read over Christmas.

Looks like I haven't updated in a while! These are mixture of teaching and for fun books that I've read since October...

28. The Dream of the Celt, Mario Vargas Llosa. The fictionalised biography of Roger Casement, an Irish nationalist committed to exposing the horrors of Empire, and who was eventually hanged for treason against the crown. Really thought-provoking and interesting. 8/10

29. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad. The quintessential anti-colonialist modern novel. The more times I read it (once a year for the past 3 years), the more I find in it. 10/10

30. The Lonely Londoners, Sam Selvon. A tragi-comic novel, the first to creolise and "colonise in reverse" London in telling the story of the first wave of post-war Caribbean migration. 10/10

31. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys. Not my favourite Rhys novel, but this classic "re-telling" of Jane Eyre gives us the backstory of Bertha Mason, the "madwoman in the attic". Rhys transforms Bertha Mason into Antoinette Cosway, and in doing so tells a heartbreaking and evocative story of loss and outsider-ness. 10/10

32. The Wonder, Diana Evans. Evans's second novel, this tells the story of orphaned brother and sister Lucas and Denise, and Lucas's search for his enigmatic father, who was a Jamaican ballet dancer in London in the 1960s. It intertwines Antoney's story with Nijinski, the Russian ballet dancer of the early 20th Century, and deals subtly and insightfully with themes of migration, homosexuality, and mental health. Plus the ending always, always makes me cry. 9/10

33. The 2p Pusher, Sian Cummins. Sian is a friend of mine who recently self-published this little collection of short stories as an e-book. It's ace, and I'm not just saying that because she's my friend! She has the short story down to a precise art. And it's only £2! 10/10

34. The Love of a Good Woman, Alice Munro. Alice Munro is the best short story writer in the world. No question. Love love love this collection, the 3rd that I've read from her. All of the stories deal with women who somehow break the mould of what society expects of them, and Munro's way of capturing the inner struggle of women who just want to live their lives in the way that feels comfortable for them is stunning. The collection was published in 1998 and most of the stories are set in the mid-20th C, and it really makes you think about how far we've come, and the limitations placed on women in the not-so-distant past. 10/10

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Alyj, I may have inspired you to download The Orchard of Lost Souls, but now you've inspired me to download Angelou's book! Like you she's someone I always meant to read but never have. How have you got on with Orchard?

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I wondering what the total was, let's hope next year we can edit posts Can't wait to start again!

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This is my number 25 but twoducks summed it up perfectly. I was so eager to know what the twist was, I haven't seen the film but the end was a total disappointment.

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Sambarine, I have a tendency to read an engrossing novel followed by a lighter one, so now I've finished Gone Girl,The Orchard is the next book to read and probably my last this year. I'm looking forward to delving in

33) The Favoured Child - Phillipa Gregory

This is the 2nd book in the Wideacre Trilogy. It follows on from Wideacre following the lives of the next generation of Laceys. Once again this book shows how difficult life was for a woman in the 18th century when she always has to obey a master, whether it be her father or husband. A good twist at the end which has left me desperate to read the 3rd installment. 9/10

We're up to 214 now. We have read more, however as per the rules this tally is of how many completely different books have been read. For example, several people have read Gone Girl, however I can only include it once in the total. They are of course included in individual tallies.

I have kept a spreadsheet, so will post everyone's totals and the total number of books in January. I'll also start a new thread for 2015.

35. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou. I know this won't count towards our total tally, as it was Alyj66's review which inspired me to read this! I don't usually read autobiographies, but this was stunningly written. A captivating insight into African-American history, Angelou's turn of phrase and ability to assess her childhood arrogance dispassionately but with great wit and charm made this an easy read. 9/10.

Hoping to finish off one more book before the 31st - got given 3 books for Christmas so will start a new one today.

36. Before I Go To Sleep, SJ Watson. I read this in less than a day, yesterday (ignored the Boxing Day TV). A perfect holiday read, and a real page-turner - I unexpectedly didn't want to put this down. Watson's narrator is gripping, and although the twist at the end isn't a surprise, it is far more satisfying than, say, the ending of Gone Girl. 8/10

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My number 26 and probably my final book of the year.

I agree with Sambarine, I like how the stories were interwoven but wasn't too impressed with the end as it was a little too improbable. 9/10

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Thanks Pompey

34) Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I was going to. The events of our main character's past was supposed to have had an effect on the rest of his life, however, the writer fails to describe this sufficiently and I didn't like how easily I found it to put this book down. 4/10

I'm 1/3rd of the way through the 3rd book in the Wideacre Triology - is it sad that I am actually contemplating finishing it tonight? ?

Hitched Books List - 2014 Title Author 1 The Winter Folly Lulu Taylor 2 4 to Score Janet Evanovich 3 The Best of Me Nicholas Sparks 4 You Can Beat Your Brain David McRaney 5 Bridget Jones, Mad About The Boy Helen Fielding 6 Me Before You Jojo Moyes 7 The Hobbit JRR Tolkien 8 Tempting Fate Jane Green 9 Ghost in the Machine Ed James 10 Devil in the Devil Ed James 11 The Running Man Richard Bachman 12 The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism Tariq Ramadan 13 Mornings in Jenin Susan Abulhawa 14 The Missing Half Brooke Powley 15 The Son in Law Charity Norman 16 Tarnished 17 Sharp Objects Gillian Flynn 18 Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop Abby Clements 19 Angel's Game Carlos Ruis Zafon 20 Doctor Sleep Stephen King 21 Hurting Distance Sophie Hannah 22 Message in a Bottle Nicholas Sparks 23 The Husband's Secret Liane Moriarty 24 Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams Jenny Colgan 25 Blue eyed boy Joanne Harris 26 Church Life in Kent, **** Arthur Willis 27 Naked Heat Richard Castle 28 The Fault in our Stars John Green 29 Before I fall Lauren Oliver 30 Three Girls and a Baby 31 An Artist of the Floating World Kazuo Ishiguro 32 Bitten, Stolen, Industrial Magic and Stolen Kelley Armstrong 33 Odd Thomas Dean Koontz 34 The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out of a Window and Disappeared Jonas Jonasson 35 The Snowman Jo Nesbo 36 The Carrier Sophie Hannah 37 The Broker John Grisham 38 Miracle Cure Harlan Coben 39 12 Years a Slave Solomon Northup 40 The Land of Decoration Grace McCleen 41 Release Me (Stark Trilogy #1) J Kenner 42 Claim Me (Stark Trilogy #2) J Kenner 43 Complete Me (Stark Trilogy #3) J Kenner 44 Take me (Stark Triology #3.5) J Kenner 45 Hilda and Pearl Alice Mattison 46 The Storyteller Jodi Picoult 47 Human Remains Elizabeth Haynes 48 Flora and Grace Maureen Lee 49 Accidents Happen Louise Millar 50 The First Wife Emily Barr 51 Beauty Louise Mensch 52 Dark Places Gillian Flynn 53 The Perfect Lie Emily Barr 54 The Sisterhood Emily Barr 55 Out of my Depth Emily Barr 56 Atlantic Shift Emily Barr 57 Someone Else's Son Sam Hayes 58 How to Fall in Love Ceceila Ahern 59 Plan B Emily Barr 60 The Carrier Sophie Hannah 61 Glittering Fortunes Victoria Fox 62 The Night Rainbow Claire King 63 The Long Way Home Audrey Howard 64 The Snowdon Files Luke Harding 65 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith 66 Being Indian Pavan Varma 67 The Last Juror John Grisham 68 The Forgotten David Baldacci 69 Broken Shy Keenan 70 Revenge Martina Cole 71 Straight White Male John Niven 72 In my Skin Kate Holden 73 Sycamore Row John Grisham 74 Shantaram Gregory Roberts 75 The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey 76 The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion 77 This is a Love Story Jessica Thompson 78 The Shock of the Fall Nathan Filer 79 The White Princess Philippa Gregory 80 Thicker than Water Kerry Wilkinson 81 I Heart Christmas Lindsay Kelk 82 Watched - When Road Rage Follows you Home Kerry Wilkinson 83 Flat Out Love Jessica Park 84 The Notebook Nicholas Sparks 85 The Guardian Nicholas Sparks 86 The Priestess of the White Trudi Canavan 87 The Voice of the Gods Trudi Canavan 88 The Last of the Wilds Trudi Canavan 89 The Time Keeper Mitch Albom 90 Blue Monday Nicci French 91 Ragnarok - The End of the Gods A S Byatt 92 Hallucinations Oliver Sacks 93 The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss 94 The Wise Man's Fear Patrick Rothfuss 95 The Debt and the Doormat Laura Barnard 96 Naked Heat (book 2) Richard Castle 97 The Cuckoo's Calling Robert Galbraith 98 The Love of my Life Louise Douglas 99 Gone Girl Gillian Flynn 100 The Secrets Between Us Louise Douglas 101 One Cold Night Katia Lief 102 Monday to Friday Man Alice Peterson 103 Stravaganza - City of Flowers Mary Hoffman 104 Mockingbird Kathryn Erskine 105 Things We Set on Fire Deborah Reed 106 Bolero Joanie McDonnell 107 Sylvia Bryce Courtenay 108 Hurry up and Wait Isabel Ashdown 109 The Bad Mother Isabelle Grey 110 Walk me Home Catherine Ryan Hyde 111 Why Men Love Bitches - From Doormat to Dream Girl, A Woman's Guide to Holding her own in a Relationship - 112 Misery Stephen King 113 Shining Girls Lauren Beukes 114 Me Without You Jojo Moyes 115 One Hundred Names Ceceila Ahern 116 Where'd You Go Bernadette Maria Semple 117 Daughters of the River Huong Nicole Duong 118 Losing You Susan Lewis 119 Recipe for Love - 120 Kinesis Ethan Spider 121 Kinetic Ethan Spider 122 My Hollywood Mona Simpson 123 The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul Deborah Rodriguez 124 Five Star Billionaire Tash Aw 125 Spilt Milk, Black Coffee Helen Cross 126 Parallel Lines, a journey from childhood to Belson Peter Lantos 127 Nightingales on Call Donna Douglas 128 White Teeth Zadie Smith 129 The Lies You Told Me Jessica Ruston 130 The Little Beach Street Bakery Jenny Colgan 131 Republic, A Novel of America's Future Charles Sheehan-Miles 132 The Butcher's Boy Thomas Perry 133 You Came Back Christopher Coake 134 American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis 135 The Gringo Trail Mark Mann 136 The Good Parents Joan London 137 Cold In Hand John Harvey 138 The Story of the Trapp Family Singers Maria Von Trapp 139 Lara Bernardine Evaristo 140 Soul Tourists Bernardine Evaristo 141 26a Diane Evans 142 A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters Julian Barnes 143 The Deportees Roddy Doyle 144 The Commitments Roddy Doyle 145 England, England Julian Barnes 146 A Tale for the Time-Being Ruth Ozeki 147 The Lowland Jhumpa Lahiri 148 The Hunter Angel Herta Muller 149 Anil's Ghost Michael Ondaatje 150 Home Toni Morrison 151 NW Zadie Smith 152 Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte 153 First Love, Last Rites Ian McEwan 154 Nights at the Circus Angela Carter 155 Trumpet Jackie Kay 156 A Distant Shore Caryl Phillips 157 Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro 158 Heat and Dust Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 159 The First Last Kiss Ali Harris 160 Insurgent Book 2 of America's Furture Charles Sheehan-Miles 161 The Boy who Sneaks in my Bedroom Window Kirsty Moseley 162 The Hollow Man Oliver Harris 163 Sarah's Key Tatiana de Rosnay 164 The Expats Christ Pavone 165 The Book Thief Markus Zusak 166 A Room of One's Own Virginia Woolf 167 A Room with a View E M Forster 168 It's All About Treo Dave Heyhoe & Damien Lewis 169 The Other Side of Dawn John Marsden 170 The Flowers in the Field Sarah Harrison 171 Bitter Greens Kate Forsyth 172 All the Hopeful Lovers William Nicholson 173 Man Walks into a Room Nicole Kraus 174 The Orchard of Lost Soles Nadifa Mohamed 175 Take me Home Daniela Sacerdoti 176 Under The Dome Stephen King 177 River of Destiny Barbara Erskine 178 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou 179 Lone Wolf Jodi Picoult 180 The Phantom of the Opera Gaston LeRoux 181 White Truffles in Winter N M Kelby 182 The Vintage Teacup Club Vanessa Green 183 When You Walked Back into My Life Hilary Boyd 184 The Guilty One Lisa Ballantyne 185 Don't Cry Beverly Barton 186 A Higher Call Adam Makos 187 Gentlemen & Players Joanne Harris 188 Daughter Jane Shemilt 189 Playing the Game Simon Gould 190 The Goldfinch Donna Tartt 191 One Dog at a Time Pen Farthing 192 Meet me at the Cupcake Café Jenny Colgan 193 Half of a Yellow Sun Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 194 Ghost Girl Torey Hayden 195 Newton's Fire Will Adams 196 Wideacre Phillipa Gregory 197 The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August Claire North 198 Too Close To Home Linwood Barclay 199 The Girl You Left Behind Jojo Moyes 200 Where Have I Gone Pauline Quirke 201 Dolly Susan Hill 202 A Tap on the Window Linwood Barclay 203 If You Were Me Sheila O'Flanagan 204 The Proposal Tasmina Perry 205 Never Saw It Coming Linwood Barclay 206 Before We Met Lucie Whitehouse 207 The Dream of the Celt Mario Vargas Llosa 208 Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad 209 The Lonely Londoners Sam Sevlon 210 Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys 211 The Wonder Diana Evans 212 The 2p Pusher Sian Cummins 213 The Love of a Good Woman Alice Munro 214 The Favoured Child Phillipa Gregory 215 A Perfect Heritage Penny Vincenzi 216 Before I go to Sleep S J Watson 217 Bellman & Black Diane Setterfield

Total books read: 217

Top reader - 3rd: Alyj66 with 24, 2nd: Pompey with 35 and Sambarine pips it to 1st with 36!

When checking my spreadsheet against the thread I'd messed up a little and diddled myself out of a book! Never mind. I'll start 2015's thread shortly ? my mission this year is #readmorein2015

Ooh! Exciting! Well done ladies, and thanks Pompey, I've really enjoyed keeping track of/reviewing my books on here.

I think I read more because of this thread, and I'm proud of how much I've read so more than happy to do again.

I definitely read more because of the thread but I also read different authors that I've not considered or heard of and I certainly enjoy that.

Thanks again...now to update 2015