Books 21 through 42 of 2014

I started keeping track of the books I read last year, and it has already been useful as a reference and fun to look back on. I previously wrote about books that I read during the first half of 2014 (see here); for future posterity, here are the books read during the second half of the year.  

21. The Gods of Guilt, by Michael Connelly - This is a "Lincoln Lawyer" novel featuring the complicated (and likable, to me) Mickey Haller as a criminal defense attorney who is defending a pimp accused of killing one of his prostitutes. I had read the original Lincoln Lawyer book but nothing in between, and thought this was a real page-turner and very enjoyable to devour. 

22. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin - An absolutely delightful novel centered around a quirky, isolated bookstore owner. A very sweet, fast read with great characters, especially if like me, you are a sucker for quirky characters. 

23. Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity, by Jen Hatmaker - A book challenging all Christians to dig deeper and think about what it truly means to care for the least and the lost. This book made such an impression on me that I wrote a review in a separate blog post (see here).  

24. Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Of all of the books I read this year, I think this one made the greatest impression on me. This novel explores racism and cultural constraints in America through the perspective of a Nigerian immigrant to the United States and really challenged me to think deeper about the role that race plays in our everyday lives. Powerful and highly recommended. 

25. The Rosie Project: A Novel, by Graeme Simsion - Probably the funniest book that I read all year, and certainly the funniest novel. A quirky, socially-challenged genetics professor launches a search for the "perfect wife," and hilarity ensures. I hope this is made into a movie because it would be an awesome romantic comedy. 

26. Three Wishes, by Liane Moriarty - The first book from one of my favorite authors, an Australian "chick lit" writer with very well-written novels and well-developed female characters. This was Liane Moriarty's first novel and follows a trio of triplet sisters over the course of a year, exploring themes such as adultery, domestic violence, and pregnancy along the way. 

27. Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty - Liane Moriarty's newest book, again with a plot line that follows a trio of female characters, although instead of sisters, the book focuses on three mothers whose children are all beginning kindergarten. A novel that explores dark themes but is still hilarious - one of the best chick-lit books I read all year. 

28. Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner - Eh, there is nothing bad about this book, but there is nothing new about it, either, since it recycles much of the material in the original Freakonomics book(s). As an academic, I also maintain that they made the research process look waaaaaaay too easy. 

29. Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes - A English novel about a provincial young women who is hired to be the caregiver to a former "Master of the Universe" quadriplegic young man. That description of the plot makes the story sound cheesy but it is anything but - and has many meaningful insights about the lives of those with disabilities. 

30. Love and Anger: The Parental Dilemma, by Nancy Samalin - I read this book for a parenting book club that I was never able to attend in the end. The main takeaway I had was that anger is closely related to love, and we often feel the angriest toward those we love, especially when they violate our expectations. 

31. The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands, by Lysa TerKeurst - A Chrisitan author explores how to say "no" and make wise choices from a Biblical perspective. I am still terrible at saying "no" after reading this book, but I did gain a sense of the importance of realizing that for every "yes" we give, we are actually saying "no" to other things. 

32. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz - The four agreements are: (1) Be impeccable with your word, (2) Don't take anything personally, (3) Don't make assumptions, and (4) Always do your best. There, now you don't have to read the book. ;) 

33. Orphan Train: A Novel, by Christina Baker Kline - A novel that alternates between two intersecting story lines, one the story told in flashbacks of a young orphan girl sent out on the "Orphan Train" in 1929, and the other a teenager in the modern-day foster care system. Very well-developed characters and a simple but powerful writing style. 

34. Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell (audio) - This was the first audio book that I listened to, and though I think it would have been a fast read, the audio recording was over 12 hours. This was a sweet young-adult novel about a girl beginning college who is wrapped up in the fan fiction of a Harry Potter-sound-alike. 

35. Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life, by Emily Freeman - A Christian perspective on the need for God's grace in our lives, even those who are classic "good girls." I enjoyed the book but have to say that compared to the book's examples, I am way less of a "good girl" than I thought - for example, I have never once had a problem deciding what to eat if my husband wasn't around. 

36. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley - December's selection for the new Mystery Book Club that I have barged my way into. The main character, a precious 11-year old obsessed with chemistry, is alternatively charming and annoying, but I enjoyed the mystery and the context of post-World War II England. 

37. Humans of New York, by Brandon Stanton - Okay, this one probably shouldn't count as a "book," because it is a "coffee table book," but hey, I read every single caption and studied every single picture closely. HONY is one of my favorite pages to follow on Facebook - I love the photographs and snippets of the messy complexity of real-people - and this book features 400 of such portraits. 

38. One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson  - What a wonderful book! Bill Bryson is a fabulous non-fiction writing and could probably write about paint drying in a way that would be insightful and entertaining. In this account, he focuses on the cultural landscape of the U.S. during the summer of 1927, with particular attention on the Lindbergh flight and Babe Ruth's record-setting home-run season. 

39. Searching for Sanity: 52 Insights from Parents of the Bible, by Lindsey Bell - This book is written as a devotional and is meant to be read one chapter a week. Not me! Why devour something in small bits when you can read it all at once and forget almost everything written?? There were a lot of good daily activities to do along with each week's reading, none of which I did, of course. 

40. All Fall Down, by Jennifer Weiner - A very well-written "chick lit" novel focusing on a mom who becomes addicted to prescription pain medications by one of my favorite chick-lit authors, Jennifer Weiner. While the accuracy of addiction and rehab could be debated, this was a very well-written and easy-to-read book that put a human face on addiction. 

41. Yes Please, by Amy Poehler (audio) - I am so glad that I listen to the audio version of this book instead of simply reading it, since hearing Amy Poehler (and other guests) read her own work was absolutely hilarious. I had not even heard of Amy Poehler before beginning (and have since started watching Parks & Recreation) and still loved it. 

42. Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter, by Steven Johnson - An account of how modern-day video games, television shows, and the Internet are not a race to the bottom, but instead are cognitively challenging and stimulating in ways often ignored by their critics. The book was published in 2005, which explains why it uses "Friendster" as an example of social network websites. 

What good or bad books did you read this year??