Top Five Books of 2014

nittnut: For a new point of view, characters I could love.

vwinsloe: Emotionally genuine as well as authentic in its depiction of time and place. Unforgettable characters.

tiffin: This was such great good fun!

tottman: Perfect blend of science, action and humor. One of my favorite characters of all time.

SherylHendrix: A riveting story that highlights the human emotions of individuals caught in the horrors of war.

lorannen: By far one of the most original and compelling space novels I've read in recent years.

innominate: A novel of time and place, of death and rebirth. Of foxes and not. Historical and ahistorical. A fantastic (in both senses of the word) read.

starfishian: Absolutely brilliant. Kate Atkinson is a gifted writer.

Aquila: Do I need to explain my choice? Loved the set up.

NoPlanetB: Compelling story, brilliant writer.

booklover3258: Sad story of love and loss. Why wouldn't I love this book?

RuMuse: I didn't expect I'd like this book, much less love it. It's the clear voice of the protagonist, Hazel, with her insights and mordant humor, that make this a great book.

amaranthe: It is extremely funny, and not in a stupid way.

JSWBooks: There's so much to this book. One reader quoted The Guardian's review: "There are some novels that tell a great story and others that make you change the way you look at the world. ... Adichie's Americanah is a book that manages to do both." It is about race, immigrants, relationships. Beautiful, provacative writing.

Bookmarque: Stories of orphans and outsiders usually follow a familiar storyline, but this novel surprised me both in characterization and in plot. Set in an unusual location and time it is an introspective and engrossing novel.

innominate: A bare description of this novel (the tale of the last woman to be executed in Iceland) doesn't do justice to its complexity and clarity of purpose. A tale of death breathing life into a past society.

amaranthe: Maia unexpectedly becomes emperor after having lived his 18 years as an embarrassment in exile. He must learn to govern effectively without being killed, being manipulated by older members of the government, or becoming like his father. Lots of politics, intrigue, problem-solving, and heart.

NoPlanetB: Eye-popping narrative.

Aquila: Like Rosemary Sutcliff, but with a female protagonist - and a bisexual one at that. Fascinating, integrated, beautifully written.

flying_monkeys: Uses two mythological creatures to explore what it means to be human.

flying_monkeys: What's scarier than something you can't see but know is right beside you? Eek!

booklover3258: Funny story and loved the dysfunctional family.

lorannen: Saga finally convinced me to become a regular reader of comics. It's a brilliant story, with artwork to match.

Tanya-dogearedcopy: Urban Fantasy about a RC in modern-day London who discovers that he has wizarding skillz; The author was a scriptwriter for Doctor Who, and the story is very fast, funny, and quintessentially British.

nittnut: Because it's the first book in a new to me series. It's such a pleasure to find a great new series.

JuliaMaria: Wie Frauen in der Kunstgeschichte unsichtbar gemacht werden. Verpackt in Beschreibung eines spannenden Duells zweier Ķünstler.

tottman: Listened to this book on audio and it absolutely blew me away. Absolute gut-punch. Brilliant writing.

Mecaza: The BEST book I have read this year by far..

tiffin: Fascinating story.

Aquila: I read this without reading about it first, which was lucky, and it turned out to be a book exactly right for me.