The 40 Books I’ve Read In 2014

Based on the successful of my post last year on the 26 books I read in 52 weeks I gave myself the same goal this year – read one book every-other week for the entire year.  Imagine my surprise when I went back through my list and realized I blew past 26 books and, as of Sunday, I have read 40 books this year!   If you have been around S & S for a while you know I love listening to books (here, here, and here) whether I am commuting to and from work, shopping, or really heading anywhere by myself but almost a book a week was shocking!  

Of the more than three dozen books I have read this year, my favorite series has been Jams Patter’s Private. The books are based on a world renowned investigation company called Private,  founded and run by a former CIA agent and each book just seemed to get better – however, I must say I found  Private Games the most realistic in terms of how many things could go wrong at an Olympics Games and Private Berlin taught me the most eye-opening.  You can read about all of the books here: 

If you are not into the crime fighting thriller books, ala James Patterson and David Baldacci, there were two books this year I absolutely loved in addition to The Art Forger, which got it’s own post.   The first was The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Bechanan which I debated for ages whether or not it should get it’s own post but decided to include it in this recap instead.  If you know me you know I love historical fiction so a book about two real events – the teenage crime in Paris in the 1880’s and the paintings and work of Edgar Degas woven into a spectacular but seemingly realistic tale was right up my ally.  The second book I loved was Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple – I have no idea why it took over a year for me to get around to reading it but it was a perfect light, quick, easy read and I appreciated the plot twist.
 

Honestly, if you a member of your public library I strongly recommend seeing if they are linked or affiliated with OverDrive and if you can get involved!  My library in New York City lets you borrow books (both ebooks and audiobooks) for 7 days, but my library in Florida gives you a full 14 days!  All expect for a few of the books below I “read” through OverDrive: 

The full list of books: