Happy New Year, All! Since this time of year is naturally a time for reflection, I'll be having a few different reading reports going up this week and next. First up, my fourth quarter reading report! (Thanks to Janssen at Everyday Reading for hosting these!)
This fourth quarter was pretty much the quarter of the four-star book. (With a few exceptions, of course.) From October-December 2014 I read 15 books. They are:
- Yes Please by Amy Poehler - While I adore Poehler's Parks and Rec character Leslie Knope, I didn't really know that much about Amy Poehler herself. While I found it to be fairly funny and occasionally profound, I didn't respond to it as strongly as I hoped. Still, it was an enjoyable read.
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - I am skeptical of books that claim to be "for book lovers." I mean, really. If that's the best thing you can say when marketing a book, I'm immediately hesitant. But this book is lovely. (And it is definitely for book lovers.)
- Golden Son by Pierce Brown - The words that come to mind when thinking of this series are "epic," "gutsy," "addicting," and "extremely violent." I would not recommend this broadly because of the violence, but, personally, I avoided food and sleep in order to finish this book.
- The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman - I can't say I enjoyed reading this book, but I am glad I read it. It's a really incredible book, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it in college classrooms at some point. (Though it is still a pretty infuriating read.)
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - This was my first Moriarty book, and it certainly won't be my last.
- Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison- I was shocked at how little interest I had in this book. From reading the premise, it sounded like it was tailor made for me. Alas, it was not to be.
- The Jewel by Amy Ewing - This book was adequately entertaining, which is about all I can say about it.
- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty- My favorite memoir I've read in a while. It spurred a lot of conversation and made me think about some difficult topics in a new light.
- Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas - The Maas Goddess does it again. I am loving this series more and more with every book I read.
- The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson- I think most people will either love this book or hate it. Personally, I loved it. (And I am DYING because book doesn't come out until FREAKING JULY.)
- Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine- Haunting, exciting, and suspenseful, this Phantom of the Opera retelling was a delight to read. I'm definitely reading its sequel when it's released.
- The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey- This is probably my most thought provoking book of the year. I was talking to everyone around me about it for weeks afterwards, and it still makes me think of history in a new light.
- The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie- I adore Agatha Christie, but this one was not my favorite.
- The Unhappening of Genesis Lee by Shallee McArthur- Yay for supporting local authors! I hope this book is widely read because although it wasn't perfect, it was a lot of fun.
- Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson- So, so, so, so, so glad I finally read this! This book was a perfect combination between complicated and accessible. A really fantastic fantasy.
And here are some graphs breaking down my fourth quarter reading:
It's been fun analyzing my fourth quarter reading! How was your fourth quarter this year?
So many great books. I read Big, Little Lies and LOVED it. It was also my first book by Liane Moriarty, but certainly not the last. :)
ReplyDeleteYes! So glad you liked it as well! Which of Moriarty's other books are you planning on reading next? I'm leaning towards What Alice Forgot, since I've heard so many good things about it...
DeleteLove seeing your stats like this! And such a great list of books. I recently did a reread of The Daughter of Time, and I think one of these days, if I can ever find the time, I'd like to read more about the alternate views of Richard III!
ReplyDeleteOooh, yes! It would be so fascinating to read more alternate views of Richard III. That's probably my favorite thing about historical fiction: it has all the same players, but switches around who are the heroes and the villains. This was the first book I read that defended Richard III, so it totally blew my mind. Loved it.
Delete