What I read this past year

For some reason, I did not read as many books as I usually do during a year. Looking at my list, I was heavily influenced by books that came out as movies. Also, lots of books marketed to young adults. Overall, still a great year of reading for me. In case you are interested, here is what I read in 2014:

The Book Thief

World War II literature from the viewpoint of the German citizens. A mystery narrator tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a girl who has a difficult life in Germany as Hitler rises to power. Don’t worry, the mystery narrator is revealed. A sad story to read, but brilliantly told.

 

Divergent

A mix of The Hunger Games and The Matrix. Fun to read if you don’t take it too seriously. Beatrice Prior’s lives in a dystopian Chicago world, where everyone in is divided into five factions. But what happened to everyone outside of this apocalyptic city?

 

Insurgent

The story from Divergent continues as Tris attempts to discover the truth about her whole life and her society. The answers to what exactly is going on are unpeeled like an onion. At this point, fans of this series have already figured out which camp they belong to: “I would be Euridite” or “I would be Dauntless.” The author, a mere 26 years old, incorporates Christian themes into this series.

Allegiant

The conclusion of the story began in Divergent. Some fans of this series became upset because this third installment of the series is told in a different manner than the previous two: the point-of-view switches between two of the characters, rather than just the main heroine of the series. At the end, it’s understood why the author did this, but it sent some readers out of their comfort zone. Besides that, a good conclusion to the series.

Ready Player One

Calling all nerds, dorks and geeks for this science fiction thriller that romps through 1980’s pop culture. Even if you weren’t a teen in the 80’s or were born yet, you’ll enjoy this SF romp through virtual reality. Probably my favorite book I read this year.

 

Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed: Black Holes, Love, and a Journey In and Out of Calvinism

Describes the spiritual journey of a young man as he enters and leaves Calvinism in his Christian beliefs. I have worked for a church from a reformed tradition and a church from a non-denominational background. This book presented the differences in a concise and clear way. The author is fair and doesn’t slam anyone in the process. I just found out this book is a best seller in the Christian book market for 2014.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

If you think you’d like Ocean’s Eleven in a fantasy setting, then you’d probably like this book. Lynch is a master of dialogue and description. Great character interaction. Probably could have been a little shorter, but overall a great treat for anyone who likes speculative fiction that slants toward fantasy. Definitely going to read the others in this series.

The Fault in Our Stars

Two teens with cancer fall in love and contemplate the time they may or may not have left. The author attempts to get into the mind of a teen girl who will probably die young. This is one of those books made into a movie and marketed to young adults, but anyone will enjoy it. Lots of good quotes.

Gone Girl

Lots of twists along this journey. It is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Enjoyable read, but the ending left me a little unsatisfied.

 

N0S4A2

If you like Stephen King or Dean Koontz, you’ll probably like this. Surprised at how much I liked this book. Great protagonist. I kept thinking, “This reads like a Stephen King book” and later I found out the author is his son. By the way, the title is a license plate that is pronounced nosferatu, which is a word meaning vampire.

 

The Interestings

Examine the relationships of six people over several decades. I have to admit I was a little disappointed in this novel. While the author has a pleasant writing style, the story felt slow to me and I had a hard time caring about the characters. While some people may enjoy this story, I was not one of them.

Moment Maker

You can live your life or it will live you. Whitaker is a church worship leader and musician. He’s led worship at my church a few times so I thought I’d read his book. While not deep theologically, Moment Maker makes some good points and is entertaining.

 

Wool (Omnibus)

Dystopian/post-apocalyptic setting in which Earth’s survivors like in a giant silo and history is a big mystery. The author took five novellas and put them all into one volume. I didn’t realize this at first, so the book overall seems disjointed because the protagonist keeps changing every hundred pages. Once I realized it was five short novels in one volume, it didn’t matter. Good read for SF readers and it’s gaining popularity.

The Book With No Pictures

Children’s book that turns the reader into a comedian for kids. I read this book to a first grade class and they loved it. It is hilarious. The author, B.J. Novak, is an actor known for his role as the intern in the sit-com The Office. Fun book and helps children to start seeing the value in word choice.

Princess Pain

Marina is a cold-hearted courier of contraband who likes to play rough. Her life as a loner is just fine until the delivery of a flash drive with stolen weapons technology ends her alias and makes her the target of a power-hungry militia leader who wants her alive, and his sultry assassin lover who wants her dead. I admit that I read this book because I designed the cover, but it ended up being a story with all my favorite guilty pleasures: science-fiction, action, violence and space opera.