Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant To Read But Didn't Get To

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Happy New Year everyone! Wow, how time flies. I can’t believe that it’s already 2015! Sadly I didn’t get to read all of the books I was looking forward to last year. With that in mind, here are some of the releases from 2014 that slipped past me.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

To be fair, I had been avoiding picking this up because a little birdie told me that Santa would be dropping it off for Christmas. Well that little birdie did not lie, and this is next on my “to read” shelf. Jude and Noah are twins who are incredibly close, but during their teen years their relationship begins to break down. Each twin only has half of the story, but they will need to complete it in order to rebuild their relationship.

The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick

I loved Quick’s The Silver Linings Playbook so I was looking forward to reading his latest book. Bartholomew had spent his whole life living with his mother, and after her death he is struggles to cope. Following the advice of his grief counselor he reaches out to Richard Gere, believing there to be a connection between the two of them.

The Witch’s Boy by Kelly Barnhill

I stumbled across this book while searching for book covers illustrated by Jon Klassen and I was instantly intrigued. Ned loses his twin brother to a rafting accident and the people in his village are convinced that the wrong twin survived. As he grows older, his weak body and cautious attitude only further their belief, but he may be the only one who can protect his community and it’s magic from the Bandit King.

Schizo by Nic Sheff

Miles suffers from Schizophrenia and while suffering from his first schizophrenic episode, his younger brother Teddy disappears. Miles becomes obsessed with locating his little brother. And while he may believe that he is getting better, he is only getting worse.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Marilyn and James Lee both had high hopes for their daughter Lydia. Marilyn dreamed that she would be a doctor and James hoped that she would be the life of the party. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake they must confront secrets that have been tearing them apart.

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

This book takes a look at opposing sides of the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia 1959. On one side is Sarah Dunbar, one of the first black students to attend a previously all-white school. On the other side is Linda Hariston, the daughter the town’s most vocal opponents of segregation. If it is as good as all of the reviews have said, I’m in for quite an emotional read.

The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett

You didn’t think I would get through this list without a picture book, did you? This wordless picture book (that’s right, first I give you a picture book with no pictures, now one without words) tells the story of a young girl who is determined to get herself a green bicycle. Seems simple enough but if it’s anything like Pett’s The Boy and the Airplane, and I’m hoping that it is, I am in for a quite a treat.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria

This is Dellaria’s first book, and I’ve been looking forward to reading it. In it, Laurel is given a writing assignment for her English class: Write a letter to a dead person. What began with a letter to Kurt Cobain spirals into an entire notebook filled with letters to deceased celebrities. The letters help Laurel uncover the truth and begin to better understand her late sister, May, as well as herself.

Project Superhero by E. Paul Zehr

When I first heard about this book it brought a huge smile to my face, and now I’m kind of disappointed in myself for not having read it yet. The book is presented in the form of a diary as 13 year old Jessie is researching superheroes for a head-to-head debate in front of the entire school. Jessie decides to champion Batgirl and dives into learning all about what it would take to become a superhero.

The Bees by Laline Paull

Bees? Yep, bees, because have you ever heard about a book and said, “why not?” It’s a book from the perspective of bees, following Flora 717, a worker bee who is determined to be something more. After breaking into the throne room, she makes a discovery that will challenge everything she once knew.

Any that you missed last year?

~Marilyn