January 13, 2015

Top Ten 2014 Releases I Meant to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're listing the books those 2014 releases we meant to read, but somehow never got around to over the past year. 

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison — So convinced was I that I'd love this that I went and bought a hardcover. I'm still pretty sure I'll love it when I get around to reading it.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown — I own the Kindle version of this. With the recent publication of the sequel Golden Son, now sounds like the perfect time to read this YA/Adult dystopian crossover.
Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley — Everyone seems to have strong opinions on this one (mostly positive), and I can't wait to add mine to the mix. Very interested in this story about the struggles a girl must endure to join a military academy.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge — I also own the hardcover of this (though I was gifted it). This fairy-tale retelling sounds like everything I should love in a story, and with the companion novel Crimson Bound releasing later this year, it's time to read Cruel Beauty.
Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen  — I own the Kindle edition of this. I'm not actually quite sure about the status of the sequels for this series, since the first was published by the now cancelled Strange Chemistry, but I've nevertheless intrigued by this debut.
 
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch — This is a YA fantasy that promises political intrigue, a magical world, and a fighting female protagonist. Of course I'll be reading this one! 
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel — Everyone seems to be impressed by this well-written, post-apocalyptic tale. I'm always happy to see speculative fiction works become mainstream, so I'll be checking this one out soon.
The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes — This sounds so freaking adorable. And I'm always down for books that allude to classics (in this case Sun Tzu's The Art of War). I'm just waiting for the right occasion to read a fluffy book.
The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine  — Historical fiction and fairy-tale retellings go together so well, or at least they have in my reading experience. I love the idea of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" taking place during the 1920s. 
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson — This one I had borrowed briefly from the library before needing to return it again. But I will be checking this out again soon. There's been a lot of award buzz over this, and it sounds like a powerful book.

What 2014 releases do you still need to read?
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Amanda

Amanda loves few things better than sitting down with a cup of tea and a book. She frequently stays up far too late, telling herself she just needs to finish one more page. When she's not wrapped up in the stories of others, Amanda works as a children's librarian in a public library.

7 comments:

  1. Snow like Ashes & Cruel Beauty are also on my list! I'll get to them...eventually!

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  2. As you know, I loved Red Rising, Cruel Beauty, The Art of Lainey, and Rites of Passage. I wasn't a fan of Stolen Songbird (but I'm in the minority regarding that one) and definitely want to read The Goblin Emperor myself. Wonderful list, Amanda--I hope you get around to these this year! :)

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  3. Lots of good ones on this list that I've been meaning to read too - The Art of Lainey & Snow Like Ashes are at the top of my list. I definitely recommend Stolen Songbird - very unique story about trolls and a sweet romance. :)
    Hope you are able to get to these this year!

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  4. Snow Like Ashes and The Art of Lainey are two books from 2014 that I really enjoyed. Red Rising is one I've heard a lot about and really need to find time to read

    My TTT is here.

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  5. Of these, I've only read Cruel Beauty, but I loved it! Also: Stolen Songbird. I understand the series has been picked up by Angry Robot, the parent company to imprint Strange Chemistry, so I believe the series will be continuing that way. Red Rising and Station Eleven are both ones that are high up on my tbr because of all the buzz I've been hearing!

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  6. Cruel Beauty is on everyones list this week. Would be on mine too if I had participated. :) Everybody sure seemed to love it and that kind of makes me nervous. :) Station Eleven is one I'd really love to get to sooner rather than later as well.

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  7. Yes, yes, yes to Station Eleven! I absolutely loved that book, and it totally caught me by surprise. The summary sounded kind of weird to me, but the writing just took it to another level. Hope you get to that one this year!

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