A Good Year

I set a goal of reading 60 books this year; it felt attainable, without feeling like too much stress to reach my goal.  Two years ago, I read 77 books, but when I set the goal of 75 books last year, I didn't make it.  Sometimes, I read such a good book that I get spoiled and the first several books I pick up after it just won't do, and I set them aside without finishing them.  Sometimes, I just get too busy, or too caught up in TV shows, or other time wasters, to get much reading in.  But this year was a good year, a good balance of books that held my attention, with a few great ones along the way; overall, I finished 87 books!  (According to Goodreads, and trusting that I remembered to add every book I read)  Goodreads tells me that I read almost 26,500 pages; to me, that's a more telling number than just the number of books I read.  I didn't just read books this year, I read BIG books.  (Hello? The Goldfinch?)

As I look back over my books from this year, I realize yet again, that I am incredibly stingy with 5-star ratings.  To me, 3-stars means average, and over the course of the books I read, most of them should average out to 3 stars.  I still like 3-star books; I love 4-star books; but 5-star books are something extra special - a book I can't put down, or stop thinking about, one that sticks with me long after I put it on the shelf, return it to the library, or archive it on my Kindle.  Sometimes, to be fair to the author, because I really do think my 3-stars and 4-stars are good books, I will adjust my rating upwards on a public review.

Anywho - without further ado, here are some of my favorite books from the year, spanning random genres, topics and authors!

Middle Grade
Counting by 7s - Holly Goldberg Sloan

My book club seemed to have a running theme of orphans and/or gifted kids this year, and this book had both.  But it was so quirky and fun that it rose above the others as one of my favorites this year.

Non-fiction
Love Mercy - Lisa Samson and Ty Samson

I picked this up from my church library on a whim, because it was on an end cap, but I was so glad I did.  I have loved a lot of Lisa Samson's fictional work (see below!), and I loved this non-fictional account by her and her daughter of not only their trip to Africa, but their transition to a new lifestyle that they were being called to.  It was humorous, but it was also eye opening and heart changing.  It's difficult, if not impossible, to read an account like this and not feel more compassionate to "others."

Runaway Saint - Lisa Samson (again)

Another book that I loved for a storyline that made me think and that wasn't afraid to break traditional Christian fiction boundaries to talk about family dysfunction and the impacts on people's lives.  I mentioned that this was a book I planned to re-read, and it's definitely going on my 2015 TBR list again.

Some other books that weren't maybe my favorite-favorites of the year, but that I enjoyed nonetheless:

Unspoken/Undetected  - Dee Henderson

Although I didn't love Full Disclosure, I did love these two books that joined the series.  I love Dee Henderson's military books, and I still have high hopes that there will be a book about the third brother from this family!

Cress, audio book - Marissa Meyer

I'm not usually one for audio books, because I tend to get distracted by the narrator's character interpretations, but I really really enjoyed this one, mostly because the narrator was fantastic.  I enjoyed the other books in The Lunar Chronicles, but the narrator made this book even better for me.

2015
And as an extra bonus, here are some of the books I'm most excited to see come to print in 2015.  (I'm not usually a reader who looks ahead, but several of my favorite authors have new releases coming out that I've been waiting anxiously for!)

Reservations for Two, by Hillary Manton Lodge

This is book 2 in the Blue Door Series, of which book one was Table by the Window - a book I immediately purchased for a friend before I'd even finished it.

The Art of Losing Yourself - by Katie Ganshert

I have loved every book by this author, and I can't wait to read more!  Every book has depth, and growth, and great characters.

Flames - by Ginny Yttrup

Ginny Yttrup is one of those authors whose words and stories are so carefully chosen and woven together that they impact me far beyond the few days I spend devouring them.  She has chosen to publish this one independently, and I am eagerly awaiting its debut!

Still Life - by Christa Parrish

Christa Parrish is another author whom I can't get enough of; her plots and characters are so unusual, yet so well-written, that I enjoy each one immensely.

This Quiet Sky - by Joanne Bischof

Okay, this one's a cheat, because I already own it, but I just haven't had time to read it yet.  This is a novella based on the early life of one of her characters from her earlier series, The Cadence of Grace series, every one of which I loved.

SOOO,,,,There we go!
What were your favorite books of 2014?
What books are you looking forward to in 2015?
Do you set reading goals?

Note: While some of the books above were provided to me for review (and I've tried to link to my reviews where applicable), this post was solely written as a recollection of the books I've enjoyed and look forward to.

To Know You - Shannon Ethridge, Kathryn Mackel

Julia Whittaker lives a good life running a boutique wedding planning business with her husband Matt.  Even as they share their success, however, not all is well.  Their son, Dillon, has suffered from a liver disease that requires a transplant, and time is running out to find a donor.  Every person in their lives that has been willing to be tested has not been a match, and their options are almost out.  Except for the option of locating Julia's two daughters who were born out of wedlock within 18 months of each other to different fathers and each given up for adoption before Dillon was born.  Can Julia face the risk of seeking out her daughters for her son's sake?  Will they be willing to even meet with her, much less hear her out and be willing to be tested for a surgery to help a brother they've never known?  What about their new families and all of the twists and turns that this will cause in relationships with siblings, adoptive parents, birth parents and more?

While I've read several books where a previous child given up for adoption turns up out of nowhere to wreak havoc on a "stable" marriage, this was a turn on the adoption story that I'd not read before.  Julia had been upfront with her husband about her past, and he knew that there were daughters, and the men who'd fathered them, in Julia's past life.  Her love for Dillon, her fear of his dying, but the risk of opening herself up to these daughters she'd loved enough to let go of was an interesting storyline that worked pretty well.  How do you get someone to agree to something this big when you've had no relationship established in the past?  How quickly can you find common ground to relate to each other on when every day could be the last day to make the decision?  Although some things happened perhaps a little too quickly for real life (would anyone just jump on a private jet with the "mom" you'd just met, to fly across the country?), for the most part, people's reactions and emotions were realistic.  There were a lot of tangled knots to work through, and they were handled fairly thoroughly.  There was a side plot with Julia's second daughter that I wasn't entirely sure needed to be in the storyline, but it did draw the characters together and further their relationships.  It felt like it was there for the shock value, though, and may be tough for some readers to handle.

I give this book 3.5 stars.  I wish that I'd read it before Veil of Secrets, but even still, it was enjoyable and I didn't feel like I knew *too* much of what was going to happen.

You can find To Know You HERE.
You can find Shannon Ethridge's site HERE.
You can find Kathryn Mackel's site HERE.

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Meant to Be Mine - Becky Wade

Ty Porter and Celia Park connected in high school as friends, although Celia would have loved more.  Given the chance to see Ty show his stuff as a champion bullrider in Las Vegas, Celia finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance that she's always dreamed of, ending up at the cheesiest of Las Vegas wedding chapels.  Those dreams are quickly dashed with Ty's first words the morning after, and Celia finds herself alone again, although, not exactly.

While there were aspects of this plot that were foreseeable, I appreciated that the author did stray away from the particular trap of having the girl catch the guy in a situation that looked worse than it was.  I appreciated Celia's feistiness and reluctance to allow Ty back in wholeheartedly.  Even her struggle with forgiveness felt authentic, and not trite.  Forgiving what Ty had done should not have come easily, and it didn't.  Uncle Danny, Addie, Ty's family, and other side characters helped round out the story.  It looks like this a series, with the first book being about Ty's brother Bo and his wife Meg; I can hope that there will be another book about their brother Jake.  This is a family I'd like to read more about!

I give this book 4 stars; I was invested in the characters and sucked into the story of their personal and interpersonal development and healing.

You can find Meant to Be Mine HERE.
You can find Becky Wade's site HERE.
You can like her on FB HERE and follow her fun Pinterest challenges with Katie Ganshert , including one where they tried to replicate this very cover!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

House of Living Stones - Katie Schuermann

Emily Duke has come to Bradbury, Illinois, to seek a fresh start.  Hired by Pastor Fletcher to be the new choir director at Zion Lutheran Church, and teaching classes at the local college, she feels like this small town will be the perfect place to settle in and move on with her life.  However, as seems typical for small towns, there are histories and quarrels and jealousies inherent with the community that Emily unwittingly sets herself into the middle of.  Can she be open about her past? Can  she find a way to actually move on, trust people, and God with her future?

This book had so much potential: small-town gossips and rivalries and broken relationships; a young, single, woman moving to a town home to a young, unmarried, cleric, and a handsome English professor at the college, an eccentric organist at the Lutheran church, and a brilliant piano student with piercings and black eyeliner who agrees to accompany the choir.  The book was full of quirky, interesting characters, and I loved them, but I wanted more.  I wanted to see the friendship between Emily and Rebecca be more; the little that there was was precious, and they could have added so much more to the story.  I loved Ben Schmidt, the lawnmower, and Caroline, the tortured heiress.  Mrs. Scheinberg, the church secretary was well-developed, turning into a character you couldn't be irritated at, even after her rough introduction.  But in the end, the book was just a little too clunky for me to fully enjoy; some of the characters seemed to be there only to serve a means to the end of the plot the author had envisioned, without giving them enough weight to be enjoyed in their own right.  There were several sections that encompassed a single analogy, but ones that didn't fit the book.  Comparing communion to a football game?  Maybe if the pastor is an NFL fan.  An entire scene compared to fishing and boating? Would make sense if the characters involved shared a passion for bass, or trout, or anything related to fish.  But they didn't, and it made those scenes feel like the author was reaching for a tool that wasn't quite right for the job.  Additionally, the title was intriguing and grabbed me immediately, but other than a question in the discussion questions, the author didn't build upon it.  It felt like a title worthy of entering the story to enrich it, but it was left to the reader to ponder it, or leave it behind on the cover.

It looks like this book is to be part of a series, and I liked the characters enough that I'm looking forward to see how the town moves forward.  I hope that the writing will smooth out as the author settles into her characters, and that the writing itself will enhance the story rather than detract from it.

I give this book 3 stars; I loved the cover and loved the characters, but felt that the book didn't reach its potential.

You can find House of Living Stones HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

A November Bride - Beth Vogt

In A November Bride, personal chef Sadie McAllister has just been dumped by text. Again.  She grapples with lingering childhood insecurity over the teasing she endured, and wonders if she'll ever find someone who makes her feel beautiful.  Just as she's offered a great job several states away, her long-time friend and serial dater, Erik, asks her out.  On a real date.  Can she trust him?  Will they ruin their friendship?  Or can they build something beautiful out of a lifelong friendship?

I enjoyed Sadie and Erik's story; their friendship and the leap it took to let them move beyond it felt real, and even with the compressed storyline of a novella didn't feel extremely rushed.  As with many of the Year of Weddings novella, I did feel that the wedding itself was forced into a timeslot due to the construct of the series.  While I can appreciate the desire for a short engagement, especially between friends who have known each other so long, going from *just* friends to married in just a month feels incredibly short.  However, I did enjoy the unusual twist to the wedding scene.

I give this novella 3.5 stars; I enjoyed the characters, and their relationship - both as friends and as more.

You can find A November Bride HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.  This is a new author to me, but one whom I intend to look for again!

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

October Bride - Katie Ganshert

Emma's dad has terminal cancer, and when she discovers his Bucket List only has 1 item remaining on it, she will do whatever she can to help him complete it.  Only, the last item is to walk her down the aisle, and she's missing a groom to meet at the other end.  When she confesses her wish to her long-time friend, Jake, he offers to be that man for her - a fake wedding to give her dad what he dreams of.  But can Emma follow through?  Can she fool her dad, and her heart, into a fake wedding?

The Year of Weddings series has been a little hit or miss for me, but this one was definitely a hit.  My only problem with it was that I wanted it to be a full novel!  I wanted more of Jake and Emma's story!  While the author managed to not make the story feel overly rushed in so few pages, I really wanted to be able to savor their connection and history, and let it build up to the inevitable ending.  I wanted to get to know the side characters, too - the best friend Lily, the smirky brother Liam - oh and I want their story, too!

As far as novellas go, I give this one 5 stars - It's hard to make a novella compact but satisfying.  I can only hope that the author decides to expand this story though and give us some longer books!

You can find October Bride HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE. (I highly recommend all of her books!)

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

The Brickmaker's Bride - Judith Miller

Laura Woodfield and her mother are looking to sell her late father's brickyard to someone who will make it a  success and carry on the legacy of her father's work ethic.  Ewan McKay and his Uncle Hugh are looking to buy a brickyard and establish a new life in America.  Ewan has his sisters in Ireland to think of, and his own personal faith and commitment to making fair deals and working honestly, but his uncle has different ideas of success.  Can there be any common ground between such disparate goals?

This book was a mixed bag for me; I liked Laura and her commitment to not giving in to a bad deal.  I liked that she stood her ground against people trying to take advantage of her or her mother.  I liked Ewan and his commitment to helping his sisters and to honesty, even when it angered the people who held the key to getting his sisters to America.  But beyond those two, most of the characters in the book just angered me.  And not the "every book needs an antagonist" kind of way.  Truly annoyed me.  The lying, the dishonest dealings, the using people for political gain, the dissatisfaction with anything less than perfect, the need for social rules and status - it was too much for me.  There were too many characters I didn't like, and they overshadowed the parts I did enjoy.

I give this book 2.5 stars.  Books don't need to be all happy, all the time for me to enjoy, but I don't like feeling so angry at the characters within a book for so much of it.

You can find The Brickmaker's Bride (Refined by Love #1) HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House publishing, in exchange for my honest review.