My 2014 TBR List

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Happy New Year!

I'm a little disappointed in myself.  I had set a goal of reading 60 new-to-me books.  At the beginning of the year, I set a goal of sixty books for the Goodreads 2013 Reading Challenge.  I only hit 33 books.  In addition, I probably reread about fifteen to twenty other books. Definitely a respectable amount of books but I am not happy with myself for not making reading a priority this year.  In comparison, I set a goal of fifty books in 2012 and read 58 new-to-me books.

For 2014, I am going to stick with a more modest goal.  I think fifty books is doable.  I am also considering rereading all the books I was assigned in high school English class.  So I will probably be reading about one and a half books a week.  I really hope I can do this.

I have a lot of books that I really wanted to read this last year.  A lot.  I'm going to attempt to read all these and then some.  Here's a peek at my list in no particular order.


 The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth


Even though just about everyone was raving about these books, I really didn't want to read them until I saw the movie preview for Divergent.  Now I need to read all three before the movie comes out in March.





Murder Most Austen by Tracy Kiely

I love me a good Jane Austen fanfic.  Hopefully this one doesn't fall flat.









Life Drawing for Beginners by Roisin Meaney

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

I didn't realize that Louise Brooks was a real person when I first heard of this book. I love books that speculate on real lives.








How Wide the Divide?: A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation by Stephen E. Robinson and
     Craig L . Blomberg

As a Mormon, I find Evangelicalism a bit fascinating.  I'm very interested to see what these two authors have to say about the similarities and differences.






Consider the Fork: How Technology Transforms the Way We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson

I love to eat.  I love food.  I find the history of mundane objects interesting.









I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

I picked this up at last summer's used book sale at a local public library.  I've picked it up once and read the first few pages but misplaced it and didn't read any more of it.  Now that it's found again, I need to put this back on my to-do list.







Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I have a silly reason for wanting to read this. It all has to do with the Audrey Hepburn movie, Funny Face.  She plays a frumpy bookstore worker who is picked as the new fresh face of modeling and is whisked off to Paris where she does loads of photo shoots.  One of them is inspired by the Anna Karenina scene at a train station.  I have no idea what the book or even that scene is about.  But hey, it's a classic and I need to read a few more of those.




American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

I read Sittenfeld's Prep ages ago and really enjoyed it.  Being from a politically divided marriage, I am really curious as to how this novel handles a wife who holds her own private views while putting on the image of a good Republican wife.







Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

I have a weird confession.  I am fascinated by death.  My favorite field trip in school was to the cadaver lab at the University of Wisconsin.  After hearing about Roach's Gulp on NPR, I knew I had to read it.  When I heard she wrote a book about dead bodies, I was chomping at the bit to read it.






A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

I bought this book about ten years ago because of the cover.  I have picked it up a few times over the years and gotten about a quarter to halfway through it before neglecting to finish.  This will be the year to finish it.  Plus, it really appeals to the part of me that has the sense of humor of a twelve year old boy.






Bossypants by Tina Fey

Yet another book where I am late to the ball.  It's Tina Fey.  I don't think I need to say more.








Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple


Let's face it.  Sometimes I'd like to disappear too.









Parasite by Mira Grant

Sometimes I wish I had a tapeworm just to make me skinny.  The idea of having one that would rebel is kind of scary.  I really look forward to reading this.









The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Terminal cancer and romance.  Sounds like a movie to me.









The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I love me a book set in Nazi Germany.









The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane by Kelly Harms

Two women with the same name are told they win a dream home in Maine.  This is another book that I heard about on NPR and the author interview really made me want to read this.







The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer

I had to stop going to my library's book club because of my work schedule.  This was the last book that I remember them picking to read.  They always have good taste.







Fangirl, Attachments, and Landlines by Rainbow Rowell

After reading Eleanor & Park, I have found myself wanting to binge read everything Rainbow Rowell has written.  Landlines is expected to come out in July.







The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family
     by Josh Hanagarne

A memoir about a weight-lifting, Mormon librarian with Tourette's Syndrome.

Yes, please.







Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Sometimes I choose to read things just because they've received a lot of buzz.  I don't think Lean In will be like my experience with the Twilight series.







Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem and Other Things
     That Happened by Allie Brosh

I don't know if I can express how much I love Allie Brosh.  I found her website by way of her posts on depression.  They expressed so much how I was feeling that I bawled while reading them.
She's also just downright funny.  I still don't start to clean at home without raising my broom and yelling "CLEAN ALL THE THINGS!"





The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I've been hearing good things.  Like that this is one of the novels from 2013.  Can't pass that up.








Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

The main character is born, dies, and is reborn as another person, over and over.  I'm really curious to find out the character's purpose in the world.







Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

I have only heard of orphan trains in passing but want to learn more.  Not that I read a novel to educate me.







The House Girl by Tara Conklin

You know what?  I've been writing little commentaries about why I want to read every book on this list.  I'm tired of typing out in 50 different ways "I just want to read this."  No more commentary unless I find it worthwhile.





The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker

My Story by Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth seems so poised and grateful for life in the interviews she has given lately.  Her book is a must read.








The Astronaut's Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel

Another NPR find.








A Red Herring without Mustard, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, Speaking from Among the Bones, and
     The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley

These are books number 3 through 6  from the Flavia de Luce series.  I fell in love with the chemistry loving, nerdy little heroine and can't wait to read these.  Book #6 comes out in January.



I know this is an incredibly long list and I've probably bitten off more than I can chew.  I am perfectly willing to admit that I probably won't be able to read all of these, just because I will probably reread some books (especially the Hunger Games Series right before Mockingjay comes out) and I will find other books that just need to be read.

What's on your TBR list for 2014?

(photo source for all book jackets)