Book list - 2014

Here's the complete list of books I read in 2014. I didn't set a goal for this year, so I can't report success in reaching it (nor must I admit to failure, either).

An asterisk indicates a reread. Numbers refer to the order in which the books were read.


"Adult" Fiction (27 books)
1. Figure Away - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
2. Old Bones - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
3. Spring Harrowing - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor *
4. The Danish Scheme - AH, by Herb Sakalaucks
5. Make No Bones - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
6. The Crimson Patch - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
7. 1636: Seas of Fortune - AH (short stories), by Iver Cooper
8. Icy Clutches - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
11. Curses! - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
12. New Amsterdam - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear
13. Twenty Blue Devils - mystery, by Aaron Elkins
15. The White City - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear
16. Night of the Living Deed - mystery, by E J Copperman
17. The Martian - SF, by Andy Weir (ARC)
18. The Mysterious Island - adventure, by Jules Verne *
19. The Grand Tour - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
20. Mammoth - time travel, by John Varley
22. 1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies - AH, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon
23. Mairelon the Magician - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede *
24. Magician's Ward - historical fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede *
25. Skin Game - urban fantasy, by Jim Butcher
26. MASH - Korean War fiction, by Richard Hooker
27. The Good, the Bad, and the Emus - mystery, by Donna Andrews
29. The Ides of April - mystery, by Lindsey Davis
30. The Nightingale Before Christmas - mystery, by Donna Andrews
31. Enemies at Home - mystery, by Lindsey Davis
33. Against the Tide of Years - AH, by S M Stirling *

Children's/YA Fiction (3)
9. The Old Powder Line - children's time travel, by Richard Parker
14. Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures - children's, by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery Medal, 2014)
32. Mockingjay - YA SF, by Suzanne Collins

Non-Fiction (3)
10. Locomotive - children's railroading, by Brian Floca (Caldecott Medal, 2014)
21. Sober Men and True: Sailor Lives in the Royal Navy 1900-1945 - naval history, by Christopher McKee
28. Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) - travelogue, by Jerome K Jerome

The main categories were mysteries (13), AH (6), and fantasy (6). Aaron Elkins was the most-read author of the year (5 books); Phoebe Atwood Taylor and Patricia C Wrede were second (3 each). And 9 of the 33 books were rereads.

My favourites? I'd say The Martian, by Andy Weir, was the best book I read all year. These seven (listed in the order in which I read them) were also very good:

New Amsterdam, by Elizabeth Bear
The Grand Tour, by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Mammoth, by John Varley
Mairelon the Magician, by Patricia C Wrede
Skin Game, by Jim Butcher
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), by Jerome K Jerome
Against the Tide of Years, by S M Stirling

The first book of 2015 will be At the Water's Edge, by Carl Zimmer.

Having not set a goal for last year, I'm not setting one for this year either. But I do hope to do a lot more reading this year....