Off The Shelf

Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays - eating lots of gingerbread and spending lots of time with family. Today, I will be wrapping up my "Best of" posts for 2014. So far, I have posted my Best Nonfiction / Memoir / Autobiography  books and my Best Historical Fiction books of the year.  In 2014, I read a total of 26 books, or 7,876 pages. I gained several new favorites this year, including Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald and The Catcher in the Rye .  I re-read several books this year before seeing their movie adaptations on the big screen. The Fault in Our Stars and Mockingjay Part 1 were just two of many Hollywood blockbusters of 2014 that were based on novels. This past year I was also selected to attend a five-day creative writing program at Alfred University, and became the Editor-in-Chief of my high school's literary arts magazine.  2014 was a great year for books and for me...so without further ado, here are my top 10 Fiction novel...

2014 was the year I think I fell in love with history. I have had a really great US History teacher for the past two years, who not only gives us bonus points when he scores over par while playing golf, but whose enthusiasm for the subject has made the AP class comedic and interesting. I also discovered Downton Abbey and Midnight in Paris this year, a TV show and a movie that have helped me realize that the period from 1915-1945 is my favorite to read about. Historical fiction is certainly the type of novel I could see myself writing in the future.   Of the historical fiction novels I read this year, here are the top six. It was a tight race for the #1 spot! Top Historical Fiction of 2014:  6. The Chaperone , Laura Moriarty 5. Life After Life , Kate Atkinson 4. The Things They Carried , Tim O'Brien 3. All the Light We Cannot See , Anthony Doerr 2. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald , Therese Anne Fowler 1. The Paris Wife , Paula McLain ...

It's that time of year! Yes, it is the time for some good Christmas cheer, but also for naming the best books of the year. My "Best of"lists for 2014 will be posted over the course of three days, so be sure to check back tomorrow for my top historical fiction novels of the year. Top Autobiographies, Memoirs, and Nonfiction of 2014:  4. Standing at Armageddon: A Grassroots History of the United States, Nell Irvin Painter 3. Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass 2. Outliers: The Story of Success , Malcolm Gladwell 1. Wave , Sonali Deraniyagala (Scored: 25 /30) Wave is the story of Sonali Deraniyagala, who was vacationing with her family in Sri Lanka during Christmas, week of 2004. On December 26th, a tsunami and earthquake occurred, consuming her hotel in waves. Deraniyagala lost her parents, husband, and sons to the tsunami...she writes in an unsentimental prose that is intimate and angry... Wave  is dark and haunting, and yet ...