Top 10 books I’ve read so far this year

Top-10-2014-first-half

It’s that time of year again already! It’s June, which means we’re pretty much half way through 2014, if you can believe it. So, the time has come to round up my top ten reads of the year so far as part of The Broke and the Bookish‘s Top Ten Tuesday meme.

Here’s my list of the top 10 books I’ve read so far in 2014, with number 10 being my least favourite favourite, and with number one being my favourite favourite. Got it? Click the links to go to my full review of each book. I hope you find something new to add to your TBR list – they’re all amazing!

10. Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton

witch Finder

I read Witch Finder by Ruth Warburton back at the beginning of February, but I can still remember it vividly, and that’s saying something (my memory is not good). In my review, I wrote “This enchanting tale captured my imagination and left me wanting more,” so I’m excited to read the next in the series, Witch Hunt, which is currently on my shelf just waiting to be devoured.

Find out more in my Witch Finder review.

9. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

I enjoyed Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick far more than I expected to. It’s something quite different for me, but definitely different in a good way. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s real and eye-opening, and potentially life-changing. This book absolutely deserves a spot in my top 10 reads of the year so far.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock review

8. Wake by Lisa McMann

Wake by Lisa McMann

I didn’t hesitate to give Lisa McMann’s Wake a five star rating when I read it in March this year. It’s short, but somehow manages to pack in a brilliant mix of romance, coming of age and the supernatural. The writing style is genius, and the characters are amazingly well developed for a book with so few pages. Again, I can’t wait to read the sequel to this one.

Wake review

7. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life

I only finished this a week or two ago, but it has definitely made it into my top 10 reads of the year so far. It’s another book that features suicide and depression as a major theme, like Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and another book I’ve read this year called Tease by Amanda Maciel, but this one stood out most among the three. It’s so honest that it took my breath away.

This Song Will Save Your Life review

6. Little White Lies by Katie Dale

Little White Lies

Another of my March reads that made it into my top 10 books of the year so far is Little White Lies by UKYA author Katie Dale (yay!). It’s a clever, mysterious novel with many twists and turns – it really surprised me. I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything quite like it, actually.

Little White Lies review

5. Pivot Point by Kasie West

PivotPoint

My review of Pivot Point back in February began: “I loved, loved, LOVED this book.” That should give you some idea of how great I think this book is. Not only is it set in a school for people with special powers (kinda like Hogwarts, but totally different…), it also switches between two really cleverly linked alternative story lines, making it a unique and utterly compelling read.

Pivot Point review

4. The Elite by Kiera Cass

the-elite

This one is such a guilty pleasure for me, but it’s way up there among my top 10 favourite reads of the year so far. The Elite is the second book in Kiera Cass’s The Selection trilogy, which follows America Singer in a dystopian future as she tries to win the love of Prince Maxon in a televised competition. However you try to explain this book, it sounds cheesy, sickeningly girly and completely over-the-top, so you’ll just have to read it to believe how good it is. Honest.

The Elite review

These next three all deserve the top spot in this list, so take the numbering lightly and go read them all!

3. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

shadow_bone_sketch_both3

Here’s a high fantasy that will appeal to the masses. Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone is just fantastic, introducing an incredible world with characters that leap from the pages and a storyline that’ll have you hooked from the opening paragraph.

Shadow and Bone review

2. Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Ketchup Clouds

My opening line for my Ketchup Clouds review was: “This book is pure genius.” It really is. Everything about this book appeals to me – from the illustrations to the letter format, and from the romance to the tragedy. It’s a must-read.

Ketchup Clouds review

 1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant review

Now, Allegiant isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It’s the third and final book in the amazing Divergent trilogy (did you see the movie? It’s great), and it’s pretty darn controversial. Some will hate it, but I loved it. It’s brave, bold and daring, and to me that seems fitting.

There are many things I disliked about it, and there’s no doubt it’s not as good as the first two in the series, but it deserves the top spot (or at least the tied top spot with my number two and three), mainly because I was so invested in this series that, unless I had written it myself with exactly the outcome I wanted, there was no way it wasn’t going to disappoint me somewhere along the line. I would argue that the Divergent trilogy is as good as The Hunger Games and the Delirium trilogies, both of which I loved.

Allegiant review

So there you have it. My top 10 reads of the year so far! Another notable mention that I haven’t actually reviewed is Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane. And I’m just about to finish Kendra Leighton’s Glimpse, which is bound to make it into my overall top 10 books of the year round-up in December, but I didn’t quite finish in time for this one!

Have you taken part in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday? Leave a link to your round-ups in the comments section below (I think my TBR list is about to get a lot bigger…).

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31 Comments

  1. 10th June 2014 / 8:27 am

    Wake looks great, not seen that one before!

  2. 10th June 2014 / 12:03 pm

    Great list of books, definitely will be adding some of these to my to-read list 🙂

  3. 10th June 2014 / 2:31 pm

    Forgive Me Leonard Peacock is on my TBR list, but I just haven’t gotten to it yet–so many books, so little time! 🙂

  4. 10th June 2014 / 3:58 pm

    Oooh you’ve read some great books so far this year. I loved Shadow and Bone!

    • 10th June 2014 / 9:29 pm

      Both of those are brilliant! I’m heading over to your TTT now 🙂 thanks for sharing.

  5. 10th June 2014 / 9:24 pm

    I keep meaning to read Leonard Peacock. I bought it last year when it came out and somehow still haven’t gotten around to it yet.

    • 10th June 2014 / 9:28 pm

      Do! It’s great – takes a few minutes to get used to but you’ll enjoy it, I’m sure.

  6. 10th June 2014 / 9:28 pm

    Great list, Ashleigh! You’ve got some books I have on my list to read. Pivot Point is so good 🙂

    • 10th June 2014 / 9:29 pm

      Aww thank you! Yes, loved Pivot Point. Must get round to reading the sequel soon.

  7. 10th June 2014 / 9:30 pm

    Of all ten of these, I’ve only read Allegiant. That makes me sad. I do have several of these on my TBR though. I loved Quick’s Silver Linings Playbook and have been meaning to check out his others. I also really want to read Ketchup Clouds.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    • 10th June 2014 / 9:34 pm

      Haha, don’t be sad! 🙂 You should definitely read both Ketchup Clouds and Forgive Me, Leonard Quick. I’ve never actually read Silver Linings Playbook but I think I should! x

  8. 10th June 2014 / 9:34 pm

    Agreed on The Elite and Siege and Storm! The Darkling is one of my all time favorite characters. I cannot wait until Rise and Ruin is released next week!!

    • 11th June 2014 / 8:49 am

      Me neither, absolutely loved it. Thanks for visiting!

  9. 10th June 2014 / 9:44 pm

    I have a bad memory too which is one of the reasons I started blogging. I’m definitely checking out Witch Finder. Such a pretty cover too. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

    • 11th June 2014 / 8:50 am

      Glad to know I’m not the only one! Yes, blogging really helps me when it comes to reading the second in a series – I just read over what I wrote in my review of the first book 🙂 And you’re welcome, thanks for returning the favour! 🙂

  10. 10th June 2014 / 9:55 pm

    I can’t even talk about your number one book, aka The Book That Shall Not Be Named, haha. I really need to read PIVOT POINT, and KETCHUP CLOUDS sounds so good. Thanks for stopping by!

    Rachel @ Beauty and the Bookshelf

    • 11th June 2014 / 8:51 am

      Haha I know it’s a controversial one and I’m not completely sure it deserves number one. But I loved the whole series so I can’t ignore it 😉 Pivot Point and Ketchup Clouds are both brilliant – read them!! 😉

  11. 10th June 2014 / 11:02 pm

    Great list! I currently have This Song Will Save Your Life in stand by.

  12. 10th June 2014 / 11:05 pm

    Love Shadow and Bone, obviously, and really enjoyed Pivot Point when I read it last year. I’ve been putting off reading The Elite because apparently the roller-coaster of emotions did not go over well for many, and I was waiting to hear what more people thought of The One, but I’ve actually heard very little even though it’s been out for a while! And I actually liked Allegiant pretty well too. It had some problems, but it was very fitting.

    • 11th June 2014 / 8:52 am

      It is a roller-coaster of emotions – it’s a bit over-the-top. But it’s somehow brilliant anyway. A big guilty pleasure. Haven’t read The One, actually, but I will soon! Yes Allegiant was fitting, glad you agree!

  13. 11th June 2014 / 12:39 am

    I’m happy to hear that you liked Witch Finder, I actually really disliked it but I wanted to like it so badly lol. The cover is probably my favorite of the entire year though 🙂 Pivot Point is one of my all time favorites, SOOOO good!! Great list! Thanks so much for stopping by my TTT 🙂

    • 11th June 2014 / 8:53 am

      I know that many people didn’t like Witch Finder – I read it expecting to hate it but really enjoyed it. Perhaps that’s why – I had low expectations when I started so was pleasantly surprised. Yes, Pivot Point is BRILL! 🙂

  14. 11th June 2014 / 6:16 am

    What a great list! I adored TSWSYL, and Leonard Peacock is quite good too. Matthew Quick’s books are excellent. Little White Lies sounds very cool. Thanks for the recs!

    • 11th June 2014 / 8:53 am

      Little White Lies is little-known but really great so I want to spread the word about its awesomeness! 🙂

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