Wendy: Best of 2014
I didn’t quite complete my 2014 challenges, as planned, but I’d say 120 books, audiobooks, and comics was a fair bit to chew on, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
Selecting the top reads of the year is never easy, but I managed. Here are ten books and comics from the bunch that really stood out for me:
Mark Lawrence’s Prince Jorg Ancrath from The Prince of Thorns. Fan art by Kim Kincaid
The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence
This is a series that I had been meaning to get into for a long time, knowing that I wouldn’t be disappointed. If I’d known just how not disappointed I would be, I would have jumped on it a lot sooner! Not only did it become one of my favourite series for the year, but Jorg Ancrath, the series’ antagonist, became one of my all time favourite characters.
My Life As A White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland
Zombies need love too, and Diana Rowland does such an amazing job of spinning the brain-eating fiend story with a wonderful main character. This book is such a fun, trashy read.
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert E. Heinlein
I’ve been working my way through some of the genre classics and the influential names I’ve heard, but not read. I chose to read Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein because of the word “grok” and as a result, have come to grok and appreciate this book very much.
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
I didn’t think a sequel could top Curse of Chalion, but Paladin of Souls utterly blew me away. Ista is such an astounding character, and Kate Reading does a phenomenal job of bringing her to life in the audiobook.
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
I’m a sucker for a good recommendation, and this one did not disappoint. Especially when, upon mentioning that I was reading it, many people shared their love for the series. The ending of several of the books within the collection left me flailing for more.
A Voice in the Dark by Larime Taylor
The cover caught my eye, but the trailer made me suspicious. Still, I was intrigued enough to see what this murder mystery was about. So glad I did. This book takes all the horror movie tropes and turns them upside down in the most unexpected and impressive ways.
Catwoman: No Easy Way Down by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
I’m a Catwoman fan, but had not read what I now know to be the definitive story of the lady thief and antagonist/love interest of the Batman.
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
I read this pair’s Joker first, which I loved, but the moment I discovered they’d also done this story about Superman’s first villain, I bought it right away. Batman made his way into this book as well, but I don’t mind, since he, Luthor, and I all share the same thoughts on the Man of Steel.
Rat Queens by Kurtis Wiebe and Roc Upchurch
I loved this so much that I ran out and bought copies for several friends the moment I finished reading it. Okay, I didn’t run out, because, online shopping. But I did buy them because when something is this good, I need everyone to know about it and share in the utter goodness that is the Rat Queens.
Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
The Victorians really messed us up, turning our society into a bunch of prudes who think sex and the human body is something to be ashamed of. But, despite trying to hide it, many of us are still quite fond of sex. Sex Criminals is a hilarious book for both the prudish and the open minded alike.
The BiblioSanctum 
Chronicles of Amber is one of my all time favorites. The Broken Empire series is on top of my 2015 TBR challenge list so I will read it after I finish reading the Kingkiller Chronicle by Pat Rothfuss (just started reading book #2). Mark Lawrence is quite awesome from what I’ve heard.
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I was really impressed by the number of people who expressed their love of the Amber series. I actually have the full 10 books, but only read the first five that focus on Corwin. Perhaps I’ll read about Merlin this year.
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I totally loved the first five books, however the next fine books featuring Merlin greatly disappointed me. I was not even able to finish reading them. I quit somewhere in the middle of book 2 and couldn’t read any further, despite the fact that I am a total book addict and fast reader. Merlin is a poor shadow of Corwin. But then again you might like it, who knows? I will pick it up and try to finish it after reading the top 20 of my TBR stack in 2015.
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I’ve heard that a lot of people were disappointed by Merlin, which is partially what made me stop reading. Corwin’s journey left me so amazed, I didn’t want to have that high taken away. I normally wouldn’t abandon a book, but in this case I felt okay with it since I’d completed Corwin’s story.
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I haven’t read any I confess but I have the zombies book, I just need to read it now. thanks for the list!
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Definitely check out the White Trash Zombie book. Some fun, light reading.
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I was going to read Paladin of Souls this year but ended up going through a bunch of Bujold’s Vorkosigan books instead. Next year.
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Maybe I’ll put the Vorkosigan books on my pile for this year.
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I have a signed copy of My Life as a White Trash Zombie, but I haven’t read it yet. Must read soon! And I do need to read Mark Lawrence, I keep hearing great things about his books.
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Both are books that deserve the hype, though for very different reasons, of course. 😉
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YES Rat Queens! That comic is the best. I’ve been hearing good things about the White Trash Zombie books for years but never got around to reading them…I may have to pick ’em up!
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Rat Queens high five!
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Nice list and very diverse. I have already added the white trash zombie book to my lists.
Lynn 😀
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Many people have it on their lists, but haven’t gotten to it yet. I was one, but then I grabbed it in a recent Audible sale. So glad I did!
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Good year 🙂 Yay for Rowland
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Great list/year! And your right, 120 books is far from something to be ashamed of.
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Hummmm, cool list! I wasn’t a huge fan of Strange in a Strange Land, but I love that you grok it. Also impressed that the man invented iphones before Apple did, haha.
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Looks like you read some awesome books this year! I need to make it a point to read Zelazny; he came up a lot in Jo Walton’s “Among Others.:
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120 books is great! My goal was 100 and I had 99! I would’ve stayed up and finished those last 150 pages if I’d realized it. I just got the first Broken Empire book for Christmas! Okay I don’t normally do zombies, but I’ve heard such good things about White Trash and with that title it sounds so silly.
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