Completed Book Challenge 2014

Another year, done and dusted! Here are the new books that I have made it through this year. I managed some rereads in between, but I cannot count those again. It was most enjoyable. Thanks to all who gave me recommendations that I got to, it was lovely!

1. The Fault In Our Stars – John Green

2. The Perfect Husband (FBI Profiler Series – Quincy #1) – Lisa Gardner

3. Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder #1) – Linda Castillo

4. One False Move – Alex Kava

5. Windmills of the Gods – Sidney Sheldon

6. Night Shift – Stephen King

7. The Third Victim (FBI Profiler Series – Quincy #2) – Lisa Gardner

8. The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt

9. Unseen (Georgia #5) – Karin Slaughter

10. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn

11. Pray for Silence (Kate Burkholder #2) – Linda Castillo

12. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) – Stephen King

13. Horns – Joe Hill

14. The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

15. An Abundance of Katherines – John Green

16. Mailman: A Novel – J Robert Lennon

17. Whitewash – Alex Kava

18. Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane

19. The Rolling Stones: 50 – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood

20. Fight Club – Chuck Palahniuk

21. Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green & David Levithan

22. Drive – James Sallis

23. Looking for Alaska – John Green

24. Are You Afraid of the Dark? – Sidney Sheldon

25. The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter #2) – Thomas Harris

26. Under the Knife – Tess Gerritsen

27. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) – George R.R. Martin

28. Dracula – Bram Stoker

29. Dead Until Dark (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #1) – Charlaine Harris

30. Tell Me Your Dreams – Sidney Sheldon

 

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That was the original challenge. I finished all of those and then decided to up it to fifty.

31. Living Dead in Dallas (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #2) – Charlaine Harris

32. Paper Towns – John Green

33. Club Dead (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #3) – Charlaine Harris

34. One Scream Away (Sheridan #1) – Kate Brady

35. Dead to the World (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #4) – Charlaine Harris

36. Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1) – Isaac Marion

37. Dead as a Doornail (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #5) – Charlaine Harris

38. Heart-Shaped Box – Joe Hill

39. Definitely Dead (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #6) – Charlaine Harris

40. To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

41. All Together Dead (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #7) – Charlaine Harris

42. Cop Town – Karin Slaughter

43. From Dead to Worse (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #8) – Charlaine Harris

44. The Bad Place – Dean Koontz

45. Dead and Gone (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #9) – Charlaine Harris

46. A Drink Before The War (Kenzie & Gennaro #1) – Dennis Lehane

47. Dead in the Family (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #10) – Charlaine Harris

48. The Villa – Nora Roberts

49. Dead Reckoning (The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse #11) – Charlaine Harris

50. Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro #1) – Dennis Lehane

Well, there we have it folks. I know I have some recommendations that were given to me, they are on my list, they will most likely make the new year’s challenge 🙂 Thanks so much to everyone who read, commented and recommended, it is much appreciated!

Review: To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

To read a summary of what the book is about if you have (like me) not read it over the years, you can go here.

My mother was horrified to learn that of all the thousands of books I have read, To Kill A Mockingbird was not one of them. Let me just say, in my defence, that is isn’t as though I haven’t tried! It’s just there seemed to be a million things preventing me getting to it. I finally decided to get to it when  my mom got on my nerves to try it out. I can completely understand now why this book is so extremely popular and why it is taught all over the world. What an absolutely stunning story! I loved the characters, I loved the events, it was not a thoughtless text, there was so much going on. Initially, I was not sure what the deal with Boo Radley was, but I loved the inclusion of it and I loved how those children relentlessly pursued their attempts to see him at the very least. Atticus Finch was truly an honourable man, and his character fascinated me endlessly. Jem and Scout had the most adorable relationship, and I loved reading about them and their antics. The issues that were tackled in this book are still in play today, which is truly unfortunate. Telling the story from the perspective of a child was also a stroke of genius. The book flowed really nicely, and the plot was nice – the way it took shape was very gradual, and then pulling from all over the show, but never once getting confusing. I cannot believe it took me this long to get to this book, but goodness knows that I am glad I finally did. It was an exceptionally rewarding read, and definitely something I can see myself revisiting time and time again. I finally understand the hype. You know what’s insane? I managed to avoid any and all spoilers pertaining to this book throughout my lifetime o.O Shocking, I know, but it was well worth it. What a fresh, new read (for me, people). Scout, too, was an absolute joy for me, she was just not going to conform to what society expected of her, and was completely content to live her life, not to sit by and judge others. Her hands on approach to life was awesome, and the way she was never going to let being a female be a handicap was something I enjoyed. I do love a strong character, and her innocence in it all made her all the more endearing, too. Aunt Alexandra grew as a character, too, and I always appreciated Calpurnia, she was a great figure in the lives of the Finch children. Well, needless to say I was exceptionally impressed with this read.