Lists. I started doing lists of twelve favorites in all sorts of categories several years ago to wrap up the year. Twelve seems like a nice, round number; ten’s not enough, and anything greater than twelve is excessive. So, here are my favorite adult fiction books read in 2014.
The Circle by Dave Eggers. Computer Guru Son thought this one was a little too preachy and pointed, but I liked it and thought about it often through the year, especially when I was “liking” something on social media sites.
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, #14) by Alexander McCall Smith. Mr. Smith almost never disappoints.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Americanah is a smart, penetrating, rather dramatic look at the immigrant experience and at the emigrant experience and at the experience of returning home. It made me feel uncomfortable.
The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton. Highly recommended to those who have an interest in West Texas, classic western stories, or stories of ranch life and drought.
Pawn in Frankincense (The Lymond Chronicles, #4) by Dorothy Dunnett. The best of the series that I’ve read so far, but anyone who wants to read these should start from the beginning.
Pied Piper by Nevil Shute. I just finished this novel, written by the author of A Town Like Alice and On the Beach, last night, and I haven’t written a review yet. However, it had to go on this list since it’s already one of my favorite reads ever. A seventy year old Englishman flees France in the spring of 1940 during the German invasion with a string of children for whom he has become responsible.
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie King. Sherlock Holmes gains a female sidekick. I thought this series went downhill after the first book, but I did enjoy the first book.
March by Geraldine Brooks. This Pulitzer prize winning novel featuring the fictional characters Marmee and her husband from Little Women does a good job of bringing out the impracticality and impracticability of March’s/Alcott’s beliefs and still making him admirable as a man who tried, at least in the fictional version of his story, to remain true to his principles.
The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin. No longer able or willing to leave her home because of her obesity, Agnes commits herself to a life of prayer. When her miracle working abilities become a matter of town pride, Agnes is trapped in more ways than one.
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. Ms. Heyer’s regency novels, including this one, are not as subtle and deep as Jane Austen’s, but as far as straight light romance novels go Georgette’s Heyer’s books rise near to the top of the list.
Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge. This novel set in England at the time of Napoleonic Wars is a lovely retelling of the legend of St. Michael’s Chapel at Torquay.
Bellwether by Connie Willis. One funny, sweet, and at the same time thoughtful, romantic comedy of a novel by one of my favorite contemporary authors.
