BOOKS AND MOVIES 2014
Stats:
Read/Audiobooked 158 titles
Female authors: 92
Male authors: 66
Countries represented:
Austria 2
British 32
Canadian 5
Colombian 1
Czech 1
Danish 2
Dutch 1
French/German 1
German 3
India 1
Indian/American 1
Japanese 4
Mexican/American 1
Scottish 2
South African 1
Swedish 2
US 98
Books
Children’s Picture Books – 29
The Bathing Costume or The Worst Vacation of My Life
by Charlotte Moundlic (Batchelder Honor Book) F French RF
Born and Bred in the Great Depression by Jonah Winter M US Hist Fic
Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look & Meilo So F US Hist Fic
The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister by Linda Ravin Lodding F US RF
The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barb Rosenstock F US HF
The Curious Fish by Elsa Beskow F Swedish Fantasy
Dream Friends by You Byun F US Fantasy
Emmet by Leo Politi American M US RF
The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna by Demi F US BIO
First Mothers by Gherman and Downing F US BIO
Fish for Jimmy by Katie Yamasaki F US HF
Fog Island by Toni Ungerer M French/GermanFantasy
Gandhi: A March to the Sea by Alice B. McGinty F US HF
Handel: Who Knew What He Liked by M.T. Anderson M US Bio
The Insomniacs by Karina Wolf F US Humor
Let’s Do Nothing by Tony Fucile M US Humor
A Medal For Leroy by Michael Morpurgo M British HF
Monkey: A Trickster Tale by Gerald McDermott M US Folktale
On a Beam of Light : A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne F US BIO
Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Robert Parker M US BIO
Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb F US Humor Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges F US HF
Rumi: Whirling Dervish by DEMI F US BIO
The Sacred Banana Leaf by Nathan Kumar Scott M India Folktale
SuDongpo by DEMI F US BIO
This is the Rope: The Story of the Great Migration F US HF
by Jacqueline Woodson
Time Out for Sophie by Rosemary Wells F US Humor
When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet and One
Extraordinary Riot by Lauren Stringer F US HF
A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull by
Kathleen Krull F US BIO
Children’s Chapter Books -12
The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz M US Adventure
Binny For Short by Hilary McKay F British RF
Homesick by Kate Klise F US RF/Humor
Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the
Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull F US BIO
Mister Orange by Truus Matti F Dutch HF
Oranges in No Man’s Land by Elizabeth Laird F British HF
Summer and Bird by Catmull
Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harington F US RF
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis M US Humor
*The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt F US Humor
The Vine Basket by Josanne La Valley F US HF
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes M US RF
Young Adult -2
*Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley F US GN
*Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos M US RF
Adult – 16
Autumn Quartet by Barbara Pym F British Contemp
The 100-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson M Swedish Humor
Bertie Plays the Blues by Alexander McCall Smith M British Humor
*Boxers by Gene Luen Yang M US GN/Hist Fic
Daisy May and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg F US HF
Easter Bunny Murder by Leslie Meier F US Mystery
English Tea Murder by Leslie Meier F US Mystery
*The Gate by Soseki M Japan RF
In the Land of Punctuation by Christian Morgenstern M German Humor
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander M Scottish RF
McCall Smith
*Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl M Austria Philosophy
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon: No. 1 Ladies
Detective Agency M Scottish Mystery
*Saints by Gene Luen Yang M US GN/Hist Fic
Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters (Barbara Mertz) F US Mystery
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt F US RF
*The Wall by Marlen Haushofer F Austrian Dystopian
Audiobooks
Children’s -15
The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle F US Hist Fic
*The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander (Newbery Award) M US Fantasy
*The Castle of Llyr, bk 3 by Lloyd Alexander M US Fantasy
Doll Bones by Holly Black (Newbery Honor) F US Scary
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery Award) F US Fantasy
Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm F US RF
The High King by Lloyd Alexander M US Fantasy
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke F German Fantasy
The Key That Swallowed Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos M US RF
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama M US Letter
Listening for Lucca by Suzanna LaFleur F US RF
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt M US RF
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake F US HF
The Paperboy by Vince Vawter M US RF
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell F US RF
Young Adult -7
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson F US Autobiograph/Fic
Flight by Sherman Alexie M US Surrealistic Fiction
Marie Curie by Kathleen Krull F US BIO
Navigating Early by Claire Vanderpool F US Historical Fiction
On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers M US RF
Revolution by Deborah Wiles F US Hist Fic/Dystopian
Riot by Walter Dean Myers M US Hist Fic
Adult -77
The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen M Danish Mystery
The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg F US RF
The Ape Who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters F US Mystery
At Bertram’s Hotel: A Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha Christie F British Mystery
*Benediction by Kent Haruf M US RF
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys F US Hist Fic
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera M Czech RF/Surreal
Black Plumes by Marjory Allingham F British Mystery
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel F British Hist Fic
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch M British Mystery
Christmas Bliss by Mary Kay Andrews F US Mystery
Christmas Carol Murder by Leslie Meier F US Mystery
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage
by Haruki Murakami M Japan RF/Dream Fic
*Conversations with Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy and
by Simon Parke M British Philosophy
*The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer F S. Africa RF
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley M Canadian Mystery
Death Comes to Pemberly by PD James F British Mystery
Death of a Dentist by M.C. Beaton F British Mystery
Death of a Charming Man by M.C. Beaton F British Mystery
Death of a Nag by M.C. Beaton F British Mystery
Death of a Scriptwriter by M.C. Beaton F British Mystery
Death on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn F US Mystery
Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters F American Mystery
The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith M British Humor
Dr. Wortle’s School by Anthony Trollope M British RF
The Dragon’s Teeth by Ellery Queen M&M US Mystery
*Eventide by Kurt Haruf M US Western
Fall of a Philanderer by Carola Dunn F US Mystery
The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress by Beryl Bainbridge F British Mystery
Goats by Mark Jude Poirier M US RF
Hard Times by Charles Dickens M British Classic
Heart Trouble by Mary Kay Andrews F US Mystery
Heaven is For Real by Todd Bumpo M US Bio/Religion
*The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Urrea M Mexican/Am HF
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron F US Humor
In the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Applachian Trail M US Travel by Bill Bryson
Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton M British Mystery
Irish Eyes by Mary Kay Andrews F US Mystery
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me and Other Concerns
by Mindy Kaling F US Bio
Jack in the Pulpit by Cynthia Riggs F US Mystery
*The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen M Danish Mystery
The Lakota Way by Joseph M. Marshall M US Philosophy
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson M US Memoir
Lions in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters F US Mystery
Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark F British Autobio
Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters F US Mystery
Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding F British Humor
Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez M Colombia RF
Midnight Clear by Mary Kay Andrews F US Mystery
Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch M British Suspense
The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side by Agatha Christie F British Mystery
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovich M British Mystery
Murder at Cape Three Points by Kwei Quartey M US Mystery
One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus M US Hist Fic
Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn F US Mystery
Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella F British Humor
The Semi-Attached Couple by Emily Eden F British RF/HF
The September Society by Charles Finch M US Mystery
The Shogun’s Daughter by Laura Joh Rowland F US Hist F/Mys
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson M US Pop Sci
Something Borrowed, Someone Dead by M.C. Beaton F British Mystery
Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse M British Humor
South of the Border West of the Sun M Japanese RF
South Sea Tales by Jack London M US Sstories
Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley M Canadian Mystery
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami M Japan RF
Still Life by Louise Penny F Canadian Mystery
*The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar F Indian/Am RF
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett M US Mystery
The Tin Horse by Janice Steinberg F US HF
Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters F US Mystery
Torch by Cheryl Strayed F US RF
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny F Canadian Mystery
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce F British RF
Very Good, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse M British Humor
*A Well-Tempered Heart by Jan -Philipp Sendkar M German RF
Wicked Autumn by G.M. Mallet F US Mystery
Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quarty M US Mystery
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami M Japan Surreal
The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley M Canadian Mystery
The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die by Colin Cotterill M British Mystery
Movies
Despicable Me 2
Downton Abbey, season 4
The Hobbit – part 1 (second time)
The Hobbit – part 2
Incomplete
heidithedreamer 
Thanks for sharing your list, Heidi. There are so many books from your list that I want to read. It was nice to see Dickens’ ‘Hard Times’ in it. Did you like it? I thought it was one of Dickens’ weaker works, because it felt too short – I think he needs ample space to write a proper long novel with an intricate plot with many characters and a short length doesn’t suit him. That is what I felt when I read that book. What do you think?
I audiobooked it and was quite surprised when it ended. It just didn’t seem like a fully developed story, nor did it show Dicken’s genius. Have you read his “American Notes?” That was autobiographical, and though interesting from a historical standpoint it also lacked the quintessential Dickens magic.
I noticed after posting on FB that lines and margins jumped when I pasted my doc in. That’s what I get for proofing after I posted! I think I fixed it now. I should know better!
I am looking forward to your 2015 list, and plan to post my 2015 list fairly soon!
Impressive list; I listed a few for my 2016 attack. I’m hoping to have more reading time around the corner.
Well, I think it was most impressive in numbers, but I was disappointed that I didn’t have more solid titles…lots of fluff! I am going to work on that this year! Are you still in Nepal?
I also want to spend some time working on my blog site…it is a blind area for me…I just slapped it together when I put it up….would like to have comments show on the post page for example.
Hope to see you soon!
Hi Heidi. I really enjoyed reading this list. Extensive, and a fantastic mix. I have read a couple of books from your list. ‘The Strange Library’, ‘Memories of My Melancholy Whores, ‘Very Good, Jeeves’… Murakami, Marquez, and PG Wodehouse are my favourite writers. I am going to add a lot from this list to my TBR. Did you like Cheryl Strayed’s ‘Torch’. I am her hardcore fan. But, I am not sure if I should read her first book.
I was happy to get your comments!
I haven’t read “Torch” yet. I did read “Wild” and would have to say that I had mixed thoughts about it. I was incredulous over her lack of preparation, and her rather naive approach so I guess that put me off. I do think that on the other level she discovered a lot about herself and learned to give her family problems more perspective. I would like to try “Torch” as it was her first book!
I realized that I didn’t read as many “great” books. I will try to remedy that this year!
It also made me realize that I want to redo my blog page. I am not a whiz at technology so it is rather daunting to me. For example, even though I only have a couple of blog followers I would like my comments to show up with the post. It looks like I am going to need to look for some FAQ’s and perhaps some tutorials!
Thanks a bunch for your thoughts!
I am a nut! I just went to put ‘Torch’ on hold at my library and realized that I did read it! Yes, I liked it much better than ‘Wild.’ It was sas in parts but felt that it was touching…I was almsot going to say memorable, but maybe not…haha!
I also meant to say that I was really happy to see that you also enjoy Murakami, Marquez and Wodehouse. Which are your favorite books by those three? I want to read more Marquez this year!