Other than to read 100 books, these are my goals for the next year.
Continue reading What I Want to Read in 2015
Category Archives: Annual Reviews
Best of 2014: Fiction
Here are my top 15 fiction reads covering myths, fairy tales, contemporary, short stories, sci-fi & fantasy, and romance.
Mythology, Fairy Tales & Folktales
The Golden Ass: Or Metamorphoses by Lucius Apuleius
Those Ancient Romans knew how to tell a story! Bestiality, homosexual priest gangbangs, female paedophiles, incest, and so much more. {My Review}
Best Books of 2014: Non-Fiction
Here are my top 12 non-fiction reads of 2014, covering health, politics and feminism.
Health
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek
Strong stomachs are a prerequisite. This should be categorized as horror, but it’s surprisingly readable and accessible. Beware the rundown of most painful ways to die and an extremely detailed and emotionally-charged account of 9/11 and the systematic sorting of the bodies and the impact it had on those workers. High points include some of the more absurd, stupid and just plain weird ways to die. TV gets it wrong. Medical examiners never go out into the field, though they do investigate. Melinek talked to relatives, doctors, police – anyone she had to to determine manner and cause of death when it wasn’t obvious from the body. An autopsy can take as little as 45 minutes, but further investigation can take months before conclusions can be made. Recommended for Mary Roach fans.
What I Posted in 2014
170 posts!
18,000 views!
Top 5 2014 Posts
- Goodreads Deletes Power Users, Leafmarks Benefits
- Authors Stalking Reviewers: From intimidatory Kathleen Hale to violent Richard Brittain #HaleNo
- My Response to Joanne Harris #HaleNo
- Kathleen Hale: Why Research Her Background? #HaleNo
- Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Top 10 2014 Reviews
- Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
- In Rude Health: The funniest and most explicit stories from the NHS by Robbie Guillory
- Ligeia by Edgar Allan Poe
- The Happy Prince and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde
- A Rulebook for Arguments (Fourth Edition) by Anthony Weston
- He Ain’t Lion (Ridgeville #1) by Celia Kyle
- Alabama Blues by Margaret Sisu
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Cloned & Curious by Kimbra Clausen
- B785 (Cyborgs: More Than Machines #3) by Eve Langlais
Sunday is apparently my favourite day to post.
August was the month I wrote the most posts – 38.
Leafmarks is the most popular search term.
Oct 25th is the day the blog received the most views of the year, the most popular post being Authors vs. Reviewers – An Ongoing War? #HaleNo
Thank you for reading!
What I Read in 2014
2014 was an interesting year of reading. While I haven’t managed to read as much as I wanted, what I’ve read has changed. A look at format, genre, price, and authorial gender and nationality.
365 days – Are you the same person you were a year ago?: 2014 Edition
Last year I wrote a post of the same name about how my personality had drastically changed over the course of 2013. This year has also been stressful, especially the beginning, but it’s shown me how capable I am in life and death situations.
Continue reading 365 days – Are you the same person you were a year ago?: 2014 Edition
1 Year Blogiversary!
Worst Books of 2013
Best Books of 2013: Non-Fiction
9 of my favourite non-fiction reads of 2013.
Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels
Everything you could want to know about being a GP in the NHS. I read this to understand things from the other side. As patients, we don’t know anything about what goes on behind the scenes and what’s expected of doctors other than to assess the problem, prescribe any treatment or refer you on to a specialist. Much, much more is involved and I appreciated Daniels’s candid confessions. Some are highly embarrassing and hilariously funny, and others are genuine mistakes from which he learned.
Best Books of 2013: Fiction
Here are my 10 favourite fiction books I read in 2013 covering contemporary young adult, paranormal romance, dystopia, and urban fantasy.
Children’s
It’s a Book by Lane Smith
Synopsis:
A wry exchange between an IT-savvy donkey, a book-loving ape and a mouse forms this playful and lighthearted examination of print as a medium in the digital age. With a subversive and signature Lane Smith twist, this satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say about the importance of reading to children and adults alike.
Why? It’s gorgeous, timely, and heartwarming.
Literary Ames 