Favorite Dust Jackets/Covers of 2014

I've always been a fan of simple, type-centric dust jackets & book covers and these were my four favorites from the books I read this year. About half the books I read this year were in ebook format, but I appreciate that reading on the iPad includes a full-color cover.

Agatha Christie

You may have noticed that approximately 54% of the books I read in 2014 are Agatha Christie novels. That's no coincidence, as my other running goal has been to read all of Christie's novels. I've always been a fan of mystery and read my first Christie novel around 5th grade. Soon after, I discovered Agatha Christie's Poirot on PBS and was hooked. I've picked up at least 60 paperbacks over the years at book sales and thought it might be time to make a concerted effort to get through the backlog. For Christie fans, I would recommend all of the books I read in 2014. Here are a few notes about my favorites:

The Unexpected Guest- Agatha Christie, March
Black Coffee- Agatha Christie, April
Elephants Can Remember- Agatha Christie, April
Hallowe’en Party- Agatha Christie, May
A Holiday for Murder- Agatha Christie, May
Dead Man's Folly- Agatha Christie, June
Third Girl- Agatha Christie, July
Cards on the Table- Agatha Christie, July
And Then There Were None- Agatha Christie, July
Evil Under the Sun- Agatha Christie, July
The Clocks- Agatha Christie, July
Appointment With Death- Agatha Christie, July
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd- Agatha Christie, August
Lord Edgeware Dies- Agatha Christie, September
Murder on the Orient Express- Agatha Christie, September
Murder in Mesopotamia - Agatha Christie, September
Mrs.McGinty's Dead- Agatha Christie, October
Peril at End House- Agatha Christie, October
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe- Agatha Christie, November
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?- Agatha Christie, November
Sad Cypress- Agatha Christie, November
The Sittaford Mystery- Agatha Christie, November
Sparkling Cyanide- Agatha Christie, December

Favorites of '14

Of the 42 books I read in 2014, I actually didn't hate any of them. There was only one book I started and failed to finish (a bestseller at that, which I'm sure would have ended well, I just had a pile of others staring at me and little interest in continuing). Here are a few of my favorites:

*Dark Places- Gillian Flynn (I liked both of GF's other books better than Gone Girl)
*Sharp Objects- Gillian Flynn (ditto)
*The Story of You- Claire Kendal (had twists I didn't see coming; just shy of my top 3 for the year)
*The Dinner- Herman Koch (slow moving, but I liked it)
*Wild- Cheryl Strayed (lives up to the hype)
*The Husband's Secret- Liane Moriarty (I'm now obsessed with Liane Moriarty and plan to read everything she's written; one of my top 3)
*Every Secret Thing- Laura Lippmann (reads like true crime, takes place in Baltimore, different story but great for Serial fans; one of my top 3)
*Summer House with Swimming Pool- Herman Koch (also kind of slow, but kept my attention; The Dinner got more press, but I like this one better of Koch's works)
*Big Little Lies- Liane Moriarty (another awesome one by LM)
*Six Years- Harlan Coben (Coben's books are all kind of similar, I realized after reading a second one; if you don't like this one, you won't like the rest, but he has a bunch of others, if you like this one)
*Dear Daughter- Elizabeth Little (another one with twists & has flawed characters you can root for a la Gillian Flynn; another in my top 3)
*One Of Us- Tawni O'Dell
*Back Roads- Tawni O'Dell
*Coal Run- Tawni O’Dell (can you tell I like her books? They're all set in PA coal country, but have different backstories)


Tell me what your top reads of 2014 were and I'll add them to my list!

-KB