What I read in 2014

Thanks to Goodreads, here is a list of all the books I read in 2014. I fell two books short of completing my 2014 Reading Challenge by reading 48 out of 50 books. There were a few books I abandoned this year, but I can’t count them as complete in good conscience.

As always, I read a mix of fiction of varying quality, trashy romance and a few memoirs. Here is the complete list:

Melissa’s bookshelf: read-in-2014

S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared
4 of 5 stars
tagged:
delightfully-trashy-romance and read-in-2014
Mad About the Boy
3 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Barefoot
3 of 5 stars
I’m a sucker for light summer reading that takes place somewhere in New England.
tagged:
read-in-2014
Silver Girl
3 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Tell Me
0 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014 and delightfully-trashy-romance
The Rosie Project
3 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
The Bitch
3 of 5 stars
Supposedly the version I read was updated and completely rewritten in 2012. Outside of a few current celebrity references, I’m not sure how updated it was. Still, it was a fast, easy read and a typical Jackie Collins book.
tagged:
read-in-2014
We Are Water
5 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Dead Brilliant
3 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
Eleanor & Park
5 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
The Oakdale Dinner Club
0 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
The Imperfectionists
4 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
No Relation
4 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
The Fire-Dwellers
4 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
Two Sisters
4 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Infidelity
5 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Deenie
0 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
Tiger Eyes
4 of 5 stars
Never read this as a kid/teen. Glad I finally read it now.
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read-in-2014
Hellgoing: Stories
3 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
On the Rocks: A Novel
2 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
The Glass Wives
3 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Love Me Anyway: A Novel
4 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Worst. Person. Ever.
0 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
Four Friends
4 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
How to Love
3 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Valley of the Dolls
0 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
I Don't Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother
0 of 5 stars
I felt like a cliché reading this book. Then the ending went ridiculously sideways.
tagged:
read-in-2014
S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed
4 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
Landline
4 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
Fangirl
4 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
Hidden
3 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014
The Interestings
5 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
The Silent Wife
0 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
A Life in Men: A Novel
4 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
If I Could Tell You: A Novel
0 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
How Lucky You Are
0 of 5 stars
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read-in-2014
Sinners at the Altar
3 of 5 stars
tagged:
read-in-2014 and delightfully-trashy-romance




goodreads.com

If you’re on Goodreads and we’re not connected, feel free to add me. I’m always looking for new books to read. Leave me any book recommendations you have in the comments.

Books I read in 2013

I read a lot in 2013. I track my reading using Goodreads (you should add me if you use that site) and participated in their 2013 reading challenge. I challenged myself to read 35 books in 2013 and I ended up reading 62 different books. Here’s a list of what I read in 2013, sorted in the order I read them in.

A summary of my list: lots of trashy stuff, but lots of not-trashy stuff too.

What did you read in 2013? What was your favourite? What books do you recommend, and what books should I avoid in 2014?

What I read in 2013

We Need to Talk About Kevin
5 of 5 stars
The first time I tried to read this, I had to stop. This book is brave in its depiction of motherhood.
Maine
5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were imperfect, and often unlikeable. The story drew me in and the author did a good job letting the reader in on the deeper story bit by bit. So much better than saving the big stuff for the en…
Noughties
2 of 5 stars
I wanted to like this more than I did. I suspect that I’m too Canadian to get the British intricacies. But ultimately it was pretentious and confusing.
Trinkets
4 of 5 stars
Fast read. I enjoyed it.
Losing It
3 of 5 stars
Light and fluffy and very predictable.
Entwined with You
3 of 5 stars
I understated that this series went from being a trilogy to a five-book series. I think there was some heavy editing to stretch this book (and series) out. The ending felt like it popped out of nowhere.
Debutante
3 of 5 stars
Fun read but main characters weren’t very likeable. I didn’t expect the ending that happened. That presented more questions versus tying things up. Room for a sequel I guess
Forget About It
4 of 5 stars
Enjoyed this book a lot. Funny and light.
The Pretty One: A Novel about Sisters
4 of 5 stars
Easy, fast read and I quite enjoyed it.
The Perfect Marriage
2 of 5 stars
A fast, plot-driven read that glosses over details.
Dolls Behaving Badly
4 of 5 stars
This was a fun read. The characters were relatable and the story moved along quickly. The main character’s voice changed slightly throughout. At first I thought that was weak writing but realized that was a result of the growth she was d…
The Engagements
4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed the intertwining of the stories and the story of Frances Gerety in this book.




goodreads.com

 

What I did on my vacation

May they always look at each other like this
The crowd I spent my vacation with.

Team Mitchell was on vacation last week. We laid low at home and it was wonderful.

Highlights of the week include:

Sean’s birthday. We picked up dinner and had our neighbours over for dinner. I made a cherry cheesecake and it was pretty good for someone who doesn’t bake. I made it from a box, but still, I made cake! I should have made him wear the Dora party hat we have in the cupboard from Flora’s 2nd birthday.

Our ninth wedding anniversary. We didn’t do much to celebrate it, but we did acknowledge it.

I read six novels.  I have completed my challenge for 2013 to read 35 books. Now I need to up the number since there’s a lot of 2013 left. Some novels were trashy, but that’s what summer reading is all about.

I played with Instagram video. I’m not sure if I love it yet, but it is fun.

Embedly Powered

Embedly Powered

I took Flora to the ROM. The train trips to and from were big adventures, but an unexpected highlight of our trip was the bat cave. I was convinced she would be terrified of it, but we walked through that thing at least six times in a row.

Train ride
Pink Teddy enjoyed the trip too.

Lots of time spent outside. We went to the park, the splash pad and spent lots of time in the backyard. My favourite afternoon was spent in the backyard just enjoying my family, talking, hanging out and playing.

We’re back to our regular routine today – Sean and I at work and Flora at her school for summer camp. I think our return to routine was almost welcome, but I’ll still look forward to the next backyard party this weekend.

How do I fit my life in around the rest of my life?

While last week’s time change has made my weekday wake-up routine…challenging, the extra sunshine at the end of the day really has made a difference to my mood and energy. I’m also taking my iron and vitamin B12 pills more consistently and that might be helping too.

In the last week, I’ve signed myself up for aquafit classes (starting mid-April) and an online writing course. I’m still working through the Web Fundamentals track on Codecademy before I start on actual programming fundamentals. I’ve also been reading lots of novels – some quality, some trashy – which you can see on my Goodreads “read in 2013” list. That’s one advantage to my longer commute – more reading time!

Sean and I also started watching Sons of Anarchy on Netflix. We mainlined Season 1 last week and just started Season 2 yesterday. I love when we find a show we enjoy watching together. Sitting in the same room doing separate things is okay, but doing something together – even if it is just watching TV – is good for our relationship.

All that TV-watching seems to be slowing down the progress of my reading, writing and coding. I’m not watching a lot of other TV right now – not even my beloved Y&R. (I’m so behind!). Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to sleep. There is so much to do and learn and experience and only so much time I can devote to do all of it after work and when Flora doesn’t Need Me Right Now. Obligation trumps desire, but hard work deserves reward.

How do you find the time to fit everything in that you want to do once you’ve fulfilled the obligations and minutiae of your day? I can’t cheat myself of anymore sleep than I already do. Your tips would be welcome.

What I read in 2012

Just for kicks, here are all the books I read and rated with Goodreads in 2012. My reviews are included if I wrote one.

What did you read in 2012? Any favourites?

Melissa’s bookshelf: read-in-2012

Heaping Spoonful
3 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012
The Midwife's Confession
4 of 5 stars true
This is the first book by Diane Chamberlain that I’ve read. I was drawn in from the start but I agree with the Jodi Picoult comparisons I’ve seen here. I figured out some stuff long before the characters did and was waiting for the One B…
tagged:
read-in-2012
Elephant Girl: A Human Story
5 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
The Virgin Cure
5 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
Left Neglected
4 of 5 stars true
I read this book quickly and enjoyed it. As I read, I got angrier and angrier about modern work culture and the constant pressure we have put on us, and put on ourselves.What are we doing to ourselves as a society?

tagged:
read-in-2012
The Almost Archer Sisters
4 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
Prep
5 of 5 stars true
I really enjoyed this book. I agree that the main character was unpleasant but I understood why. She put up so many walls to protect herself that she cheated herself out of a better experience at her school.When certain things happene…

tagged:
read-in-2012
Girls in White Dresses
0 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
The Best Laid Plans
5 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
The High Road
5 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
Annabel
5 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
One Day
4 of 5 stars true
I enjoyed this book but the ending was a major letdown.
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read-in-2012
Bared to You
0 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
5 of 5 stars true
I found this book fascinating. It was well-researched but written with a very engaging voice.
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read-in-2012
Reflected in You
0 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
Everybody Has Everything
4 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
The Red House: A Novel
3 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
A Visit from the Goon Squad
4 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
How to Be a Woman
4 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
The Antagonist
3 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
Lady Oracle
4 of 5 stars true
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read-in-2012
Seating Arrangements
3 of 5 stars true
tagged:
read-in-2012




goodreads.com

 

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
This work by Melissa Price-Mitchell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada.
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