Can you believe 2014 is basically half over? I thought I’d hop on the current bandwagon and share some of the best books I’ve read in the first 6 months of the year. Most of these are not “new” books per say but they were new to me until this year and all of them were fantastic.

In no particular order, the 5 best books I’ve read this year are:

1. Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman – This was a fun, light hearted kids book that makes for a great read aloud. The illustrations are fantastic and it’s just pure Neil Gaiman at his best. If you are looking for something fun to read with your kids or just need a nice, fast, funny read after a long day – I highly recommend this one. If you or your kids like pirates, dinosaurs, aliens, ponies, vampires, cute quirky British families, traveling through time and space, breakfast cereal with milk, well illustrated and funny novels or even just one of those things – this one is a safe bet. – Full Review –
2. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant – I’m glad I finally took the time to read this book – I started it once years ago and left it unfinished, balking at the complexity of the many stories being told in one book. I think appreciated it now more than I would have back then anyway. This is a fantastic story that touches on a lot of subjects that anyone can relate to – from being a mother to a daughter, a sister, a wife – hardships faced, adapting to new cultures and continually learning to pick up the pieces of our lives and start anew when needed. I think this will be a book that stays with me for a long time.
3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – I read this book basically in one day – it was a mad, crazy, obsessive daylong reading spree in which putting the book down felt painful and wrong until I’d finished it. My apologies to the children, husband and pets neglected on February 19, 2014. In many small ways, it felt like this book was written exactly for me – like the author had captured a piece of my soul and put it on paper. While I can’t necessarily relate to the WHOLE story (don’t have a twin sister or a psychologically diagnosed mental illness – also don’t write fanfiction and am significantly older than 18) – so much of it I could definitely relate to and I quickly found myself rooting for Cath and waiting for certain plot events to come about. I, simply put, loved this book. – Full Review –
4. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle – This is one of those “classics” that I completely missed growing up and though people would occasionally comment on it being a favorite or something I’d like, it took me a long time to get around to reading it. I’m so glad I finally did. I instantly fell in love with this series and this family. It’s equal parts coming of age story / amazing science fiction time / space travel story. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and ended up buying all the books at a used book store recently so the whole family can enjoy it eventually! – Full Review –
5. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom – I think this was a book that will stay with me for a long time. It was slow going at first and the subject matter (not gruesome per say, but not light reading either) often kept me up at night – maybe not the best night time reading because it’s a book you can’t help but dwell on. I became very attached to the characters after awhile which made the second half of the book fly in comparison to the first, as I became more and more concerned about how it would all end. Fascinating. My book club read this and everyone at the meeting agreed that they loved this one, which doesn’t happen often!

What has been your favorite book so far this year?