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Top 10 Fiction of 2014

1. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr (20)
2. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel (18)
3. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James (15)
Redeployment, Phil Klay
5. Lila, Marilynne Robinson (13)
The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters
7. The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell (11)
8. Euphoria, Lily King (10)
9. We Were Liars, E. Lockhart (9)
10. Dept. of Speculation, Jenny Offill (8)

Top 10 Nonfiction of 2014

1. Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Roz Chast (15)
2. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande (11)
The Empathy Exams, Leslie Jamison
4. On Immunity, Eula Biss (10)
The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert
In The Kingdom Of Ice, Hampton Sides
7. The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, Jeff Hobbs (9)
8. Bad Feminist, Roxane Gay (6)
Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
What if?, Randall Munroe
Capital, Thomas Piketty
Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson

Sources:
These are the 53 sources counted so far — and from each we take only their most selective lists (e.g. the NYT’s Top 10, not their 100 “notable” books).
Awards (Good Reads; National Book Awards; Booker Award; Kirkus Awards; Giller Prize; Governor General’s Awards; FT McKinsey Award) Critics (Maureen Corrigan; Dwight Garner; Michiko Kakutani; Janet Maslin; Sarah Weinman; James Wood) Magazines (Entertainment Weekly; Newsweek; New York Magazine; Oprah Magazine; People Magazine; Time; Village Voice) Newspapers (Boston Globe; Chicago Tribune; Christian Science Monitor; Guardian; Houston Chronicle; Minneapolis Star Tribune; New York Times; Newsday; Seattle Times; Wall Street Journal; Washington Post) Online publications (BuzzFeed; Daily Beast; Gawker Review of Books; Grantland; Huffington Post; Slate) Other Distinctions/Lists (Monthly Indie Next No. 1 picks; monthly Library Reads No. 1 picks; BEA Buzz Panel books; PL Buzz Books titles; top Google searches) Retailers (Amazon; Amazon Canada; Barnes & Noble; BookPage; Hudson Booksellers; iBooks Store; Indigo; Kobo) Trade publications (Library Journal; Publishers Weekly; Shelf Awareness)

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

This illustration was sent in by Andreja Peklar to help us ring in the new year. She was featured earlier this year on Illustrator Saturday. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/07/12/illustrator-saturday-andreja-peklar/

Have a happy, safe celebration. If you take any pictures and want to share them, I will post them this week.

Here is a poem sent in by Hally Franz:

An Introvert’s Dilemma

It’s New Year’s Eve, and I have not a clue,

As to what I am doing, so I’ll run it by you.

Shall I put on heels and make-up and glitz,

For a glamorous evening down at The Ritz?

Or shall I stay home with Ryan Seacrest,

Dressed in my blue jeans instead of my best?

Perhaps dinner and dancing for a romantic night,

My hubby and I might stay out ‘til daylight.

Thought sometimes it’s hard to stay out so late,

When it’s been twenty-five years since you’ve been on a date.

We’ll have some friends over for board games and soup,

My skill in Balderdash will throw them all for a loop.

Of course, I’ll have to cook yet another meal,

And, if I liked to cook, it would be no big deal.

It’s New Year’s Eve, so communing is key,

One more chance to socialize, how lucky are we?

More time and friends, more time with fam,

Another minute might put my head in a jam.

Thanks for your input, thanks for your ear,

I’ve made a decision on how to ring in the year.

I’ll cozy up with my jammies, book, and hot tea,

And spend the whole festive evening with little old me.

Check back on Friday for Erika Wassell’s Guest Post.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy