Dubuque Virtual Book Club discussion

The GoodReads choice awards are over, but we're always looking for great new reading suggestions. What were your favorite new books of 2014?

I tried to limit myself to three favorites, but I couldn't, so here's my top four new books of 2014:

The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley: A dark and imaginative work of epic fantasy.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett: A fast-paced mystery/spy thriller set in a fantasy world reeling from the effects of colonialism.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: A sweet story about family, misfits, and a love of reading (especially short stories!)

I Was the Cat by Paul Tobin & Benjamin Dewey: What do cats do with their nine lives? Try to take over the world, of course! I'm also very fond of Benjamin Dewey's art.

Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick was both hilarious and intelligent, neither a quality suggested by the title.

Seconds: A Graphic Novel was a very interesting book about the weirdness of finding oneself on the far side of one's first big adult accomplishment, struggling to figure out what to do next. It's by the guy who wrote Scott Pilgrim who both knows how to comics and knows what it is to attempt to follow one's own success.

Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery for anyone who's ever had an adventure spoiled because the hobbit who was in charge of lunch only packed drugs and candy.

The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side by Damien Lewis combined some of my favorite things: dogs and the feel-good stories from World War II. It's a love story how both man and dog cannot live without each other.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty was one of my favorites that wasn't "a classic" book. There were so many characters that were intertwined with each other, and plus, the Australian lingo always makes it for a fun read.

A fun, interactive Best Books of 2014 list is here from NPR! The 2014 book concierge: apps.npr.org/best-books-2014/

The 2014 books that stand out to me are The Farm, The Silkworm, and The Martian (which, yes, was self-published before 2014, but I'm still counting it).

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. I tried to read it slowly to make it last longer...then I remembered I bought it so I can re-read it anytime I want to!

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan. It just came out. I laughed out loud numerous times and kept reading passages to my husband who finally told me to knock it off.

How About Never--Is Never Good for You?: My Life in Cartoons by Bob Mankoff. A great memoir and inside look at the cartoons of the New Yorker magazine.

I'm jumping on the bandwagon with All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr--starts slow but picks up great momentum that had me wishing it could have lasted a little longer. Set during WWII but even if you aren't a huge fan of historical fiction you can't help but love the characters and great story.