It’s December, so that means the staff has been surveyed for their favorite books of the year. One of the great things about our staff is that we’re rather diverse readers, so whatever genre or subject you’re interested in, we’ve probably got someone who will be able to suggest a good read.
You might notice that this year, a number of us chose the same book as a favorite – All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. There are a couple of reasons for that: first, it’s a great book (nominated for the National Book Award, listed on several year-end best of lists, and the winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Historical Fiction); second, Doerr makes his home in Idaho and has served as the Idaho Writer-in-Residence (and he’s presented at our Library in the past). It’s always a good thing when we can support an Idaho author!
Drop in and pick up one of these, or query the staff on any other recommendations!
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Favorite Books Published in 2014
A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander (Amy)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Amy, Beth, Jennifer, and Kate)
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan (James)
Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris (Sara)
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (Sara)
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (Erica)
The Gods of Olympus: A History by Barbara Graziosi (Cody)
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Katie)
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (Kate)
The Legend of Sheba by Tosca Moon Lee (Liz)
Mirror Sight by Kristen Britain (Liz)
Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Wood (Susan)
Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini (Susan)
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop (Kathleen)
Night of the White Buffalo by Margaret Coel (Barbara)
The One by Kiera Cass (Darby)
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (Whitney)
Shots Fired: Stories from Joe Pickett Country by C.J. Box (Barbara)
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (Katie)
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater (Erica)
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty by (Stephanie)
A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen (Josie)
Unequal Affections by Lara Ormiston (Jessica)
The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland (Beth)
Where the Wind Leads: A Refugee Family’s Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption by Vinh Shung (Susan)
Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris (Jennifer)
The World According to Bob: The Further Adventures of One Man and His Streetwise Cat by James Bowen (Stephanie)
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Favorite Books Published Before 2014
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Darby)
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (CJ)
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Erica)
Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews (Liz)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Darby, Josie, and Rachel)
The Forgotten by David Baldacci (Barbara)
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (Sara)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Sara and Rachel)
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (Stephanie)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Katie)
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout (Susan)
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Jennifer)
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (James)
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian (Kate)
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson (Beth)
Merciless Eden by Doug Tims (Susan)
The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (Erica)
The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell (Kate)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Amy)
Queen and Country: The Last Run by Greg Rucka (Jennifer)
The Secret Language of Color: Science, Nature, History, Culture, Beauty of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Violet by Arielle and Joann Eckstut (Jessica)
The Selection by Kiera Cass (Darby)
Terrier by Tamora Pierce (Stephanie)
A Time of Change by Aimee and David Thurlo (Barbara)
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman (Beth)
This Book is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It by David Wong (CJ)
The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent (Liz)
We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: The Promise of Civic Renewal in America by Peter Levine (Cody)
Written in Red by Anne Bishop (Kathleen)
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The Reference Desk at TFPL 