My Top 11 books of 2014. I mean, these are books I READ this year, not necessarily books PUBLISHED this year.

It's funny because most of these books didn't "win" their months, but when I look back over my year in books, they rise to the top.  I wanted to pick a top 10, but I just couldn't.  Both my #10 and #11 picks have haunted me since I put them down, a good reason to keep them both on the list I think.

11.  Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala:  A searing story of grief written in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami.  This book is beautiful and lyrical and heart breaking.

10.  Euphoria by Lily King:  Such an odd, haunting story of anthropologists i the early 20th century.  I read it by the pool, but it was more substantial than most summer reads.

9.  Wonder by RJ Palacio:  The boys and I read this together, and I don;t think we'll ever forget it.

8.  The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd:  Another book that will not leave my head.  A fictionalized account of Sarah and Angelina Grimke's political awakening.

7.  Guests on Earth by Lee Smith:  Both poetic and taut, this book is a fictionalized account of the hospital fire that killed Zelda Fitzgerald.  I have started calling Dorothy pie-face because of it.

6.  Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graf:  Another wonderful kiddie lit book.  If you have kids, you should read it with them.

5. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez:  This multi-narrator account of immigrants struggling to survive in the US is going to be required reading in high schools soon.

4.  A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra:  Not my usual jam, this book is about war and features lots of male characters, but it's like nothing I have read before.

3.  The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters:  I don't even know what to say about this book without giving it away.  It's a love story.

2.  We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler:  I cannot spoil the charming plot twist, so I will just implore you to read this book.

1.  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt:  I mean, duh.