2014 round up

So, seeing we're less than 2 weeks from the end of the year, how has it gone for everyone? Did you make 100 or miss?
What were the books you loved, which were the stinkers.
Sum up 2014 for you - and what 2015 might bring.

I'll start:
I'm going to miss 100. >:-(
I'm at 81 at the moment; if I get to 85 I'll be a bit surprised.
I had 2 additional aims, to read 1 non-fiction per month and to read 1 new author per month.
Non-fiction, I'm at 13 at the moment, with one on the go. While I missed July, I did read 2 in both June and August so I'm going to count that as completed.
I read 46 new authors in the year and although I did have one month with no new authors I am, again, going to say that is completed. 46 is certainly more than 12!

Best books:
I gave 5 stars 5 times this year, 3 to new books, 2 to rereads. IN no particular order:
the discoveries: The foundling, Talking Heads, Miss Pettigrew lives for a day
the re-reads: The Wind in the Willows, Mort

Worst books:
I abandoned 1 book Bombers' Moon was simply dire. 1/2 star
The lowest scored book I finished was Afrika Reich, which I finished mainly because I wanted to know quite how far our teflon clad hero would manage to escape the hail of bullets he seemed to encounter on a regular basis. 1 star

2015:
I will try the 100 again, I know it can be done, it's a case of making the time.
I will stick to the 1 non-fiction a month. As for anything else, I again have a real life book club selections for the year (some of which I'm looking forward to more than others) and I'm going to try the British Author's challenge in the 75 books group as I've not read most of those selection. Apart form that, simply to try new things, and find something I love.

>1 Helenliz: thanks for starting this thread. :)

My motto this year was "Two Books a Week is Doable", and I managed to average 8 books a month, which helped me meet my goal.

I did read 100+, but not all my books are "chunksters": some are youth/children's books that are quicker reads.

I also met my ROOT goal of reading 40 books that had been on my shelves, unread, for at least a year, woo!

Best of 2014:

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Those Who Love by Irving Stone
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Brothers of Earth by CJ Cherryh
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
The Promise by Chaim Potok
Beloved Bride by William Potter
Cuckoo's Egg by CJ Cherryh
The Bambino and Me (Early Reviewer book) by Zachary Hyman
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot
QB VII by Leon Uris
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

On to 2015! (where's the new place??)

I didn't make the big 100 either. My excuse is too many holidays and not enough time to listen to audio books!
However, I did read some great books. Here are my 5 stars:

Eyrie Tim Winton
We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena Anthony Marra
Coldbrook Tim Lebbon
Burial Rites Hannah Kent - No. 1!
The Dog Stars Peter Heller

I had some good 4 1/2 starred books too.

Wool Shift & Dust Hugh Howey
Instructions for a Heatwave Maggie O'Farrell
Maddadam Margaret Atwood
Transatlantic Colum McCann
The Martian Andy Weir
All My Puny Sorrows Miriam Toews
Deeper Water Jessie Cole
Nora Webster Colm Toibin
Lexicon Max Barry

And the duds:

Madigan Mine Kirstynn McDermott
The female Ward Debalina Halder
Adultery Paolo Coelho
They Shall Begin Again Giacomo Papi
Reality Ray Glickman
The People in the Trees Hanya Yanagihara
The Cuckoo's Calling Robert Galbraith
Lost Voices Christopher Koch

I didn't realise there were so many duds until I had to list them. I think this year I was a bit harsher with my ratings. Looking forward to another year!

I got up to 84. I blame work!! First time I've missed the goal, I think, but I still had a lot of fun and will be back next year.

Hits (4.5 stars or higher):

Saga, Brian K. Vaughan
Farthing, Jo Walton
More Than This, Patrick Ness
Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan
Locke and Key, Joe Hill
Beautiful Darkness, Fabien Vehlmann
Without a Summer, Mary Robinette Kowal
Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
The Girl With All the Gifts, M.R. Carey
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, John le Carre
Rat Queens, Kurtis J. Wiebe
The Book of Lost Things, John Connolly
The Bookman, Lavie Tidhar
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler

Misses:

Daughter of the Blood (Black Jewels Trilogy), Anne Bishop

Um, not many under the misses there, but this was a corker of a stinker. :)

And I do read a lot of genre, don't I??