2014 Quarterly Book Rewind: Those I’ve Loved, Hated, and Been Indifferent To

I’ve been a reading fiend these first few months of 2014.  What follows is a list of titles I’ve finished from January through March, with a sprinkling of book reviews along the way.

• After the Storm by Maya Banks
• That Time I Joined the Circus by J. Howard.  This is another one of my YA adult reads ( I think it’s 5th grade level?) but it was very entertaining.
• I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
• The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
• The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore
• I Survived Hurricane Katrina by Lauren Tarshis.  If you’ve never read an “I Survived” book by Lauren Tarshis before, stop what you are doing and find one now.  Immediately.  These books are elementary level chapter book and can easily be read in an hour, but are extremely well written and entertaining.  Historical fiction at its finest.  See here for a list of all her books.
• I Survived the Japanese Tsunami by Lauren Tarshis.
• I Survived the Nazi Invasion by Lauren Tarshis.  In all honesty, this is my least favorite of her books.  I think it was extremely hard to write a book based on the Holocaust at a child’s level.  She did the best she could with the situation, but the Holocaust was such a horrific, bleak time that she had to sugarcoat it for younger readers.
• The Hit by David Baldacci
• Split Second by David Baldacci
• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.  I have so much to say about this trilogy.  It is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series, which the first of has recently been made into a movie.  I read the original three books of the Mortal Instruments series a while ago, and was waiting for the fourth to be published when I got sidetracked.  Cassandra Clare is an amazing author.  She has developed this whole world in her brain and her books detail that world.  This trilogy is a must-read.
• Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
• Aftershock by Sylvia Day.  This is the sequel to Afterburn.  Sylvia Day is also the author of the Crossfire trilogy, which rivals (and surpasses) the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.  Afterburn was a great, short story with a good storyline.  Aftershock seemed to be a copy with name changes.
• Whiskey Rebellion by Lilliana Hart.  This was a short, humorous read, but not good enough for me to purchase and read the rest of the books.
• The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult.  I have never finished a Jodi Piccoult book before this one.  They are typically too sad for me.  The Storyteller was an exception. 
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  This book is a MUST read.  It is the one I stayed up until after midnight to finish while crying big, ugly tears.  I’m not usually into books that make me cry, but I have to recommend this one.  There is nothing I can say to explain it, so just do it.  Then you’ll see.