Top Ten Tuesday - The First Half of 2014's Best Books

Bookish and Listy Goodness hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The topic this week is about favorite reads so far in 2014.  The first two books on the list were five star rated reads for me and the rest got four stars.  I'm planning on cheating, just so you know, by clumping as one entry, books in a series that all got rated highly.  So there.  Just try and stop me. Links are to my reviews.

1. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Epic historical fiction/mystery/romance mash-up.  

2. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
I struggle to like Urban Fantasy but this series featuring Kate Daniels won me over big time.  This is the fourth in the series and evidence that it just keeps getting better as it goes along.  This got five stars mostly for pure reading joy.

3. The Beekeeper's Apprentice Laurie R. King
Sherlock Holmes fan fiction of the highest order!

4. The Monster Blood Tattoo Series by D.M. Cornish (Lamplighter)
A really unique YA/Middle Grade series with incredible world-building and a fascinating cast of characters.

5. Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach
A totally fun science fiction romp that reminded me a little bit of Firefly.

6. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
A re-telling of the classic fairy tale The Goose Girl

7. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Cinder) (Scarlet) (Cress)
I ate up all three of the first three Lunar chronicles like candy.  The perfect escapist reads.

8. A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey
It's kind of a hot mess but I still loved it so much.  Another good escapist read.

9.  Groundbreaking Food Gardens by Niki Jabbour
This was an awesome gardening book chock full of unique and useful garden plans and ideas.  

10. No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym
I love Barbara Pym's quiet and funny stories of everyday women.

Not surprisingly my reading in the first half of the year has been relatively light.  My job is particularly demanding from about December through May so I don't have a lot of brain energy for, you know, other kinds of thinking.   I have started to crave some more thoughtful reading of late so I'll be interested if my reading is any different in the second half of the year. 

What have been your favorites so far this year?