Favorite Authors of 2014

Just looking through my 2014 reading log, I noted that I had some favorite authors that I read again and again. Some were new, and some were old favorites. Here are some of the authors I enjoyed to a huge degree this past year.

1. Georgette Heyer--Heyer was a British author of both romance and mystery. Her romances were mostly set in Regency England, but several were set in earlier time periods. She wrote from the 1921-1972. I had read a few of Heyer's books a few years ago, but my love for her books really took off in 2014, and I couldn't stop! I mostly read the romances. She was not a Christian author, but her books are clean (other than a small number of curse words common to the era), and the dialogue is superb. I read 29 of her books in 2014.

2. Grace Livingston Hill--Hill was an early 20th-century American author of mostly Christian romance. She wrote over 100 books, and I've been reading them since I was 13. Her romances are very sweet, old-fashioned, and clean, and most of them have a strong Christian message. I got out my collection when we returned to America for 4 months, and I read as many as I could (which ended up being around 22).

3. Agatha Christie--I can't say I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan, but when I'm in the mood for a good "who-done-it" book, I check one of hers out of library. I've read a few of her books that I definitely did NOT like, but most of them have been fun reads. I read 7 of Christie's books this past year. If you're not familiar with this author (always that chance), she was a very famous English crime novelist who wrote from about 1919 through the early 70s.

4. Anthony Horowitz--Horowitz is a current British author who writes for adults, teens, and children. I've only read his Alex Rider series (spy novels written for young adults), which my 13-year-old son and I are both huge fans of. We've only read 9 of the 10 novels, the last one being published in 2013 and more of a side story than part of the series about Alex (we haven't read it yet). His stories (which are probably unrealistic but still really cool) are very exciting and hard to put down.

5. Julie Klassen--Klassen is a current American author of inspirational Regency romance novels. Yes, I can't help loving the Regency era (yes, I'm a fan of Jane Austen)! Klassen is one of my best discoveries of the year--I haven't yet read a novel of hers I didn't like. I read 5 of them this year, and I have another one waiting on my Kindle.

6. Karen Witemeyer--Witemeyer is another of my favorite discoveries of the year. She's an American author of Christian novels that are set in the 1800s American West. I've read 4 of her books this year and look forward to reading more.

7. Miranda Dickinson--Dickinson is a newer British romance author. She is a Christian, but her books are not. However, they are clean, and the stories are lovely. I've read 3 of her books and would definitely read more.

8. Elizabeth Camden--I discovered Camden when I downloaded a free novel to my Kindle. She's a newer American author of inspirational romance novels. I've only read 2 of her books, but I enjoyed them enough to read more (she's only written 5 so far).

There were other authors that I read more than once, but those eight were my favorites. This coming year, I have some more new authors to discover (as in, I already have the books, but I didn't get them read in 2014).

One author I just read is Fiona Hill/Ellen Pall. Pall's information was hard to track down, but she's a current American author who happened to write Regency romances in the 1970s and 80s under the pen name of Fiona Hill. I loved the book I read and found it very much like a Georgette Heyer romance.

I also have several Christian novels waiting to be read, and they're by authors I haven't tried out yet--Tamera Alexander, Laura Frantz, Tamara Leigh, and Sarah E. Ladd. If I enjoy them, I'll write about them next year!

2015 Book Log

Welcome to my personal book log for 2015. This is my 5th year attempting the 100-book challenge. I more than beat my goal this past year. Thanks to discovering new authors and rereading old favorites, I managed to read 127. If you're interested in what I read, here's the link: Book Log 2014

I will keep the same rules I had last year, for my 2015 challenge. Basically, the books on my list must be chapter books and can't include any repeats from 2014. This year, I'm going to keep one running book log and will not list books by genre. However, I will still list books of the Bible separately.

January 1, 2016 update: I read exactly 100 books this year. After I reached my goal, I worked on reading the Bible. Though I read my Bible frequently, I didn't read any full books until the last few days of the year (except Revelation, which I read in the spring). I chose several short books, as you will see, but I also managed to read Matthew. This year, I endeavor to improve!

2015 Book Log

1. The Tryst (Grace Livingston Hill)
2. Daphne Deane (Grace Livingston Hill)
3. The Country Gentleman (Fiona Hill)
4. The Wedding Portrait (Fiona Hill)
5. The Unveiling (Tamara Leigh)
6. Dawn of the Morning (Grace Livingston Hill)
7. The Fairest Beauty (Melanie Dickerson)
8. The Merchant's Daughter (Melanie Dickerson)
9. The Princess Spy (Melanie Dickerson)
10. Viscount Vagabond (Loretta Chase)
11. Bride of Paradise (Katie Crabapple)
12. Too Close to Home (Lynette Eason)
13. The Tale of Despereaux (Kate DiCamillo)
14. The Trail of Conflict (Emilie Baker Loring)
15. The Spanish Bride (Georgette Heyer)
16. Gregor the Overlander (Suzanne Collins)
17. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
18. Mary Arden (Grace Livingston Hill)
19. The Healer's Apprentice (Melanie Dickerson)
20. Ariel Custer (Grace Livingston Hill)
21. Re-Creations (Grace Livingston Hill)
22. Resilient (Ron Luce)
23. Sunken Treasure (Katy Lee)
24. The Railway Children (E. Nesbit)
25. In Times Like These (Emilie Loring)
26. Katharine's Yesterday (Grace Livingston Hill)
27. Healed of Cancer (Dodie Osteen)
28. The Yielding (Tamara Leigh)
29. Claiming Mariah (Pam Hillman)
30. Pistols for Two (Georgette Heyer)
31. The Quiet Gentleman (Georgette Heyer)
32. The Foundling (Georgette Heyer)
33. Russian Roulette (Anthony Horowitz)
34. A Civil Contract (Georgette Heyer)
35. When I Fall in Love (Miranda Dickinson)
36. The Heiress of Winterwood (Sarah Ladd)
37. Cousin Kate (Georgette Heyer)
38. Charity Girl (Georgette Heyer)
39. Lydia (Clare Darcy)
40. Elyza (Clare Darcy)
41. Georgina (Clare Darcy)
42. The Headmistress of Rosemere (Sarah E. Ladd)
43. The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest (Melanie Dickerson)
44. A World of Winnie-the-Pooh (A.A. Milne)
45. The Longing (Tamara Leigh)
46. The Governess of Highland Hall (Carrie Turansky)
47. Mayday at Two Thousand Five Hundred (Frank E. Peretti)
48. Full Steam Ahead (Karen Witemeyer)
49. Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls)
50. Sweet Mercy (Ann Tatlock)
51. The Duchess and the Dragon (Jamie Carie)
52. Sanditon (Jane Austen and Another Lady)
53. Victoire (Clare Darcy)
54. Eugenia (Clare Darcy)
55. Allegra (Clare Darcy)
56. Regina (Clare Darcy)
57. Stars Collide (Janice Thompson)
58. Hello, Hollywood! (Janice Thompson)
59. The Director's Cut (Janice Thompson)
60. Mountain Born (Elizabeth Yates)
61. Simon the Coldheart (Georgette Heyer)
62. The Redeeming (Tamara Leigh)
63. The Conqueror (Georgette Heyer)
64. The Female Correspondent (Eva Deverell)
65. The Fellingham Minx (Lynn Messina)
66. Song of Erin (BJ Hoff)
67. Bel Ria (Sheila Burnford)
68. Brentwood's Ward (Michelle Griep)
69. Striker: Sudden Death (Nick Hale)
70. Messenger (Lois Lowry)
71. The Family From One End Street (Eve Garnett)
72. Mary Poppins (P.L. Travers)
73. Gathering Blue (Lois Lowry)
74. Son (Lois Lowry)
75. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (Suzanne Collins)
76. Squanto: Friend of Pilgrims (Clyde Robert Bulla)
77. Gregor and the Marks of Secret (Suzanne Collins)
78. Gregor and the Code of Claw (Suzanne Collins)
79. Take a Look at Me Now (Miranda Dickinson)
80. Serendipity (Cathy Marie Hake)
81. The Dancing Master (Julie Klassen)
82. A Lady at Willowgrove Hall (Sarah E. Ladd)
83. The Inheritance (Tamera Alexander)
84. Balto and the Great Race (Elizabeth Cody Kimmel)
85. Whirlwind (Cathy Marie Hake)
86. That Certain Spark (Cathy Marie Hake)
87. Letter Perfect (Cathy Marie Hake)
88. The Golden Braid (Melanie Dickerson)
89. Georgette Heyer's Regency World (Jennifer Kloester)
90. Sixty Acres and a Bride (Regina Jennings)
91. To Whisper Her Name (Tamera Alexander)
92. Against the Tide (Elizabeth Camden)
93. The Christmas Star (Ace Collins)
94. Toward the Sunrise (Elizabeth Camden)
95. The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis)
96. Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
97. Until the Dawn (Elizabeth Camden)
98. The Kindling (Tamara Leigh)
99. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
100. Love's Reckoning (Laura Frantz)


Books of the Bible
1. Revelation
2. Ezra
3. Esther
4. Ruth
5. Joshua
6. Obadiah
7. Haggai
8. Philemon
9. Matthew