10 Ways to Expand Your Bookshelf: Books of 2014

It can be difficult to break through in a world where we have literally hundreds of thousands of books to choose from. However, the new books of 2014 have proved that you can punch through and make quite a bit of noise for yourself as an author! Check out these ten books that were published in 2014 that you should definitely add to your reading list!

1. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

The sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City sees Jacob and some of the other children fleeing the Welsh orphanage they had called home in search of Miss Peregrine. On the way, they find themselves drawn into another world, one inhabited by unusual animals.

2. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

A coming-of-age book, We Were Liars tells the story of Cadence and her friends, a privileged group who have given themselves the name ‘The Liars’. Although incredibly vague at first, this story packs a punch and with an unusual writing style, it is definitely one that is incredibly interesting to read!

3. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Marketed as a retelling of the classic fairy tale Snow White, Boy, Snow, Bird tackles both racial issues and the way that we perceive ourselves. Snow and Bird are from the same family — stepsisters. However, Snow is white and Bird is dark-skinned, both from a family of mixed race who, in a world where the color of skin is incredibly important, are trying to ‘fit in’ as being white.

4. Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen

History is a fascinating subject, and this book brings that across by talking about the U.S operation that shares its name. With many of the Nazi minds being the brightest of their time, the U.S government brought these scientists from a broken Germany into America, desperate to exploit the science that the Axis powers were coveting throughout the war.

5. Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Georgie has a problematic marriage. After telling her husband Neal that she has to stay at home instead of visiting his parents for the holidays, he takes the children and leaves her at home. During this time, Georgie has time to think about her marriage. However, a miraculous discovery leaves her with a way of communicating with her husband in the past, perhaps saving her marriage for good.

6. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

Despite Galbraith being a pen-name of the well-known writer J.K Rowling, Harry Potter fans can expect a vastly different read from The Silkworm. The second book in a series that follows private investigator, Cormoran Strike, sees him called to investigate the murder of writer Owen Quine. Whilst dealing with his own personal life, Strike must figure out who murdered the writer with only his last manuscript to help him.

7. All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu

Another book that deals with more heavy issues, All Our Names is the story of a couple who are extremely different. ‘Isaac’ is a man who grew up in the 1970’s in Uganda, who was thrown into the violence and protests following Idi Amin’s forced presidency. Taking his identity from a good friend who remained behind in the country, ‘Isaac’ flees to America, where he strikes up an unlikely relationship with Helen, an introverted social worker.

8. Personal by Lee Child

The nineteenth book in Child’s Jack Reacher series, Personal sees Reacher pulled back out of retirement to take down a notorious sniper. John Kott is one of Reacher’s previous success stories — put away for fifteen years after Jack found him. But after he leaves prison, he takes a near-fatal shot at the French president and it is once again up to Jack to put him away, this time for good.

9. Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Skin Game is the fifteenth book in Butcher’s Dresden Files series. Harry Dresden is plagued by headaches after being left on an island out-of-reach of the people he knows. He is hired to steal something from Hades’ vault, but what seems like a straightforward job is plagued by fear and danger.

10. Running Girl by Simon Mason

With the highest IQ in his class, you could expect Garvie Smith to be getting fantastic grades. You would be far from the truth. Nothing seems to pique the teenagers’ interest until a local murder brings detective inspector Raminder Singh to his doorstep.

Special thanks to Dixon's Vixen and mmmxalright for editing!