books I read in 2014 + my 10 favorites

one of my resolutions for 2014 was to read a total of 60 books. and I made it to 54 and a half (it took me the first two days in january to finish that last one, haha) out of 60. obviously not as cool as 60, but hey, it was pretty darn close. you can see a list of the all the books I read this year here!
here is a few of my very favorites I've read this year:

GRACE FOR THE GOOD GIRL -- emily p. freeman

       this book, oh man. it completely rocked my world! I read it during our yellowstone trip this year and it was so good, I literally finished it and then read it again the next day. 

BREAD & WINE -- shauna niequist 
       
        if I had to choose one book to be my favorite this year, it would be this one. shauna has such a beautiful way of telling a story and combining life and love and food into it. it's an absolutely beautiful read and definitely a book worth reading over and over again. 

MY LIFE IN FRANCE -- julia child

          I basically want to be Julia Child when I grow up. I absolutely adore her quirky character and humor along with her passion for food and France. she's basically queen in my eyes. 

HAVING A MARY HEART IN A MARTHA WORLD -- joanna weaver

          so crazy story time: I read this book in february of last year because I saw it on the shelf in my library and I was like "that is such a great title!" (let's have a moment of appreciation for that title... okay, we good now.) so, I checked it out and read it and absolutely loved it. flashforward a few months: in june, my best friend and i attended the set apart girl conference together and one of the guest speakers was Joanna Weaver. I didn't remember ever hearing her name and I had absolutely no clue that she had written this book. (which is just really weird because I have this thing for always knowing the author of book I read, especially if it's a favorite book.) so anyways, we were sitting in the chapel waiting for the session to start and there was a slideshow of books available on the book table and suddenly there is "Having a Mary Heart in A Martha World" and bam, it all connected in my mind! andddd, I totally had a moment. :P but, Joanna Weaver's session was one of the highlights of that weeekend and I got to meet her sweet self. she is absolutely amazing! 

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES -- sue monk kidd

          it's most definitely a classic. it's heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time. the characters are so rich and the symbolism is absolutely beautiful.

PERSUASION -- jane austen 

         I have 3 more Jane Austen novels to read before I've read all of them, but I'm pretty sure Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel (although Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility are two of my dear favorites as well). 

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS -- maya angelou 

         Maya Angelou has been one of my heroines over the past and some of her quotes have become my favorite, so when she passed on earlier this year, I decided I needed to make her book a priority. and I absolutely loved her real transparency in her writing. she struggled and she wrote about that. and then she found grace and the power to rise above that. 

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” 
― Maya Angelou


COME BE MY LIGHT: THE PRIVATE WRITINGS OF THE SAINT OF CALCUTTA -- mother teresa
        
         this book wrecked my heart over and over again. I'm not a catholic and I do find that I disagree on several points with their theology (although I may be speaking in ignorance here, I haven't exactly studied their faith), however their endless devotion to Jesus puts my heart to absolute shame. and mother teresa's absolute devotion to serving Jesus with everything she had broke me.

it's so so humbling to read the letters and words of somebody who realizes how absolutely worthless they are without Him. I have never felt so small while reading a book- it showed me how fickle and empty all my attempts at living for Christ are without Him. I feel as though I've caught a bigger vision of who I want to be as a woman and that has changed my stubborn heart. 

MY PARIS KITCHEN -- david lebovitz

        THIS BOOK. oh my heart. I've read a lot of French cookbooks over the past year; however, this one is by far my favorite. not only is the entire makeup of the book absolutely beautiful (the photographs are so fresh and clean), but the book is so practical for cooking as the French do, in America. It combines just the right amount of French history and culture while remaining an easy book to cook from.  It's definitely right next to Mastering The Art Of French Cooking by Julia Child (of course!) in my list of cookbooks I need to buy. 

what are some of your favorite books you read this year? and what are a few books you have on your shelf to read this year? 

xoxo. -marcia