In what has become a favorite year-end tradition, I can’t say hello to the new year without casting one last, lingering look behind. 2014 was filled with some wonderful reads and I am thankful for each that fell into my eager hands. Here are my faves, in the order in which I reviewed* them:

Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge. From its opening scenes, I was completely pulled into this nuanced novel that is all about new beginnings. Though I didn’t love everything about it (language, sex), I found it to be a fascinating journey. I especially liked the way the author portrayed, better than most, what transformation of lives can look like.

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler. Cheating a bit on this one as I actually read it in 2013, but it came out in paperback this year and is well deserving of all the attention it receives. It’s a debut novel marvelously paced, sensitively drawn, masterfully executed. The double narratives are crafted with equal care and attention to detail. The prose flows effortlessly, un-selfconsciously, drawing readers to the hope-filled center of a heartrending story.

The Thief by Stephanie Landsem. I love it when a novel pleasantly surprises me, and that’s what happened here. Personally, I found Landsem’s style and story even more engaging than the writings of other giants of 1st-century histfic. Intricately plotted and packed with tension, I found it nearly impossible to resist turning to end to see how it all ends. But I did resist. And was not disappointed.

Mr. Owita’s Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart by Carol Wall. This impressive memoir debuted last spring, but never has its message of acceptance and compassion been  more needed than it is today. A grace-filled story of friendship and forgiveness–and eternal truths found where we least expect them.

Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter. Another pleasant surprise as I don’t usually fall for straight-up romance. But this author just might turn me into a believer. Her uncomplicated prose allows her to get straight to the heart of the story, which in her hands is a delightful place to be. I find her dialogue especially winsome–clever and engaging without being overdone. And the conclusion is all that you could ask for in a satisfying romance.

The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell. This one contains many of the elements I most enjoy in a novel: quite a bit of mystery, a touch of suspense, and loads of relational tension. And it’s all wrapped up in the finest storytelling, the kind that draws you under and holds you down until you feel you can hardly breathe. Had me still thinking about it days after turning the last page.

The Last Time I Saw You by Eleanor Moran. Exactly the kind of women’s fiction I love. Gritty and real, with such deep dives into the heart of relationships that even if you can’t relate to a particular character…you can. I especially relished the complex and painfully ambiguous relationship between the MC and her dead, ex-best friend’s husband. Engrossing, riveting, this was one novel I could hardly put down. In many ways, I didn’t want it to end, but if it hadn’t, I couldn’t have enjoyed the warm heart of its emotionally satisfying conclusion.

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The Waiting: The True Story of a Lost Child, a Lifetime of Longing, and a Miracle for a Mother Who Never Gave Up by Cathy LaGrow and Cindy Martinusen Coloma. Don’t let its lengthy title or faintly unnerving cover art put you off–this lovingly told memoir is a page-turner. It provides not only a nostalgic look back at our country’s last century but also an intimate look inside the heart of a mother. I immensely enjoyed this wonderfully hopeful, heartwarming story of love and faith.

A Long Time Gone by Karen White. Another example of the sort of women’s fiction I adore, by one of my favorite authors. This story is wise and beautifully told, its lyrical narrative threaded with mystery, suspense, and more than a dash of winsome romance. Though not what I would call a feel-good novel, it still left me feeling good, full of hope for the promise of goodness, health and happiness.

Miranda Warning by Heather Day Gilbert. I have two reasons for including this one here. First, I do love a good mystery–even more when it features a beautiful, beguiling heroine surrounded by a cast of intriguing characters in a unique setting. Miranda Warning has all of this, and more. My second reason is because I count this author as a part of the wave of the future. You want to know what it looks like for an indie-published book to hold its own among the traditionally published? Look no further. This is the poster child for a well-crafted indie. By the way, Gilbert has endowed future press runs of her book with a lovely new cover. Check it out.

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes by Shauna Niequist. Kinda cheating again here as I never read this one for review. But I can’t not include it in my list of faves because I love this book. LOVE. For its vision, its heart, its recipes. My new go-to book for hospitality how-to and warmhearted wisdom.

Rare Bird: a memoir of loss and love by Anna Whiston-Davidson. Oh my. It’s this one again, which I will say right here is not an easy memoir to read. It’s about love and loss, after all–the love of a mother for her son, and the horrific loss she endures when he dies suddenly on her watch. So yes, a tough read–but so, so worth it. The author uses her gift for writing to usher in not only her own healing, but others’ as well. Beautifully written, poignantly told, this is one mother’s story you won’t want to miss. Just bring tissues.

Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer. This debut novel grabbed me by the gut, squeezing harder at every page, not letting go until I was done. And not even then. This story still haunts me as I wish there was more to the story. I found it original and flawlessly executed. But not a book for everyone. It’s a hard story, not a happy one, dealing with tough, life-and-death, right-and-wrong, eternally significant questions. It makes you ask yourself, What would I do? Yep, exactly my kind of book.

Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner. I enjoyed everything about this lighthearted novel, from its sass and humor to its unassuming faith message and gently unfolding love story. A new-to-me voice in women’s fiction that I look forward to seeing more of in the new year.

After words: I’d love to hear from you! What books made it onto your favorites list this year? What do you look forward to reading in 2015? (Me: The Secret of Magic by Deborah Johnson, in which a young female attorney in 1946 attempts the impossible: attaining justice for a black man in the Deep South.)

Happy New Year, friends. Looking forward to more bookish conversation with you all in 2015!

* Read full review by clicking book’s title.