First Book Links Post of 2014

I can't believe I made it this long without a links post.  I still have dozens of reviews to get written.  Once  we started getting close to the holidays, all of the things to be done, cookies to be baked, commitments to be kept had me up every night for almost a full month until 1 or  2 in the morning.  My reading had completely stalled.  I was too tired and there was just no time.  Of course, the universe always makes a balance.  In this case, it came in the form of children's books.  I give every child a book with every present.  While trying to pick out the books I'd give as gifts, I searched for the best children's books of 2013 and then I started requesting them from my local library.  I didn't read a page of the books on my nightstand, or in my nooks or my tablet. I think I read close to 100 children's books in those weeks.  I fell in love with new authors, discovered the many talents of a handful of illustrators, and passed out a selection of books that I truly believe will be enjoyed by all the smaller people in my life.

While I've been shirking on my reading and losing sleep trying to get things done, I have managed to continue to amass book links.  I did make a point of trying to get all the best of 2013 posts out before year's end, and I think I did a pretty good job.  Now, let's take a peek at some of the links I've been collecting.

• First up, Book Riot is getting us ready for 2014s crop of YA Fiction. Get ready for new Laurie Halse Anderson, Shannon Hale, Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart.  It looks like it's going to be a banner year.
• Buzzfeed Books has this amazing post containing the 16 books that Ernest Hemingway recommended back in 1934.   For anyone looking for a good starter list of classics, this is a pretty good one. Anna Karenina, The Dubliners, War and Peace, Madame Bovary, Of Human Bondage are a handful of the works included.  I'm kind of jealous of Arnold Samuelson who hitchhiked to Florida and hit up Papa for advice.  Even better, Buzz Feed includes links to the complete texts.
• Over at Retreat by Random House there's a post up for two Reading Bingo Challenges (one is YA themed).  If you are looking for a guide post to direct you  in your 2014 reading,  this looks like a fun way to get started.  Bookmark the post and stop back periodically to check it out. They promise to give some suggestions.
• I've seen maps that plot out all of the fictional lands in favorite books. But Flavorwire goes one better.  Click through to see Vintage Style Travel Posters of fantasy locations.
• Back over at Buzz Feed books are these screenshots of a tumblr blog Google Book Art. Nostalgia for the things you find in real books must be a good thing, right?
• I've always been a fan of short story  and essay collections, although I know not everyone feels that way.  I have a lot of respect for a good short story author.  The nice people at Flavorwire give you a list of 35 Perfect Examples of the Art of the Short Story to get you started.
• This calendar actually was posted back in June of 2013, but it seems to me that January is the perfect time to link to it.  Here's Flavorwire's Ultimate Literary Calendar. I missed sharing a birthday with Albert Camus by a day.
• A graphics filled list post at Buzz Feed Books titled 10 Authors You Didn't Realize Never Wrote Second Novels.  I think Sylvia Plath gets a pass here. I was kind of surprised about J.D. Salinger, though.  
• I'm not sure if these books will become best sellers in Colorado, but if you know anyone out there, recommend they check out this Flavorwire post, 10 Highbrow Books for Smart  Stoners.
• Because we can all use a laugh, here's Buzzfeed's list of 32 Books Guaranteed to Make You Laugh. I've read 11 of the listed books.  If you haven't read Jenny Lawson's book you absolutely must... and while you're at it, start following her blog. She is the best kind of crazy.  I can't relate to her even the littlest tiny bit, but I'm pretty sure I love her.  And, Christopher Moore is an absolute genius.  Not only is Lamb laugh out loud funny, it's one of my favorite books.
• Want to listen to Moby Dick as Read by famous people? Tilda Swinton reads the first chapter, of course, you don't get much other than the history of whaling for the first 40 chapters, so they can probably get tons of famous people in on this and we can just wait to see who reads the good bits.
• Since you now don't have to worry about reading Moby Dick for yourself, you can devote some time to the books on this list of 50 Incredibly Tough Books for Extreme Readers.
• Ever wonder what wine you should be drinking with that book?  Yeah, me either.  It's our lucky day because Book Riot has done it for us.  Unfortunately, it doesn't tell me what goes with the lovely bottle of cabernet I'm itching to open.  I'm pretty sure it's not the right choice for The Surprise Attack of Jabba The Puppet, which I'll be finishing tonight before bed.

That will do it for me, for now.  Happy clicking!!!