Best Reads of 2014

I read and listen to a lot of books over the course of a year. Besides a daily commute that takes anywhere from two to three hours a day, like many of my colleagues I've also spent countless hours sitting on airplanes and waiting in airports. Wifi helps keep me connected (even at 30,000 feet), but when it's time for an escape, I thoroughly enjoy some story time.

I'll warn you: I'm not a book snob. I enjoy my fair share of "fluff," and I've definitely pounced on some Young Adult reads (especially those that get the attention of Entertainment Weekly editors). This list is a mix of both the silly and the sublime.

So, here we go. My top 10 reads of 2014 — in no particular order, and not necessarily published in 2014:

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Wow. I lied to you already. I said this list was in "no particular order," but this one is first for a reason. I loved it the most. I didn't just read this book; I soaked up every word. The plot in a nutshell? The main character is born, lives (sometimes for moments, other times for decades) dies, and continues to be reborn as herself. REALLY cool stuff.

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak
I'm not usually a short story person, but I loved this book. I especially liked listening to it and hearing it read by the author himself. I was completely lost in each and every story, and if you happened to be sitting in traffic with me on I-10, you may have seen me laughing hysterically. My favorites? "No One Goes to Heaven to See Dan Fogelberg," "The Something by John Grisham," and "Kellogg's (or: The Last Wholesome Fantasy of the Middle-School Boy).

The Circle by David Eggers
As a marketing professional, this book was .... CREEPY! Yesterday I had two different chat platforms going (for two different business purposes) with Twitter open, and Sidekick flashing me updates on my clients who were visiting specific pages of our website, and I thought, 'Eek! It's the Circle ...!' My big takeaway? Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
What if you had a daughter but didn't tell anyone (not even the father), put her up for adoption, and never saw her again until she came to find you 18 years later? Why THIS story? I loved how Giffin switches perspective from mother to daughter and we get to experience the same events through the eyes of both — AND, both characters are equally interesting, exciting, and basically people worth knowing.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Because everyone daydreams about drinking wine and eating oysters with Ernest Hemingway, right? Hemingway notoriously wrote about himself and his friends, but in this book we get to see him through the eyes of his first wife, Hadley. At times I was cheering for her, and at other times I was hanging my head and pitying her. Regardless, I always took her side, which is huge for me because I do love Hemingway, even though he had a rotten streak. A truly delicious moment? When Hadley compares Hemingway and Fitzgerald to surgeons as they edit The Sun Also Rises at her kitchen table.

The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer
Ten years ago, a group of educated women put their careers on hold to start a family, but today their "babies" are nearly self-sufficient. So, now what? What struck me? At various times I saw glimpses of either myself or each one of my friends.

Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
We could also call this book, "Bridget Jones grows up and some legitimately bad stuff happens to her, but then some really good things happen as well." I've also read the other Bridget Jones books, and I was prepared to actually dislike this one (having read some of the reviews), but I think I enjoyed it more than the others. I would have no desire to see it be made into a movie, but for the first time I really connected with Bridget. The one part I can appreciate but REALLY wish I couldn't? One word. Nits.

Starters by Lissa Price
It's the future, and almost everyone middle-aged is dead as a result of biological warfare, leaving only children and seniors (starters and enders), with the scales of justice drastically tipped in favor of the latter. The million dollar question? If you were 200 years old, but could live in the body of a beautiful teenager for a month and do all the things you haven't been able to do in over a century, would you?

All the Summer Girls by Meg Donohue
Three childhood best friends who have drifted apart reunite and have to deal with their demons (both shared and individual). This is none other than typical "chick-lit," but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Best line I wish I didn't dwell on so much? "The parenthetical creases on either side of her mouth have deepened, and she worries they make everything she says seem inconsequential, unnecessary."

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Sometimes it's nice to hear someone else share the things that you think or do but don't ever want to say aloud to anyone. For that, thanks Sloane. Thank you for locking yourself out of your old and new apartments in the same day, and thank you for worrying about the things you possess that might upset your parents if you were to die and they had to clean out your apartment. My soul-sister moment? Sloane's Jewish parents send her to a Christian sleep-away camp, but then her mother loses it when she learns that Sloane played the role of "Mary" in the camp's "Christmas in July" pageant.

What great stories did you read this year? I have something like 1,000 commuting hours to fill in 2015, and I want to make the most of every last one.

Jen Spencer is currently the Director of Marketing for Allbound, an innovative SaaS platform that simplifies and accelerates your ability to recruit, onboard, measure and grow your partners. Jen loves animals, technology, the arts, and really good Scotch. You can follow her on Twitter @jenspencer.