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Up To Date

Book Doctors: Favorite Books of 2014

Penguin Group

As 2015 gets off to a chilly start, it's the perfect time to cozy up with some of 2014's hottest reads. Up to Date's Book Doctors share some of their favorite titles from last year. 

From Jeffrey Ann Goudie, freelance writer and book reviewer:

  • Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast, graphic memoir.
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman  by Jill Lepore, nonfiction.
  • 10:04  by Ben Lerner, fiction.
  • Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi, fiction.
  • Thrown by Kerry Howley, literary nonfiction.

From Katie Stover, director of reader services for the Kansas City Public Library:

  • Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty, occupational memoir.
  • The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh, fiction.
  • Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, fiction.
  • Five Came Back by Mark Harris, nonfiction. 
  • Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by David Shafer, fiction, thriller.

From Steve Paul,  editor at The Star's editorial page and former book editor at the newspaper:

  • 13 Days in September by Lawrence Wright, nonfiction.
  • Hotel Florida by Amanda Vaill, nonfiction.
  • The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, nonfiction.
  • Bark by Lorrie Moorem fiction, short stories.
  • Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart, memoir.

From Angela Cervantes, author of Gaby, Lost and Found: 

  • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, young adult novel.
  • We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, young adult novel.
  • My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor, memoir.
  • The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez, fiction. 
  • Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott, essays. 
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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
Kansas City needs journalists who show up not just on people’s worst days, but on their best ones — and the boring ones in between. I build relationships across the metro, so our newsroom can bring you critical information when times are tough, and seek out moments of joy to celebrate. Email me at lisa@kcur.org.