Reading books is one of the simplest and, at the same time, the most effective ways of self-improvement. Reading books, we are transported in time and space. We are immersed in the magical fantasy world of the author.
Books give us food for thought, they give answers to many questions that have long been facing humanity. It is books that educate in us the best qualities, provide food for our mind and space for imagination. Happy is the person who has been accustomed to read since childhood, because before him he opens a huge and magical world that there is nothing to compare with.
Reading for the development of our intellect plays the same role as a gym for our muscles. Reading takes us away from everyday reality, but at the same time it fills our lives with high meaning.
Unfortunately, modern people have read less. TV, and more recently, a computer, has gradually replaced reading from our lives. We have prepared for you a list that includes best books of 2014. The readers rating used to compile this list indicates its objectivity. The list includes both books that were published in 2014, as well as old books that have been published more than once. We hope that our list will help you find an interesting book.
10. Robert Gelbraith. Cuckoo's call
This is a wonderful detective story set in London. The author of this book was the famous writer Joan Rowling, the creator of the world of Harry Potter. The book was released in 2013, in 2014 - it was published in Russia.
The plot focuses on the investigation of the death of a famous model that suddenly falls out of the balcony. Everyone believes that this death is suicide, but the girl’s brother does not believe in it and hires a detective to figure out this strange thing. During the investigation, the detective gets acquainted with the surroundings of the deceased and each of the people included in him tells his story.
It turned out that the girl’s death was not at all suicide, she was killed by one of the people closest to her. Investigating this matter, the detective himself is in mortal danger.
9. Stephen King. Land of joy
A recognized master of fascinating stories pleased his readers with another book. She came out in Russia in early 2014.
The genre of this work can be called a mystical thriller. The events of the book unfold in one of the American amusement parks back in 1973. An employee of this park suddenly falls into a strange parallel world that lives by its own laws. In this world, everything is different, people speak their own language and really do not like those who ask too many questions, especially regarding the murder that recently happened in the park.
However, the main character begins to investigate the secrets of this strange world and this dramatically changes his own life.
8. George Martin. Chronicles of a Thousand Worlds
This is a collection of fantastic works written by a brilliant author who created the legendary saga about the game of thrones. The genre of this book is science fiction.
Martin created a special fantasy world of the Federal Empire, which consists of hundreds of planets inhabited by descendants of the colonists from Earth. The empire got involved in two armed conflicts, which led to its decline. Then came the Time of Troubles, each of the planets wanted to live its own life, and communications between earthlings began to weaken. There is no longer a single political system; the human world is rapidly plunging into intrigue and conflict. In this book, Martin’s brilliant style is still felt.
7. Sergey Lukyanenko. School supervision
Another book, which is a continuation of the popular cycle of magicians living among us.
This work tells of adolescents with magical abilities. They constantly create problems for both Night and Day Watch, as any teenagers are uncontrollable and prone to maximalism. They do not honor the Great Treaty and, in order to facilitate control over them, they are gathered in one boarding school. One thing is for sure - any teacher in this educational institution can only sympathize. Children must be prepared to enter a world unfamiliar to them and make as few mistakes as possible. They must learn to manage their gift.
6. Daria Dontsova. Private dance Miss Marple
Another book written in the genre of ironic detective, which was released in early 2014.
The main character of this book, Daria Vasilyeva, agreed to her participation in a theatrical production, in which she had to play the role of a magic palm that fulfills any desire. However, the premiere did not take place: before the start of the performance, the actress, the wife of a local businessman, suddenly died. The next day, Vasilyeva goes to the house of the deceased, in which she accidentally finds evidence of the death of four previous wives of a businessman. A brave woman begins her own investigation, which will bring all the villains to the clear.
5. Victor Pelevin. Love for Three Zuckerbrines
This dystopian novel went on sale in the fall of 2014. Pelevin’s new novel is always an event.
This book resembles the best examples of the author. In it, he reflects on the most pressing topics of modern society, on social problems inherent in the era of consumption, on the symbols of this era. Zuckerbrin is a symbol created from two cult figures of our time - Mark Zuckerberg and Sergey Brin. The book covers such topics as social networks, Internet addiction, consumer culture, tolerance of modern society, the Ukrainian crisis. The protagonist of the work is "the technical savior of the world." This symbol reflects the hopes of mankind for technological progress that will make our world a better place.
The book mentions the Ukrainian Maidan, Crimea, Yanukovych and his golden loaf.
4. Dmitry Glukhovsky. Future
This novel is the most popular writer in Russia, the creator of Metro 2033. The book takes place in Europe of the XXV century. Scientists have long invented a vaccine that protects people from aging and death. Now the planet is inhabited by immortal people, but another problem immediately arose - overpopulation.
People of the future consciously refused to continue their kind, they no longer have children, but, despite this, the world of the future is too crowded. There is no free space on the planet, human cities stretch up and go underground.
The protagonist of the book, a professional soldier Yang, must kill the opposition leader by order of the leadership of the ruling party. He opposes universal immortality.
Immortality completely changed the lives of people, they created a different culture, came up with new laws and rules of behavior.
The main character faces a difficult dilemma: he must choose between immortality and his own happiness, and this choice is very difficult.
Glukhovsky believes that humanity is on the verge of immortality. In the near future, the experiments of geneticists will give us the opportunity to live a very long time, if not forever. This will be the most important scientific discovery in the history of mankind. What will be humanity after it? What will happen to our culture, how to change our society? Most likely, soon we will know the answers to all these questions.
3. Tatyana Ustinova. One hundred years of travel
This is a detective story, the events of which partially unfold a hundred years ago. The murder committed in modern Russia is closely connected with the events that took place on the eve of the Russian revolution of 1917.
An historian professor from Moscow State University is involved in the investigation. He must restore the events that happened a hundred years ago. At that time, Russia was at a turning point in its history, which ended in tragedy. The main character has to understand a lot, including the feelings that arise in his soul.
2. Boris Akunin. Fire finger
The famous author of detectives about the adventures of detective Erast Fandorin, Boris Akunin, it seems, seriously took up the history of the Russian state. Almost simultaneously, several of his works devoted to this genre are published.
“Fiery finger” is a book that consists of three stories describing different periods of the existence of Kievan Rus. All three works are united by the fate of one kind, representatives of which have a specific birthmark on the face. The first story “Fiery finger” describes the events of the 9th century. The main character of the story, Damianos Lekos, is a Byzantine scout who was sent to carry out an important mission to the Slavic lands. This story is full of adventure, it describes the life of the inhabitants of the steppes of the northern Black Sea region, Slavic tribes and Vikings.
The second story is “Spit of the Devil”, its events take place in the XI century, during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. This is the heyday of Kievan Rus.
1. History of the Russian state
This is the first part of the great historical work that Boris Akunin planned to write. It will be devoted to the history of Russia from the time of the inception of the first state to the beginning of the twentieth century.
In the first part, the author talks about the most ancient, almost legendary times. About the foundation of Kiev, about the invitation of the Varangians, about the legendary Oleg, who nailed his shield at the gates of Constantinople. Was it all this? Or are all these events and personalities nothing more than legends invented later by chroniclers? For us, this time seems legendary, almost like the time of King Arthur for the British. The Mongols who invaded the lands of Kievan Rus destroyed this state. Moscow Russia had a lot of fundamental differences. The author examines in detail the issue of the formation of a Slavic ethnic group, the formation of an ancient Slavic state.
If you have forgotten the course of history, you can use this book and increase your erudition. Professional historians are unlikely to discover anything new in this book. It is rather an attempt to popularize domestic history. Perhaps she will push someone to a more in-depth study of the history of the Russian state. Akunin in his work tries to circumvent controversial or little-known issues.
After the first part of the book, the author has already issued several volumes that relate to the Mongol invasion and the formation of the Moscow state.