Top 10 Books I Read In 2015

Top 10 Books I Read In 2015

First Things First:

I had a fabulous reading year. I completed 166 books! This does not include the large number of children's books I read for review this year so I am really pleased with myself.

I will break it down the way goodread.com does. 166 books translates into 42,679 pages. The shortest book I read was 17 pages while the longest was 896 pages. The average page length would be around 262 pages per book.

I think this is my best reading year to date and I don't feel like I pressured myself to read in any way or that it distracted from anything else going on. Instead of sitting around binging on Netflix I picked up a book instead. (Don't think I didn't also binge a ton of Netflix because I did; just not as much.)

I also think this was a banner year for my husband which is another thing that motivated me. When you have someone near you with similar interests it makes the activity enjoyable so I love that about us.

Now To The Important Part: THE BOOKS!!! In ascending order.

10.

This was the second book I completed this year and my longest completed book of the year. I plan to make a goal in 2016 to read longer books. This was outstanding. Seriously. I can't believe I have yet to continue the series because I really can't believe it couldn't be just as wonderful. 

The writing was rich and detailed. The two historical time periods were seamlessly woven together and the romance....was absolute perfection. I loved the love story and even loved the light love triangle. Claire and Jaime are perfection and I don't think I have read a romance that can top this. I also am a huge fan or the television show. The actors a phenomenal job.

I will say I can see why this maybe isn't for everyone. There is a lot more violence than I expected when picking it up and the history and folklore can read a little dry at parts but overall I couldn't recommend this more.

9.

Another great historical fiction to add to my favorites list. This World War 2 tale is not only a book about war but also a book about friendships, family, and bravery. I actually listened to this on audio book and am glad I did because I couldn't have seen the pages through my tears at the final few scenes.

I think this was my favorite friendship I read this year and I don't think I usually have a favorite in that category so I am very pleased with this book. It stuck with me throughout the year and I can't wait to pick up the companion and read more from this author in the future.

If you enjoy historical fiction with strong female leads you will love this story. It is not heavy on romance so I think anyone could enjoy this.

8.

I have kind of decided that this book, in my mind, is the best kept secret of 2015. First lets marvel at this gorgeous cover. I can't believe this doesn't have more goodreads.com reviews or more internet buzz. I loved it. It was incredibly fast paced. Written in unique poetic prose and had a great dystopian story set in a place similar to India where women are viewed as goddesses because there are 5 men to every 1 female so they are a prize o be won.

Of course we have a strong independent female lead who doesn't want to be a prize and a love interest who wants to take down the whole system and the plot itself is a bit predictable but it is presented in a way that is anything but ordinary. If this book doesn't get a sequel I will be heart broken. Definitely suggest for fans of "The Book of Ivy" or even "The Hunger Games."

7.

I mentioned Louise O'Neill in my favorite new author post and feel like both books tie for my 7th spot. I know it is cheating but I can't help it. Both are intense fictionalized takes on modern social commentaries. She explores themes or gender equality, slut shaming, rape, victim blaming, bias and some many more relevant topics related to being a modern female. Absolutely two of the most brilliant books I read all year.

As a person who doesn't really understand all the facets of feminism I would say these were the most feminist things I read all year and would highly suggest that if you are a little tired of hearing about these issues on the news or from celebrities to check out this fresh perspective.

6.


Aziz Ansari is amazing. I have watched him for years on "Parks and Recreation" and have seen his stand up as well as his new Netflix series (which is fabulous if you haven't seen it) and I have loved just about everything I have seen from him.

I knew once I heard he was going to be publishing a book that would be my www.audible.com credit use for the month. In my experience books by celebrities read better as audio books that they read themselves. I didn't really expect to get what I got out of the book which was a look at modern dating backed by sociological research presented with the help of an expert in the field.

As someone who graduated with a sociology degree I was riveted by this presentation of research and information. The topic also didn't hurt. It was full of insight and depth and gave readers a chance to explore modern dating by stepping back and examining it analytically but also contained social commentary for modern daters.

Some of my favorite sections included the time Aziz spent in Japan and his interactions with the elderly as he discussed what had changed for them in terms of how they met their spouse and if they were single now what were they doing about it.

A surprising, informative, and entertaining read that will definitely not be for everyone but was for me.

5.


I actually received this book last year at Christmas from my husband and finally decided to pick it up closer to the end of this year and after reading it I felt like an idiot for waiting so long. The writing in this story is absolutely stunning. I happened to read Maggie Stiefvater's other series about werewolves and enjoyed it but wasn't a huge fan especially about half way through the series things got confusing and I wasn't really impressed.

I had heard such rave reviews this past year that I finally decided to pick it up and I have never been happier about a choice. The details of this story are so intricately woven that I can't imagine the time and thought it took. Maggie had to know what would happen in later books before she wrote this story because the foreshadowing is intense.

Blue and the Raven Boys have a friendship that is unlike anything I have read and the bits of romance peppered throughout this first book is subtle and not a main plot point which I appreciated in a YA read. The paranormal elements and the history of the ley lines are interesting and the folklore behind them had to be well researched. Overall, I can't imagine a better YA paranormal book on the market.

Reading this also encouraged me to pick of Stiefvater's stand alone "The Scorpio Races" this year and if you want a great story about a human and the animal they love written with beautiful delicate detail then I would also highly suggest that read.
4.


Do not be intimidated by the scientific jargon. It is a little intense but not overwhelming and does not distract from the story.

Ultimately this is a look at humanity. At people helping people. About genuinely doing what needs to be done to help a friend, colleague, family, or another person just because they are in need. I thought this was such a raw look at the human spirit and how despite terrible conditions we are humans can persevere and actually come out on top.

This is the least likely scenario to ever occur but Weir made it not only believable but made Mark someone you could root for and relate to.

Some of my favorite moments were actually cut from the film (which was also wonderful) and they included some simple mundane things like listening to a co-workers music and watching their television choices and getting to know them better by exploring their likes and interests. Even though our main character was stuck on Mars he still experience human connection through culture and all of that combined with his story of triumph just made this a book that can not be missed.

I know I have said this a lot but the audio book for this is absolutely the best I have ever listened to and suggest that format if you decide to pick it up.

3.


Anyone who has read "You" has closed the book and uttered the words, "What the fuck did I just read?" One of the most chilling and disturbing reads I have ever experienced. The book tells the story of a stalker infiltrating the life of a young co-ed he meets while working at a book store.

All it takes is getting her name for him to get a look at her social media, learn where she works, lives, who she spends time with and place himself into all of these situations. It is terrifyingly told from the perspective of the stalker in a format that reads similar to a letter or a voice-over recounting what the psychopath is thinking and feeling from his own perspective.

I read the physical book but I have been suggested the audio book and heard that the narrator is phenomenal and if you are skeptical I would say pick it up and at least give it a try.

It is amazing to think how easy it is for the terrible people of the world to worm their way into the depths of your life one Facebook post at a time.


2.


I like to think of myself as Brandon Sanderson's worst biggest fan. I owe a ton of his books and rave about him all the time but have only read the first two books in the Reckoners series and its accompanying novella. 3 books out of dozens just doesn't seem like enough to call myself a fan but this series alone shows me how amazing his writing it.

I believe this is his only YA series to date and I am in love with the direction this is heading as well as overjoyed that the final book in the trilogy comes out in early 2016. I don't want to say to much about the plot as it is the second book in the series but I will say it is an anti-hero story about an event that occurs and gives select individuals super powers (all varying in types and strength) and instead of people using these abilities for good, most become corrupt and powerful enough to take over governments and ruin cities.

Of course there is a rebellion and freedom fighters and we find out everyone has weaknesses including people with super powers. Fast, action packed plot and amazing characters and character development has marked this series as a favorite for me and hopefully in 2016 I can dive into Sandersons' many other fantasy series.

1.

Before reading this book I had heard a lot about it in lists similar to this one at the end of 2014. I read the description and thought that it didn't really seem like something I HAD to read and I would wait for paperback (which is now available). I just wasn't completely sold on it and thought it could wait.

Luckily, it came up in an www.audible.com sale so I decided to pick it up on the cheap and give it a try. Best 4 bucks I have spent in a long time. 

I refused to get out of the car several times while listening to this, I listened while doing everything...cooking, cleaning, bathing, sitting, really anything and in three days I had it done. I  think this is something like 13 or 14 hours long so it was really fit into every free moment I had those few days.

Beautifully written, intense, thoughtful, artistic, and adjective after adjective could still not do this book justice.

The portrait of a family dealing with loss and told from the perspective of twins, one telling the story before the loss and one explain what happened after the loss it is a powerful read.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot but if you like contemporary fiction about families I haven't found one that can beat this.