Wednesday, December 30, 2015

2015 Books

My top books of 2015!
The top books are in the order in which they were read rather than a best book of the year and down. I've kept the dates reviewed and added comments to fiction this year.


Fiction - Top ten
 

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, 2/4/15 - complex, multi-generational novel; Tyler remains a favorite author
My Life in a Nutshell by Tanya J. Peterson, 3/25/15 - this book had me sobbing like a baby several times
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf, 5/21/15 - incredible writing, poignant story 
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, 5/28/15 - quality writing, real science, and the complete story in one massive novel
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman, 6/18/15 - a fairytale with great writing, incredible story telling
Those Girls by Chevy Stevens, 6/30/15 - great writing, fast paced, suspenseful
All This Life by Joshua Mohr, 304 pages, 7/16/15 - exceptionally thoughtful novel about our interconnected lives
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood, 9/28/15 - Atwood's writing never disappoints me; a future banned book 
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, 10/3/15 - tense, gritty nail-biter with plots twists 
The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins, 12/6/15 - classic Rollins; complex, non-stop action


Nonfiction - top 8


Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson, 3/3/15
What Stands in a Storm by Kim Cross, 3/5/15 
The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker, 5/4/15
The Wright Brothers
by David McCullough, 5/9/15 

The Mercy of the Sky by Holly Bailey, 5/10/15 
My Southern Journey by Rick Bragg, 9/19/15  
Pacific by Simon Winchester, 11/2/15
It Ended Badly by Jennifer Wright, 11/3/15

Short Stories - top 6 collections


The Settling Earth by Rebecca Burns, 1/15/15
Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman, 1/30/15
Voices in the Night: Stories by Steven Millhauser, 4/11/15
The Brink: Stories by Austin Bunn, 4/24/15 
Mendocino Fire by Elizabeth Tallent, 10/29/15
Halibut, Herring and You: Short Stories by Carla Billinghurst,12/4/15


2015 Books
I tried an asterisk system this year as I read and reviewed books: ** denoted a very highly recommended exceptional book while * was a very highly recommended book.



January -13 books
*1. The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton, 480 pages, 1/2/15, very highly recommended
2. The Deep by Nick Cutter, 400 pages, 1/5/15, highly recommended
*3. West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan, 304 pages, 1/7/15, very highly recommended
4. The Devil You Know by Elisabeth de Mariaffi, 320 pages, 1/9/15, highly recommended
*5. Whipping Boy by  Allen Kurzweil, 304 pages, 1/13/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*6. The Settling Earth by Rebecca Burns, 128 pages, 1/15/15, very highly recommended, short stories
7. Watch Me Go by Mark Wisniewski, 320 pages, 1/19/15, highly recommended
8. Five Fires by Laura Lippman, 28 pages, 1/20/15, highly recommended, short story
9. Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman, 304 pages, 1/21/15, highly recommended
10. Plucked: A History of Hair Removal by Rebecca M. Herzig, 280 pages, 1/22/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
*11. The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly, 416 pages, 1/26/15, very highly recommended
12. I Am Not a Slut by Leora Tanenbaum, 416 pages, 1/28/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
*13. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman, 352 pages, 1/30/15, very highly recommended, short stories



February - 15 books
14. Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting, 368 pages, 2/2/15, highly recommended
**15. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, 368 pages, 2/4/15, very highly recommended
16. The Forgetting Place by John Burley, 352 pages, 2/6/15, highly recommended
17. Blood Infernal by James Rollins, Rebecca Cantrell, 416 pages, 2/8/15, recommended
18. The Glittering World by Robert Levy, 352 pages, 2/9/15, recommended
19. Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger, 352 pages, 2/11/15, highly recommended
20. Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton, 448 pages,  2/14/15, recommended for YA readers
21. Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson, 384 pages, 2/16/15, highly recommended
22. World Gone By by Dennis Lehane, 320 pages, 2/20/15, highly recommended
23. Across the Deep Blue Sea by Odd S. Lovoll, 224 pages, 2/20/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction

24. The Doomsday Equation by Matt Richtel, 384 pages, 2/23/15, highly recommended
*25. Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon, 272 pages, 2/24/15, very highly recommended
26. Some Other Town by Elizabeth Collison, 304 pages, 2/25/15, highly recommended
*27. The Crops Look Good by Sara DeLuca, 240 pages, 2/26/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
28. Daughter by Jane Shemilt, 352 pages, 2/27/15, recommended



March – 15 books
*29. The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce, 384 pages, 3/1/15, very highly recommended
**30. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson, 448 pages, 3/3/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
**31. What Stands in a Storm by Kim Cross, 320 pages, 3/5/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
32. The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig, 384 pages, 3/10/15, recommended
33. Hush Hush by Laura Lippman, 320 pages, 3/12/15, highly recommended
34. The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford, 320 pages, 3/14/15, highly recommended
35. The Wilderness of Ruin by Roseanne Montillo. 320 pages, 3/16/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
*36. Cost of Life by Joshua Corin, 274 pages, 3/18/15, very highly recommended
37. Black Moon by Kenneth Calhoun, 288 pages, 3/20/15, highly recommended
38. The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James, 240, 3/23/15, highly recommended
39. Vostok by Steve Alten, 416 pages, 3/24/15, recommended
**40. My Life in a Nutshell by Tanya J. Peterson, 386 pages, 3/25/15, very highly recommended 
*41. At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen, 368 pages, 3/27/15, very highly recommended
42. We Regret to Inform You by Tim Fredrick, 138 pages, 3/31/15, highly recommended, short stories
43. Dark Sparkler by Amber Tamblyn, 128 pages, no written review, poetry



April - 13 books
*44. Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo, 224 pages, 4/6/15, very highly recommended
*45. The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer, 448 pages, 4/7/15, very highly recommended
46. The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg, 368 pages, 4/9/15, highly recommended
47. The Edge of the World by Michael Pye, 360 pages, 4/10/15, highly recommended
*48. Voices in the Night: Stories by Steven Millhauser, 304 pages, 4/11/15, very highly recommended, short stories
49. What You Left Behind by Samantha Hayes, 320 pages, 4/13/15, recommended
*50. Unoffendable by Brant Hansen, 224 pages, 4/14/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*51. House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy, 400 pages, 4/16/15, very highly recommended
52. When the Shoe Fits by Mary T. Wagner, 245 pages, 4/19/15, highly recommended
*53. Bridges of Paris by Michael Saint James, 280 pages, 4/22/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*54. The Brink: Stories by Austin Bunn, 240 pages, 4/24/15, very highly recommended, short stories
55. Depth by Lev AC Rosen, 304 pages, 4/27/15, recommended
56. Kingdom of Darkness by Andy McDermott, 512 pages, 4/29/15, highly recommended



May – 15 books
*57. The Far End of Happy by Kathryn Craft, 368 pages, 5/1/15, very highly recommended
58. Early Warning by Jane Smiley, 496 pages, 5/3/15, highly recommended
*59. The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker, 272, 5/4/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
60. Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani, 378 pages,5/7/15,  recommended
*61. Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates, 208 pages, 5/9/15, very highly recommended
**62. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, 336 pages, 5/9/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
**63. The Mercy of the Sky by Holly Bailey, 320 pages, 5/10/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
64. Hyacinth Girls by Lauren Frankel, 304 pages, 5/11/15, highly recommended
65. Housebreaking by Dan Pope, 288 pages, 5/14/15, recommended
66. The Forgotten Room by Lincoln Child, 304 pages, 5/14/15, highly recommended
67. On the Burning Edge by Kyle Dickman, 304 pages, 5/16/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
68. The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North, 288 pages, 5/17/15, highly recommended
**69. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf, 192 pages, 5/21/15, very highly recommended
**70. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, 880 pages, 5/28/15, very highly recommended
71. The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw, 288 pages, 5/30/15, highly recommended



June -12 books
72. I'm Happy for You by Kay Wills Wyma, 240 pages, 6/1/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
73. Ruthless by John Rector, 270 pages, 6/2/15, highly recommended
*74. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows, 512 pages, 6/6/15, very highly recommended
75. Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds, 192 pages, 6/8/15, highly recommended
*76. I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers, 272 pages, 6/9/15, very highly recommended
*77. Pirate Hunters by Robert Kurson, 304 pages, 6/15/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
**78. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman, 384 pages, 6/18/15, very highly recommended
*79. Fixed in Blood by T. E. Woods, 310 pages, 6/19/15, very highly recommended
80. The Bones of You by Debbie Howells, 320 pages, 6/23/15, highly recommended
81. Little Beasts by Matthew McGevna, 288 pages, 6/25/15, highly recommended
*82. Love May Fail by Matthew Quick, 416 pages, 6/29/15, very highly recommended
**83. Those Girls by Chevy Stevens, 384 pages, 6/30/15, very highly recommended



July – 13 books
84. The Captive Condition by Kevin P. Keating, 288 pages, 7/2/15, recommended
85. Among the Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont, 336 pages, 7/2/15, highly recommended
86. The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich. 288 pages, 7/5/15, recommended
*87. A Necessary End by Holly Brown, 400 pages, 7/8/15, very highly recommended
88. The Flying Circus by Susan Crandall, 368 pages, 7/9/15, highly recommended
*89. Alive by Scott Sigler, 368 pages, 7/10/15, very highly recommended, YA
90. One Boy Missing by Stephen Orr, 7/11/15,  288 pages, highly recommended
*91. Swedes in Canada by Elinor Barr, 576 pages, 7/12/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
**92. All This Life by Joshua Mohr, 304 pages, 7/16/15, very highly recommended
93. The Festival of Insignificance by Milan Kundera, 128 pages, 7/17/15, recommended
*94. Between the Tides by Susannah Marren, 304 pages, 7/18/15, very highly recommended
95. The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop, 352 pages, 7/22/15, very highly recommended
*96. Spirals in Time by Helen Scales, 304 pages, 7/29/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction



August – 16 books
*97. The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon, 336 pages, 8/1/15, very highly recommended
98. The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman, 384 pages, 8/4/15, highly recommended
99. We Believe the Children by Richard Beck, 352 pages, 8/6/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
100. Man-Eater by Harold Schechter, 374 pages, 8/8/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
*101. The Casualties by Nick Holdstock, 288 pages, 8/10/15, very highly recommended
102. Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah, 384 pages, 8/12/15, highly recommended
*103. Days of Awe by Lauren Fox, 272 pages, 8/13/15, very highly recommended
104. The New Sorrows of Young W. by Ulrich Plenzdorf, 160 pages, 8/14/15, recommeded
*105. Browsings by Michael Dirda, 336 pages, 8/15/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*106. The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck, 464 pages, 8/19/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
107. The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman, 384 pages, 8/22/15, recommended
108. Thug Notes by Sparky Sweets, PhD, 304 pages, 8/23/15, recommended, nonfiction
109. The Drowned Boy by Karin Fossum, 240 pages, 8/23/15, highly recommended
*110. X by Sue Grafton, 416 pages, 8/30/15, very highly recommended
111. Waiting on God by Wayne Stiles, 256 pages, 8/30/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
112. A Beginner's Guide to Paradise by Alex Sheshunoff, 464 pages, 8/30/15, highly recommended, nonfiction



September -14 books
*113. Dirt: A Love Story by Barbara Richardson, 200 pages, 9/2/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
114. The Telling by Jo Baker, 368 pages, 9/2/15, recommended
*115. Escape Points by Michele Weldon, 272 pages, 9/6/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction, memoir
*116. The Lost Landscape by Joyce Carol Oates, 368 pages, 9/6/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction, memoir
*117. Above the Waterfall by Ron Rash, 272 pages, 9/7/15, very highly recommended
118. The Blue Guitar by John Banville, 272 pages, 9/13/15, recommended
*119. Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni, 424 pages, 9/13/15, very highly recommended
*120. A Short History of Disease by Sean Martin, 320 pages, 9/14/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
121. The Dover Anthology of Cat Stories, 256 pages, 9/16/15, highly recommended
**122. My Southern Journey by Rick Bragg, 256 pages, 9/19/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
123. Leaving Montana by Thomas Whaley, 226 pages, 9/22/15, highly recommended
124. Not on Fire, but Burning by Greg Hrbek, 272 pages, 9/23/15, highly recommended
**125. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood, 320 pages, 9/28/15, very highly recommended
*126. The Complete Works of Primo Levi, 3002 pages, 9/29/15, very highly recommended



October 18 books
**127. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, 416 pages, 10/3/15, very highly recommended
128. Mothers, Tell Your Daughters by Bonnie Jo Campbell, 272 pages, 10/4/15, highly recommended, short stories
*129. Atlas of Cursed Places by Olivier Le Carrer, 144 pages, 10/5/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
130. Everything She Forgot by Lisa Ballantyne, 432 pages, 10/10/15. Highly recommended
131. Saturn Run by John Sandford, Ctein, 496 pages, 10/11/15, recommended
132. Children of the Comet by Donald Moffit, 332 pages, 10/11/15, highly recommended
*133. Here Comes the Dreamer by Carole Giangrande, 130 pages, 10/12/15, very highly recommended
134. Sexploitation by Cindy Pierce, 240 pages, 10/14/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
*135. Distance from the Belsen Heap by Mark Celinscak, 352 pages, 10/15/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
136. Golden Age by Jane Smiley, 464 pages, 10/16/15, highly recommended
137. Homefront by Scott James Magner, 392 pages, 10/17/15, recommended
138. Reef Libre by Robert Wintner, 272 pages, 10/22/15, highly recommended, nonfiction
*139. Kraken Rising by Greig Beck, 449 pages, 10/23/15, very highly recommended
140. Slade House by David Mitchell, 256 pages, 10/24/15, highly recommended
*141. Mendocino Fire by Elizabeth Tallent, 272 pages, 10/29/15 very highly recommended, short stories
142. After Alice by Gregory Maguire, 288 pages, 10/30/15, recommended
143. The Uncollected David Rakoff by David Rakoff, 352 pages, 10/30/15, highly recommended, short pieces
*144. Reporting Always: Writings from The New Yorker by Lillian Ross, 368 pages, very highly recommended, articles



November – 15 books
**145. Pacific by Simon Winchester, 512 pages, 11/2/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
146. The Pestilence by Faisal Ansari, 269 pages, 11/3/15, highly recommended
**147. It Ended Badly by Jennifer Wright, 256 pages, 11/3/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
148. The Lost Codex by Alan Jacobson, 428 pages, 11/4/15, highly recommended
149. The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart, 400 pages, 11/6/15, recommended
150. The Night Clock by Paul Meloy, 384 pages, 11/6/15, so-so
151. Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving, 480 pages, 11/15/15, highly recommended
152. Ball: Stories by Tara Ison, 232 pages, 11/15/15, so-so
*153. Crimson Shore by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, 352 pages, 11/15/15, very highly recommended
154. Gold! by Fred Rosen, 352 pages, 11/20/15, recommended, nonfiction
155. Yesterday's Gone: Season One by Sean Platt, David Wright, 500 pages, 11/20/15, recommended
156. Yesterday's Gone: Season Two by Sean Platt & David W. Wright, 495 pages, 11/22/15, so-so
157. All of Us and Everything by Bridget Asher, 352 pages, 11/22/15, recommended
158. Findings: An Illustrated Collection by Rafil Kroll-Zaid, 11/23/15, recommended, nonfiction
159. Twister by Genanne Walsh, 400 pages, 11/26/15, highly recommended



December – 10 books
160. Entropy by Robert Raker, 232 pages, 12/4/15, highly recommended
*161. Halibut, Herring and You: Short Stories by Carla Billinghurst, 149 pages,12/4/15,  very highly recommended, short stories
*162. A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema by Kelly Cozy, 516 pages, 12/4/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
**163. The Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins, 496 pages, 12/6/15, very highly recommended
164. The Past by Tessa Hadley, 320 pages, 12/8/15, recommended
*165. Earthquake Time Bombs by Robert Yeats, 361 pages, 12/10/15, very highly recommended, nonfiction
166. Heart Land by D.B. Allen, 234 pages, 12/13/15, recommended, short stories
167. Lights Out in the Reptile House by Jim Shepard, 285 pages, 12/15/15, highly recommended
168. After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson, 416 pages, 12/20/15, highly recommended
*169. 3 Truths and a Lie by Lisa Gardner, 52 pages, 12/27/15, very highly recommended, short story

1 comment:

Nise' said...

I am listening to Pretty Girls and looking for reasons to listen. Great reading year for you.