I've read a bunch of crap this year. I bought A Brief History of 7 Killings and have big plans to actually read it.
This book was not just the best novel I read in 2015, but the best novel I have read in years.
I dont know know what if pick for nonfiction, I need to think a bit longer, I read a lot of books this year.
I have a completely unreasonable prejudice against the school where the writer teaches. Otherwise I'm sure I would've read it by now. I bought it at least 2 months ago.
Fiction - I didn't read a ton of great fiction this year, I'd say probably The Royal We Non-fiction - lots of options but the best was Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Non-Fiction: Dr. Mutter's Marvels - I don't read much non-fiction but this one was great.
Fiction: This one is harder to pick. I think I would vote for I Am Pilgrim. It was a very exciting thriller. I also loved The Cuckoo's Calling and Carry On. I also liked The Light Between Oceans. I am very bad at picking favorites.
Post by sunshineandpinot on Dec 27, 2015 9:21:01 GMT -5
Fiction- The Nightingale. loved it! I don't prefer NF. I'm reading The Orpheus Clock. It's a fascenting story but I'm having a hard time getting into it (and I'm nearly through.)
Non-fiction: A House in the Sky (woman held captive in Somalia) or Girl in the Band (Kim Gordon - Sonic Youth. Thought it was interesting to read about the music scene in NYC through the decades)
I mostly read fiction and I read some good books in 2015 (43 total). Here are my top 5 in 2015 (in no order):
- Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler - The Royal We by Heather Cocks - Nowhere is a Place by Bernicw L McFadden - The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Fiction- The Nightingale. loved it! I don't prefer NF. I'm reading The Orpheus Clock. It's a fascenting story but I'm having a hard time getting into it (and I'm nearly through.)
I just read this over the weekend and it was so amazing!
Post by omgzombies on Dec 28, 2015 11:49:32 GMT -5
Fiction: Ready Player One was really fun.
Non Fiction: The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. It's really made me more aware of my interactions with people, and my perceptions of my own failures.
Post by downtoearth on Dec 28, 2015 12:45:31 GMT -5
I need to read more. I read about 18 books total and 4 were repeats. So really only 14 books this year. I read a ton of memoirs this year, mostly funny ones. I also read The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace and really liked it, but still feel weird that it was written by his white, college buddy and not someone from his neighborhood. I recommend it, but I wish I would have known that going in and not 1/3 of the way through.
I liked these 3, but only time will tell if they are on all-time favorite lists: Ade: A Love Story by Rebecca Walker Half in Love: Stores by Mailie Meloy Everything is Perfect when You're a Lying Liar by Kelly Oxford
I know I didn't like one book, which isn't new, but was just NMS - Look at Me by Jennifer Egan. It was written in the 90's and I guess was new/novel then and trying to talk about how disconnected people are from each other in the future (i.e. 2010+), but I found it too difficult to see how it was relevant now. I was the only one in my book club who felt this way.
I have one more that I just finished: Ghettoside by Jill Levoy. Has anyone else read this? It's a nonfiction book about the epidemic of homicide in south central LA and how it can be stopped. To call it eye opening is an understatement. It's extremely well written, compelling, engaging, and easy to read despite the statistics. I feel like it's a really important book that everyone should read. I think it upends a lot of naive, ill informed, and stereotypical assumptions about life in poor communities.
Post by jeaniebueller on Dec 28, 2015 14:17:51 GMT -5
I did hardly any reading this year. Really, its shameful because I love reading. I finally got around to reading "I Know why the Caged Bird Sings," (that I downloaded in 2014) which was amazing. I also read "Infidel," and "Wild" and have just started "The Man in the High Castle" and "In the Heart of the Sea." I am hoping that 2016 will be a good reading year.
Non-Fiction: Dr. Mutter's Marvels - I don't read much non-fiction but this one was great.
Fiction: This one is harder to pick. I think I would vote for I Am Pilgrim. It was a very exciting thriller. I also loved The Cuckoo's Calling and Carry On. I also liked The Light Between Oceans. I am very bad at picking favorites.
Ooooh, I want to read the Dr Mutter book! I was googling him because I read that he was the inspiration for Dr THackery on The Knick. My amazon wishlist has just gotten long thanks to this thread.