Best Books of 2015

Best Books of 2015


I usually try to challenge myself to choose one favorite book every year. But, ya’ll, I just can’t do it this year…I changed my mind daily leading up to this post! Three very different books consistently came out on top for me and I voted for all of them for best fiction of the year in various polls (Goodreads, River City Reading’s Book Blogger Top Picks). So, I’m going to treat this list like an Olympic swimming final (if 10 swimmers advanced to the finals, rather than 8). The top 3 books are my medalists and the remaining 7 round out my “finalists”. 

And, I’ve brought back the high school yearbook-style “Superlatives” from last year!

The Medalists

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (review)
Most Likely to Emotionally Wreck You

Most Gorgeous Writing
Best Book about Friendship
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg (review)
Most Depressing Sounding Book that’s Not Actually Depressing

Caused My Most Recent Book Hangover
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh (review)
Most Recommended Book of the Year
Best “Growing Up in the 1990’s” Nostalgia
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

The Remaining Finalists

Beneath the Bonfire by Nicholas Butler (review)
Most Likely to Convert a Short Story Skeptic

Best Example of “Place as a Character”
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich (review)
Most Likely to Keep You Turning Pages Late Into the Night

Best New “Grit Lit”
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Concussion by Jeanne Marie Laskas (review)
Best Nonfiction of 2015

Best Sports Book That’s About Far More Than Sports
Biggest Surprise of the Year
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Sweetland by Michael Crummey (review coming soon)
Best Lovable Curmudgeon

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips (review)
Most Delightfully Bizarre

Best Character Name (Trishiffany)
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango (review)
Most Demented Protagonist

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Kieja Parssinen (review)
Best Female Heroine

Best Book about Southern Eccentricity
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon




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37 Comments

  1. I love how you did your list like superlatives! I just started Bull Mountain after seeing it on tons of end of year lists (like not even 50 pages in) and I’m so excited to see how it all plays out!

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
  2. proxyfish wrote:

    What a great list, I’ve not read any of them but those are some lovely covers! Definitely a few to add to my 2016 reading list!

    My TTT

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
  3. Diane wrote:

    I need to compile my list, but I know 2 of yours will make my tops list as well. Thanks for sharing with us readers.

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
  4. I haven’t read any of those books. :/

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
  5. Carmen wrote:

    And the winner is…A Little Life, My Sunshine Away and Bull Mountain are among the best of the year on Amazon as well.
    I still want to read Bull Mountain per your recommendation (waiting for the price to drop, but with so much buzz now I don’t think it will).

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Ha – well Amazon editors and I seem to be on the same wavelength! Do give Bull Mountain a shot at some point…maybe after the hype dies down a bit. I read it when it first came out, so wasn’t quite as built up.

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  6. Naomi wrote:

    I love the way this post is structured. I have to ask how long it took you to come up with all your superlatives? 🙂
    I’ve only read Sweetland (happy to see it made your list), but 6 others are on my to-read list.

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Thank you! You know, it wasn’t that long. I did Superlatives last year too, so I always kind of have it in the back of my mind as I’m reading…and some are just really obvious. And for others – I looked back at my review and did a Superlative related to the headline. Hope you get to some of the ones on your TBR and I LOVED your Sweetland review…I read it after I finished the book.

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
      • Naomi wrote:

        Thanks for saying so, Sarah! 🙂

        Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  7. Amanda wrote:

    I love your list! I’m kind of ashamed that I haven’t read most – though they are mostly on my TBR. You’re really tempting me to break my Fluff Only to Finish 2015 promise and start Bull Mountain on my way home tonight.

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Break it! Break it! Bull Mountain moves super fast, so I really think it wouldn’t kill your fluff binge.

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  8. What a great list, Sarah; I couldn’t agree more with your assessments and descriptions on the ones I’ve read (8 out of 10!) and this is so handy to share with others. I’m deep in the throes of Fates and Furies right now; should be able to finish this evening and it’s just crazy, right? Hope you’re having a great day!

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Wow – we read so many of the same books this year! You’re probably finished F&F right now..can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  9. Lorri wrote:

    Great books! Can’t wait to read them! I bought the Beautiful Bureaucrat (random choice??) as I think it might be a good page turner for the LONG airplane ride this week! Thanks for the rec.

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      TBB is so good in a WTF is going on kind of way! But, it’s just under 200 pages, so you might get through the entire thing on the plane!

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  10. Lindsay wrote:

    There are tons of books on your list that I want to read! I hadn’t heard of “Mercy Louis” but it’s now on my TBR list thanks to you.

    The only book I’ve read of your picks is “The Beautiful Bureaucrat” and I’m still not sure what I thought about it. It was addicting and so, so wonderfully weird, but also kinda vague and confusing. That said, I loved the fittingly-wacky name of “Trishiffany” too! 😉

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Ha – yes – I agree with vague and confusing! But, I thought in a good way…left lots of room for discussion and interpretation. Mercy Louis is so great and I feel a bit overlooked. Would love for you to give it a shot!

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  11. I love your superlatives for each book. I think you’ve sold me on trying Sweetland, and a lot of the others will carry over to 2016 for me. You read some amazing books this year. 🙂

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Thank you, thank you! I definitely think you should give Sweetland a shot!

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  12. Nice list of books in your post!!

    Here’s a link to my TTT post for this week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2015/12/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-best-books-i.html

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
  13. Heather wrote:

    Great list! There’s lots on here that I wanted to read this year and didn’t get around to. I really enjoyed The Beautiful Bureaucrat’ as well – so weird and cool, and not what I was expecting. I’m not sure why I didn’t include it in my own top 10 actually.

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
  14. Deb wrote:

    I haven’t read any of these, but I mean to! Beautiful Bureacrat and Did You Ever Have a Family are on my TBR list. Ive heard great things about My Sunshine Away.

    Posted 12.15.15 Reply
  15. First, I’m thrilled to see a few #30Authors titles on your list. I still haven’t read Bull Mountain (I say as I hang my head in shame) but I will soon. I can’t wait to read Concussion – it’s a movie based on a book and both my husband and I want to see it so I need to hop on it. I also need to read Butler’s latest – Shotgun Lovesongs was incredible!

    Posted 12.16.15 Reply
  16. Fantastic list! I’ve read a good handful of those, and totally agree with your assessment 😀 My husband is reading Concussion right now and I’m impatiently waiting to grab it out of his hands.

    Posted 12.16.15 Reply
  17. carrie wrote:

    first of all, as a sports lover i really do appreciate how you broke the books up into groups. secondly, I’m officially convinced to give beneath the bonfire a shot. i’m kind of anti-shot stories, but I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews so i have to give in. I also really enjoyed his first book, so i think that’s a good omen for me to read his second one as well.

    Posted 12.16.15 Reply
  18. Thanks for sharing your list! They all sound so good!

    Posted 12.16.15 Reply
  19. Judy wrote:

    Thanks for the list. I don’t do mine until New Year’s Day. And I can never pick just one! I like the way you did this. I have put The Unraveling… on my 2015 list. I had not heard of it before. And that is why I follow bloggers!

    Posted 12.16.15 Reply
  20. Love how you’ve arranged this list! I’ve only read (and loved) a couple of them, but all the others are on my wish list.

    Posted 12.16.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Thank you!

      Posted 12.18.15 Reply
  21. Missie wrote:

    I haven’t read any of these, I will have to check them out! Love your blog design!
    New follower 🙂
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

    Posted 12.19.15 Reply
  22. Andi wrote:

    Love the way you’ve structured this! The only book I’ve read from your list is The Beautiful Bureaucrat, but I’m looking forward to many more.

    Posted 12.20.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Thank you! I just read The Handmaid’s Tale and it gave me kind of the same feeling as TBB! Loved it!

      Posted 12.21.15 Reply
  23. I love how you categorized your books. Great choices!!

    I actually know of these books, but have not read any of them.

    ENJOY your last few days of reading in 2015!!

    Happy New Year!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver’s Reviews
    My A Month of Faves

    Posted 12.29.15 Reply
  24. Megan wrote:

    I haven’t read any of your favorites, but I’ve got a few on my physical TBR pile already. I’m going to have to add My Sunshine Away to it for sure. I’ve kinda got a thing for stories where it doesn’t dawn on me for quite a time that the narrator isn’t actually named. It’s strange, but every book I’ve read with an unnamed narrator has been so absorbing that a name practically became unnecessary!

    Posted 12.29.15 Reply
  25. Laurie C wrote:

    Love it! The superlatives are such a great idea! Your list has some titles I haven’t been hearing about; the only ones I’ve read are A Little Life (my #1 favorite for 2015) and My Sunshine Away (didn’t live up to the hype for me). I’ve been out of touch with the blogosphere and hope to keep up better in 2016!

    Posted 12.31.15 Reply

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