It took reading 14 books in December, but I read 50 books in 2015. It was my fourth consecutive year of reading 50 books a year. I’m reminded every year of what a procrastinator I am in December. I wanted to share my final list of all the books. There were plenty that I loved and liked. What were your favorites from 2015? I haven’t read anything so far this year, putting me already one book behind schedule!
- Americanah was my first of two books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I resolve to read the rest of her books in 2016!
- I’ve now officially read all of Anthony Bourdain’s books and loved them all. I especially loved the essay about his daughter in Medium Raw.
- I loved The Color Purple so much. It was an emotional roller-coaster but I still think about the characters.
- I read Humans of New York: Stories twice, cover to cover.
- I didn’t expect to like Station Eleven but I couldn’t put it down.
- I related to Bich Nguyen’s account of growing up in the U.S. with immigrant parents. Stealing Buddha’s Dinner is a memoir framed by food and thus awesome. I almost cried in the last chapter.
- Admittedly I read Of Mice and Men because it was short and I wanted to complete my goal. I already knew the story from all the references in pop culture but it still broke my heart.
- Lucy Knisley’s French Milk made me nostalgic for Paris.
- I read Age of License , also by Lucy Knisley, while waiting for an ultimately canceled connection from Dallas to Little Rock.
- Displacement: A Travelogue is another favorite from Lucy Knisley.
- Big Magic was an inspirational read about practicing creativity. Also file under “Books I Read to Help Me Figure Out My Work Life”.
- You can hear more of my thoughts about Modern Romance by listening to this I Feel Better episode.
- I didn’t think I could stomach Tony Robbins but I finished Money: Master the Game in a day. It was over six hundred pages!
- Rising Strong was such an uplifting read. Read Daring Greatly first.
- I could not put Everything I Never Told You down.
- I read all of Dept. of Speculation sitting in my closet during a bout of insomnia.
- I like starting with essays or memoirs when I’m exploring a new to me author. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage was my first book by Ann Patchett.
- I read The Old Man and the Sea towards the end of my reading challege. Cherry-picked both for its prestige and its brevity.
- I would have read The Girl On The Train in one sitting if I didn’t have to be an adult. So it took either two or three sittings. A page-turner of a mystery with a well-meaning but atrociously unreliable narrator.
- The Sense of an Ending was a slow coming of age story that highlights how flawed our memories are.
- About Alice was written lovingly by Alice’s husband in her memory.
- I was reading Men Explain Things To Me while waiting for new tires. The man sitting next to me saw the title and chuckled, “Isn’t that what all women want? Men to explain things to them?” I wanted to throw the book at him and tell him the book was written for exactly him.
- The Guy Not Taken, a collection of short stories, was a quick read. There were a few good ones.
- Read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up if you’re looking for motivation on decluttering your life.
- Read We Should All Be Feminists because we should be.
- I enjoyed a few essays from Bad Feminist very much.
- I found an essay excerpt of Rob Lowe’s Love Life about his son and immediately put Love Life on hold at the library. I enjoyed his writing style. I either read this one and listened to the next one listed (also by him) simultaneously or vice versa. I do recommend you listening to both these books since he did such a great job on the audio.
- Stories I Only Tell My Friends recounts many stories of Rob Lowe trying to break into the acting business. It was a comforting read while I dealt with job rejections.
- Read Geography of Bliss if you have wanderlust and are curious about how different cultures approach happiness.
- Sugar in My Bowl is a collection of essays by women about sex.
- I was dutifully reading Never Let Me Go despite not being hooked and about 120 pages in, I was hit in the gut. I’m glad I stuck it out.
- I read a few thriller mysteries this year. Bonegap had a bit of the mystical in it.
- I read If You Find This Letter on my flight from Austin to Chicago and cried so much the passenger across the aisle gave me her whole package of tissue.
- I didn’t think I’d like Stoner but I read it in two sittings. Depressing but beautifully written.
- An old coworker had pushed Rework on me over and over again. It wasn’t until I got laid-off that I finally made the time. I think anyone managing people or anyone in Human Resources could get a lot from this book.
- Essentialism motivated me to pare down every area of my life.
- Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
- Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day
- Playing Big
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Photography Essentials
- Trust Agents
- Pinfluence
- May Cause Miracles
- The Big Leap
- I read 50 Shades of Grey out of curiosity but it took me months to finish because the writing was so bad and the story uninspired.
- DUFF
- Why Not Me?
- I really wanted to like Fun Home, but it was so difficult to connect with her writing. My favorite bookworm in the states and friend (whose taste I usually love) raved about it though. So take my paltry words with a grain of salt.
- What Alice Forgot
- Heartburn
Books I Loved
Books I Liked
Books I Read to Help Me Figure Out My Work Life
Books I Was Meh About
And that concludes my 2015 book list!