From the New York Times Book Review to Entertainment Weekly (both available in the library) to NPR’s Book Concierge app, ‘tis the season for best book lists. I have had a great year in reading and to get in the spirit, I’ve decided to compile a list of my own. Here are my top fiction and non-fiction picks of 2015:
A Spool of Blue Thread, published in February, was my R.E.a.D. book club pick for October. It was my first Anne Tyler novel since Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, which I read for an English class in high school (so it’s been a while). I am not sure what took me so long to pick up another one of her books, but I’m so glad I did. The story, which Tyler has said will be her last, explores the pasts and presents of the Whitshank family; an aging Abby and Red, their four grown children, and grandchildren. I think what struck me, and what many fans of her work appreciate, is how realistically Tyler depicts each character and how they interact with each other and their environment. The Whitshanks could easily be a family you might, or already do, know. Although my already unwieldy TBR pile is growing as we speak, I’m looking forward to going back and reading her other works.
More fiction favorites from 2015: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, Killing and Dying: Stories by Adrian Tomine
Of the non-fiction I read that was published this year, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (which I reviewed here on the blog back in April) still stands out. The author, whose previous work includes the bestselling The Psychopath Test, examines the causes and consequences of contemporary public shaming. As far as non-fiction goes, it’s a relatively short book that is easy to get through, and it gives you a lot to think about after you put it down.
More non-fiction favorites from 2015: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, Last Night’s Reading by Kate Govino
Hoping to access all these best books lists in one place? Check out the library’s Best Books board on Pinterest or stop by the library to check out the Best Books display. Here’s to another fantastic year of reading in 2016!