Tuesday 30 June 2015

Top Ten Tuesday | Best Books of 2015 (So Far!)


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!


This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2015'. I didn't know if I was going to get to ten at first because, while I read plenty, there are only a few books each year that really, really stick with me. Or at least that's always been the case before. This year, however, has been a great reading year so, and I hope it continues that way!



Burial Rites by Hannah Kent: This was the very first book I finished this year, and it's just stunning. If you're a fan of quiet, emotionally bruising historical fiction then this novel is most definitely worth checking out. It's gorgeous. (You can check out my review here!)

Rat Queens, Vol.1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch: This graphic novel is a miracle. It's like someone took everything I ever wanted to see in a high fantasy story, gift-wrapped it and then handed it to me. It's fun and funny and fantastic - read it! (You can check out my review here!)

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland: This book was such a pleasant surprise. I expected to like it, but I didn't expect to love it. And I loved it. Angel is such a refreshing heroine in the world of urban fantasy, and I love her. (You can check out my review here!)

Fairest by Marissa Meyer: I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was disappointed when Winter's release date was pushed back to November, though I'd much rather wait for a book Marissa Meyer is happy with, and I was a little wary of a prequel starring Levana for the simple reason that I very rarely come across villain stories that I like. I'm not interested in villains with sob stories; give me villains who just relish being unforgivably villainous. That being said, I thought Levana's story was fantastic. It was so twisted and believable, and while it made me empathise with her a little it didn't make me dislike her any less, which is just what I want from a villain's story. (You can check out my review here!)

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Probably my favourite book of 2015, I just fell head over heels in love with it. I wasn't alive in the '80s, but this book is one of the only books I've read that's reminded me of how it felt to be a teenager. I found reading this book so emotional, in a wonderful way, and I can't recommend it enough. Also it's witchcraft with '80s music in Mexico City, how could you not want to read it? (You can check out my review here!)



We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson: After reading The Haunting of Hill House last year I wanted to pick up some more Jackson, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle was the one that most appealed to me. I just loved it. There's something about Jackson's writing style that creeps under my skin and takes root there, and I love that.

American Vampire, Vol.3 by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Sean Murphy: I've really gotten into this series this year, and I just loved Volume 3. I loved both of the stories, I loved the characters... I just loved it! (You can check out my review here!)

Jane Eyre's Sisters: How Women Live and Write the Heroine's Story by Jody Gentian Bower: This was my first non-fiction read in a long time, and I bloody loved it. If you're a fan of heroines, you'll enjoy this book, and if you're a fan of the way stories are written, you'll enjoy this book. For any students out there who are currently writing essays or dissertations around heroines and women writers then this book would be great for you, but it's an enjoyable read as much as it has the possibility to be an academic one. As a reader I enjoyed this, and as a writer I found it really useful!

How To Be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis: Jane Eyre's Sisters whet my appetite for more non-fiction, and as I already owned How To Be a Heroine and it was also about heroines I decided to pick it up. Whereas Jane Eyre's Sisters focuses more on how we write heroines, How To Be a Heroine focused on how we read them. It's a delightful book. (You can check out my review here!)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: I didn't pick this book up for the longest time because so many people told me to read it, and I'm always wary of hype; books are never as good as you want them to be when you hype them up. Then this month I decided to pick it up and went into it with no expectations whatsoever, and I really enjoyed it. Some books really are beloved classics for a reason, and this is one such book. I'm so glad to finally have it under my belt.

Which books made your list?

22 comments:

  1. Most of these are new to me, but I really enjoyed looking them all up! You've definitely given me a fair few to add to my tbr! Thanks for sharing :)
    My TTT

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  2. I found you via The Midnight Garden and I'm so excited about some on your list! In particular, I'd like to check out Jane Eyre's Sisters. Thanks for the great post :)

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    1. It's nice to meet you, Ashlie, thanks for stopping by! :) I highly recommend Jane Eyre's Sisters - it's a fantastic read.

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  3. You've got some great books on this list. Seriously such a diverse one and I need to add some of these books to my TBR pile such as Jane Eyre's Sisters and How to be a Heroine. Marissa Meyer is love so happy to see Fairest on here too. My Top Ten Tuesday is a lot of older titles but I'm using this year to catch up... somehow or close the gap a bit. I dunno if it's possible, but I'm trying.

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    1. I definitely recommend Jane Eyre's Sisters and How To Be a Heroine, they're both fantastic. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. So glad to see you loved To Kill a Mockingbird! I haven't read it since high school, so I'm due for a reread for sure. I'm glad to see Burial Rites made your list, as I just picked up a copy not too long ago; I'm excited to get to it!

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    1. I loved it a lot - I think I read it at just the right time! I hope you enjoy Burial Rites. :) It's a great winter read because of the setting, but read it at any time of the year and it'll still break your heart.

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  5. I really enjoyed Fairest too. I swear that series just keeps getting better!

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  6. Great list! How to be a heroine looks like a great book! Definitely something I'll be looking into :D Thank you for visiting my blog :D
    Have a great day,
    Amy x

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    1. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to pick it up! :)

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  7. Fairest was this close to being on my list. I would like to try the White Trash Zombie books. :)

    Check out my TTT.

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    1. They're a lot of fun - I recommend picking them up if you want to read a different take on zombies. :)

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  8. Yikes! The only one I've read out of all these is Fairest...sooo, I'm off to look some of these up and likely add to my tbr shelf, so thanks for the recs :)

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  9. I love that To Kill A Mockingbird is on your list! This is totally one of my favorites!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  10. Ooh, we have very similar reading profiles, I think. I just re-read To Kill a Mockingbird this year -- don't know why I didn't put in on my TTT this week, because it definitely deserved to be there! I listened to the audiobook of We Have Always Lived in the Castle last year, and it was so awesomely creepy and amazing. I agree that Burial Rites is stunning. It was one of my book group's faves... and I just loved Fairest and can't wait for Winter! Great List!

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    1. -highfive- Aw yeah. Oo, I bet the audiobook of We Have Always Lived in the Castle was very creepy!

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  11. Oh great list! I am glad you enjoyed Fairest, I have it to read (at some juncture), and I really like the sound of Signal to Noise- I had a feeling that one would make your list ;)

    Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

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    1. But of course! If a week goes by without me mentioning either Feed or Signal to Noise then assume there's something wrong. ;)

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