Book Nook Cafe discussion

It's that time of year folks!

Here is the thread to post about your favorite reads and the ones you detested in 2015.

The book does not have to be published in 2015, only read by you in 2015.


If you could provide a link and a few words on each book that would be great.

Alias Reader wrote: "It's that time of year folks!

Here is the thread to post about your favorite reads and the ones you detested in 2013.

The book does not have to be published in 2013, only read by you in 2013.


I..."

I expect you mean 2015, Alias.

The best non-fiction books:
The War on Women in Israel: How Religious Radicalism Is Smothering the Voice of a Nation

and In a Different Key: The Story of Autism

The best novels:

Hurricane by Jewell Parker Rhodes (best mystery)
Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Katrice Barnett (best historical fiction)

The Translator by Nina Schuyler (best contemporary fiction)

Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin (best alternate history)

I decided not to list the worst book because there's too much competition for that position.

I had a really good reading year with eleven 5-star books (I'm pretty hard on book ratings).

I finished the Three Pine series by Louise Penny. I like character-driven series where we learn more about the characters as the books progress and this is such a series. I'm looking forward to next year's addition to the series (that's an assumption; I haven't heard of a new book yet).

I started and am loving the Father Cadfael series, a medieval murder mystery series. Again, it's character-driven and I love the person that Father Cadfael is being revealed as.

Of the other 5-star books this year, the surprise discoveries were:
Peace Like a River
A Man Called Ove
Ready Player One


I only had one really disappointing, awful read this year and that was The Girls of August.

Shomeret wrote: I expect you mean 2015, Alias..."

That's what I get for cutting and pasting from an old thread. :)
Thanks for letting me know. I've corrected my post.

I have to go out for my exercise walk. I'll post my worst /best later today.

Petra, I have A Man Called Ove on my TBR list.

Shomeret, I have two nieces that work with kids with autism. I will pass along the book title you suggested.
In a Different Key: The Story of Autism
Thanks !

I always marvel that folks can whittle their best lists to just a few. I try but sometimes i'm so surprised that i read some book i'd forgotten about, that i add it to my favorites. Trying not to do that this year.

As i didn't read much fiction this year, this one's easy.

FICTION

Science Fiction-- I really liked Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. It was intriguing science fiction and i liked how she allowed readers to make connections, so she didn't have to over-explain.

Mystery--the thief by Fuminori Nakamuri. I see that the GR reviews aren't favorable but i liked it and the look into criminal Japan, from an individual's point of view.

Western--Judith Of Blue Lake Ranch by Jackson Gregory. I seem to have become a fan of this genre, so i should make note of it. I blame my ancestors on both sides, whose western collection we inherited. In this one Judith is a strong character and saves herself totally, not dependent upon the male leading character.

NONFICTION is tougher. I tend to really like nf if i learn quite a bit.

Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum. What i liked was that his journey was alone and he explained his alone time well. The fact he was a reader helped, although he didn't list his books. LOL!

A Misplaced Massacre: Struggling Over the Memory of Sand Creek by Ari Kelman was full of material i wanted to know. Unfortunately it was marred by tedium, which may or may not have been included to help readers understand the slow process involved in creating a national park site. Still, it answered many questions, so i must include it.

I'll just mention the following, which i liked, mainly because they answered questions i had when i began reading.

Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak. I learned about the serial writers of that early publishing era.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu because it helped me better understand some of the Civil War battlefields we've visited.

The Old Way of Seeing: How Architecture Lost Its Magic by Jonathan Hale. Helped me appreciate some of the structures i've seen over the years...as well as why i liked them.

LEAST FAVORITE:
Nonfiction: Narrow Dog to Indian River by Terry Darlington. I don't think it's that i didn't get his British humor, only that he didn't really make what could have been a good story very entertaining. If i wanted to see old people drinking, i'd go to a bar. :-)

Fiction: Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron. This had been on my to-read list awhile when i ran into the book. By the end of the first chapter i had it figured out, including where someone was hidden. The writing didn't commend the author, either. Disappointing, as i've enjoyed her sister's (Nora Ephron writing for years.

Love these lists. Even if it does tend to make my TBR expand !

*** Best of 2015

Play-
Rumors by Neil Simon

Re-read
Native Son by Richard Wright

Non fiction
Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris

Biography / memoir
A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter

Nutrition/ Health
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger

Inspirational
Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott

Fiction
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Light fiction
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty



***Worst of 2015

Nonficiton
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō

Italian Ways: On and Off the Rails from Milan to Palermo by Tim Parks

The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything...Fast by Josh Kaufman

Fiction
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (DNF)

Play
Old Times by Harold Pinter

Great thread.

I had 6 five star reads last year.

A Little Life
Far from the Madding Crowd
Revolutionary Road
The Age of Innocence
The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed

GR tells me I gave mostly 3 stars. No surprises there, as I think I am very tough when it comes to ratings. 3 stars is still a good read in my book. My two star reads are mostly fantasy or science fiction as I tried out these genres. Not for me I guess.

I had 4 one star reads.

Deception by Philip Roth
Steppenwolf
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar

I too am very tough with my ratings. I had only one 5-star book in 2015. My average rating, according to GR, is 3.1 stars. To me, 3 stars is a decent read and I liked it, but it wouldn't make my list of favorites. Luckily, I didn't have any 1-star reads this year--I think because I am trying very hard to read more thoughtfully. I find that the "chick lit" ones I pick up on a whim without reading any reviews about them are often the ones that I end up really disliking, so I've been avoiding that genre.

My favorites for 2015:

Nonfiction:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption--this was my only 5-star read
Washington: A Life
The Wright Brothers
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania


Fiction:
Fourth of July Creek--4.5 stars
Inside the O'Briens
A Little Life
A Tale for the Time Being
The Thing Around Your Neck
The Long and Faraway Gone

Least favorites for 2015:
The Magicians
Dark Places
Identical

Petra wrote: "I finished the Three Pine series by Louise Penny. I like character-driven series where we learn more about the characters as the books progress and this is such a series. I'm looking forward to next year's addition to the series (that's an assumption; I haven't heard of a new book yet)...."

Petra, I just started How the Light Gets In and am looking forward to it and the next one as well. I agree with you -- I really like the way the characters grow and evolve over the course of the series. I am almost impatient with the actual mysteries themselves -- I just want to know what is going on with Gamache and the people of Three Pines! Re: your comment about any new books -- I read recently that Louise Penny's husband, Michael (upon whom she based the character of Gamache, she once said), is suffering in the end stages of Alzheimer's. I believe she is his caregiver. I'm not sure if that means a delay in the publication of any upcoming books.

Thanks for sharing, everyone ! I am really enjoying checking out the books you loved and hated.

I had two 5 star books in 2015:
All the Light We Cannot See
Revolutionary Road

and one 1 star book:
The Thing About Life is That One Day You'll Be Dead

In between, I had:
12 4-star books
11 3-star books
8 2-star books

Emma wrote: "I had two 5 star books in 2015:
All the Light We Cannot See
Revolutionary Road

and one 1 star book:
The Thing About Life is That One Day You'll Be Dead
..."

Thanks for sharing, Emma.

I've owned a copy of Revolutionary Road for years. I really need to read it. I'm glad to see you thought it was a winner.

It's such a joy to see familiar books on the lists. Several (Revolutionary Road & Tale for Time Being, to name two) were on my own "best" list the year i read them. And then there are the ones I have on my TBR. What encouragement to see them listed,

Thanks to all who are sharing. The only thing better than reading is talking with other readers this way!
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