Tops Books I Have Read in 2015
It has been quite a year for books. I have read a countless number of novels espeically during the summer. I feel in love with a lot of new Authors and fell back in love with old ones. There are so many books to choose from for my top 5, alas though there can only be 5 ( at least in this list) so here are my top 5 books for 2015.
5. Marly's Ghost
This book was a small book I literaly read in a day and purposley on Valentines Day. On the outside this books does not look like much and honestly it is not really anything but another retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol story but on Valentines Day. However the design of the novel as well as the illustrations make you feel like you are back in the old days reading a classic by the fire. This novel takes place in modern day so there are some changes to the story, mainly that it takes place on Valentines day and that the main character is a sad boy whom's girlfriend has recently passed away and which is why he is so sad during the most romantic holiday of the year. The feeling the novel left me with about the meaning of the Holidays and being greatful for what you have as well as the design and illustration is why this novel is definetely in my Top 5.
4. Saint Anything
I have loved Sarah Dessen for years. I have addored all her books and honestly think she is very good at not only writing romance stories that are mostly aimed at young women, but have more about them then just a sterreotypical romance. These books feature a lot of themes of love beyond just the boy and girl relationship type. This book in particular talks about family, dissabilities, what is right and wrong, forgiveness, aceptence, etc. The book is about a girl named Sydney whom is dealing with her mother being preoccupied with the fact that her brother has been arrested for drinking and driving as well as injuring a young boy in the process, one day she meets a new friend named Layla and starts spending time with their family (one of whom is their mobily handicaped mother) as well as around Layla's brother Mac. This book is able to show contrasting views of family, while still showing the difference in opinion and points and not trying to have a flat out right and wrong answer. The situations faced in the book are both hard and difficult topics to show both sides too, though Dessen is able to pull that off perfectly in my opinion. This is not my favorite Sarah Dessen novel, but definetely one of them and definetely a favorite of 2015.
3. This One Summer
I have been trying to read more and more graphic novels in the past few years. While many are action packed ( which I love), I really enjoy graphic novels that are contemporary or realistic fiction. It is very hard to find that specific genre though, as well as find one that is a longer than average book size. This is where the novel This One Summer comes in. When I first heard about this book I thought it looked okay and started to hear about how many awards and prasies it was receiving. One day I was in the book store and decided to splurge on a copy of the book. That night I got home and read the novel cover to cover and when it ended I actually wanted to scream no. This book was so emotional that I could literarly fell for the characters just by looking at some of the single story boards. The book is basically about a young girl who spends the summer at this beach house and while there has to learn about and do a lot of growing up as she disovers thngs about herself as well as her family members and friends. The books has a simple premise, but by god is it more than that. This book doesnt only take on huge subjects like grief and maturity, but does it well. Summer when you are young seems to be such an innocent time and this book is able to show that while there are fun and enjoyable moments to be had during the Summer, growing up doesn't stop and sometimes you are forced to learn and deal with a lot of mature and adult things that maybe you didn't think or still do not know if you are ready for. That is why This One Summer does though. The illustrations are pretty basic but the small detail and expressions put into them remind me not only of one of my favorite graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier, but stand great just on their own. I really loved this novel and think I will be picking it up again...maybe after I finish my TBR pile.
2. Finding Audrey
Finding Audrey was a book I anticipating for weeks. When I heard about the premise of a young girl having anxiety issues I was really curious to see if the writer of Confessions of a Shopaholic could write a book like that realistically. So when I picked it up and read it, I was hopeful. After I was done though, this became that one book that you want to give to all your family and friends and ask them to read it. This book was a book that not only talked about feelings of anxiety and how people whom do have anxiety issues feel, but how others feel around them. I was worried that this book would not feel relatable as someone whom has dealt for years with anxiety, but while reading it I could relate to the main character. While Audrey's anxiety in the novel is a little more extreme then what I personally know, I know that many people who have anxiety have it to a similar amount as Audrey. That however did not mean I could not realted to her character or her explanations of doing certain things when you have anxiety and are a more introverted person because there were some parts were I just understood perfectly where Audrey and the author of the novel were coming from. This book not only shows what it is like to be a person with Anxiety trying to live a normal life, but about dealing with people who may not see things the same way you do. The romance was maybe a little fast in my personal opinion, but other than that I give this book an A and hope you decide to pick it up.
Finally my number one favorite book of 2015 is....
1. All the Bright Places
When I picked up this book I had heard a lot of hype for it. It was supposed to be the next Fault in our Stars or Elenor and Park ( both books I adore), so after spending a week reading this and finally finishing I was stunned. This book not only matched my hopes and expectations, but excedded them by miles. This book not only was a good romance, but a book that physically had me on edge, especially during the second half. This book not only deals with things like death, depression, anxiety, mental illness, suicide, etc. but does it so well that I honeslty had not felt this way about a book since The Fault in Our Stars. The book is not only relatable to teenagers but is able to show beauty in the smallest things. While some people may think this novel is romanticizing mental illness or being a bit too pretentious ( and I can totally understand those people because at times maybe it did feel a bit that way), but honeslty most of the book was able to show more than just that. Mental illness is a problem in this country and around the world and this book was able to not only bring awareness to it, but create such beautiful words and quotes and pictures for the mind that were just amazing. If you have time at all in your life to read, please have All the Bright Places be your next novel because you wont regret it.
Thank you all for following my blog is 2015 and hopefully 2016 brings bigger and better memories and novels to share with the world.
Happy New Years Eve and if you are reading this in 2016, Happy New Year!
- Jessica
