Top 10 of 2015 Day 1: Best Books I’ve Read in 2015

Posted December 21, 2015 by Lisa Mandina in challenge / 22 Comments

I’m so excited to join into this challenge that is being hosted by several awesome blogs:  Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books, Tales of a Ravenous Reader, and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.  Today’s theme is the top 10 books I read this past year.  They don’t have to have been published in 2015 for today’s post.  So I’ll list them below, along with a link to my review.  They’re not in any particular order, because I didn’t want to try to decide exactly why some were better than others, just know that they’re all ones I recommend over and over.

1.

White Hot Kiss was the 2nd book I’d read by Jennifer L. Armentrout. And while I liked the first one I’d read, Don’t Look Back, this one sealed the deal for me with the author.  I love the characters.  I so love Roth, I’m totally team Roth!  I am currently reading the final book in this trilogy, and have loved all of them.

2.

An Ember in the Ashes, what an awesome debut!  I got an ARC of this from the bookstore where I work, and was blown away as soon as I picked it up.  It’s a great world that is built, and the characters are also so well developed and you really grow to like them. 

3.

Forbidden was one I lucked out to get an e-galley of during a blog tour that I signed up for.  And man was I glad that I did!  I really loved the history brought out in this novel.  The characters were so great, and all that they would deal with in that time period just really fascinated me.  I cannot wait for the sequel!

4.

Now, I actually listed to the audio book of Between the Lines on my drive to Branson last Memorial Day weekend. That was my first foray into listening to audio books as I drove, and it came about from all the issues I’d had with my car’s stereo system.  But let me tell you, I LOVED this story!  It made me laugh, it made me cry, and I couldn’t wait to get ahold of the sequel.  Not only that, but it kind of cemented my new habit of listening to audio books in the car.

5.

The egalley of A Court of Thorns and Roses was my first book I’d read by Sarah J. Maas.  And it has really made me eager to go back and read her Throne of Glass series.  I loved how it pulled in some fairy tale aspects with the faerie themselves.  You know the crazy thing that I think about now?  I got an ARC of Throne of Glass the first time I went to BEA, but it didn’t look like my kind of read, so I either gave it away or traded it away.  If only I’d read it.

6.

Ready Player One was another audio book that I loved.  It also showed me how important the person doing the narrating is on an audio-book. And this was read by Wil Wheaton, which was perfect.  I loved all the 80s shout-outs, movies, music, video games, etc.  The world was a neat one to think about.  I’ve never really been a big video game player, but Ernest Cline writes in such a way that you don’t have to be in order to understand and enjoy, but I think there is enough of it in there to interest those who are big gamers.

7.

Legacy of Kings was another book that really just wowed me.  It has made me see that maybe I am going to be more of a fantasy reader than I thought I was. Although really a lot of what I really liked about this was the historical aspect, even with all of what I’m sure were major embellishments.  This was another one that I lucked out with an ARC showing up at the bookstore where I worked. 

8.

Reawakened isn’t historical fiction, but it has so much about ancient Egypt and the mythology that I loved that about it.  As many people are, I’ve always been very interested in Egyptian mythology.  This is another author that I’d heard great things about, but have yet to read her other series.  I can tell you that it is now high on my list to start.  Probably with my It’s New to Me Challenge I’m hosting in 2016.

9.

Walk on Earth a Stranger is  historical fiction title.  But with a bit of fantasy in it.  I loved once again all the history in it, and the characters again, so well written and I loved all that they went through.  I’ve read the first book in Rae Carson’s other series, and enjoyed it, but this one I definitely loved more!

10.

Nexis is a book I just read, by an author that I’d been following for quite a while, but hadn’t read anything by yet.  I have to tell you how much I loved this dystopian story, and I kind of want to be in a video game like this, it kind of reminded me of The Sims, and how I could make them do what I wanted. 

So those are my top 10 favorite books I’ve read in 2015.  Some have been official staff recommendations at the bookstore where I work, others are just ones that I pass on to the customers, or have purchased for the high school library where I work, so that I can share them with my students. 

Have you read any of these?  Do you agree with my choices?  If not, what would be your top books of 2015?

Please follow and like us:
0
fb-share-icon0
Tweet 0
Pin Share20

Tags: , , , ,


22 responses to “Top 10 of 2015 Day 1: Best Books I’ve Read in 2015

  1. Hell yes Ready Player One and ACOTAR 😀 I still need to read Walk on Earth a Stranger, An Ember in the Ashes and Legacy of Kings but they're all on the tbr shelf! Awesome picks Lisa^^ xx

    • I'm really getting to enjoy audiobooks in the car especially. The audiobook of Between the Lines was great because there was more than one narrator, one for each of the two main characters, and that really helped get me into listening.

    • I know I have to go back and finish Carson's other series still! I loved Forbidden, I read it around the same time as Circle of Jinn, and that was the one I wasn't too sure about.

  2. Your story about the Throne of Glass ARC, happens to me too often. I'll end up hearing about it a few months (or even weeks) later and end up thinking maybe I should have given it a try.
    I wasn't too big a fan of Throne of Glass but someone gave me A Court of Thorns and Roses and I'm hoping to enjoy it a little more.

  3. I actually haven't read ANY of these books although I have heard of all of them before! I am super excited to read Ready Player One and also read Walk the Earth a Stranger which I own but have yet to dive into myself. Glad to know you read some epic books this year!

  4. What a great list! I have had Nexis on my radar for some time now and I did try starting Legacy Of Kings but wasn't in the mood for historical fantasy but I'll check it out in 2016.

    • You should definitely read Nexis, and maybe give Legacy of Kings another chance. I know it was a bit hard at first to get into because of the multiple character points of view, but soon it hits its groove!

  5. I haven't read any of these, but many are on my wishlist. I am especially interested in A Court of Thorns and Roses, Walk on Earth a Stranger, and Ready Player One.

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.