A couple of days late (vacation recovery and sheer laziness), but here are my top picks from what I read in 2015. I finished a total of 123 books last year not including the re-reads. These were my favs. Best non-fiction: ā¢Missoula: Rape and Justice in a College Town, Jon Krakauer. I literally threw this book at the wall and yelled at in on the subway more than once. It's Krakauer, who is always excellent, at his best. This brought back university in a very stark way. Enlightening and terrifying. ā¢Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own, Kate Bolick/Selfish, Shallow, and Self -Absorbed, Meghan Daum. I'm cheating with two here but these were both excellent. This year I accepted that my aversion to marriage and my not wanting children are a part of me and healthy legitimate lifestyle choices. These mirrored and legitimised my soul on the page. ā¢The Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande. Checklists as the secret to success have long been talked about in my family (pilots, lawyers and doctors). Personal organisation and time management are not strong suits of mine. This was fascinating. I enjoyed the history and the science behind checklists. My attempts to incorporate them at work have made a notable difference in productivity. ā¢Honourable mentions: GTMO diary, Furiously Happy, and The Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Best Fiction: ā¢The Girl With all The Gifts, M.R. Carey. I picked this up having no idea what it was about and loved it. Actually I received it and Brown Girl Dreaming (which I hated and DNFed) at the same time and confused the blurbs in my head. So, I got rocked by what this book actually was. My advice, read nothing about it before you pick it up. It was so fun and so good. ā¢A God In Ruins, Kate Atkinson. I liked Kate Atkinson last year, but this year I fell in love with her and this companion piece to Life After Life. While this is not a sequel, I think you have to read both. No one plays with time better. And damn, what an ending. ā¢The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie. This took me forever to get in Russia, and I'm so glad I finally got a hold of it. What a tremendous book. Read it, read it now. ā¢Honourable Mentions: Fish in a Tree, Bream Gives Me Hiccups, Everything Everything, also the Martian (but that couldn't top the list now that everyone has read/seen it). Best in Translation (my goal this year was to read more in translation and from around the world): ā¢The Man Who Spoke Snakish, Andrus KivirƤhk This (and the next two) would have been on my top fiction if I didn't plan a separate category for them). I loved this. Part origin story, part fairy tale, a whole lot of awesome. Also my favourite character of the year:Ints. Ints is a bad ass. ā¢Death With Interruptions, JosĆ© Saramago. I capital "L" loved this. Brilliant conceit and use of language. Biting, socially relevant, and whip-smart. Another author I fell in love with this year. ā¢Tongue, Kyung-ran Jo. Hands down the most erotic and twisted book of the year. The build is patient and agonisingly sweet. The end, while not surprising will still slap you upside the head. Best Series: ā¢Ms. Marvel, G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. I embraced the world of comics and graphic novels this year and this was what hooked me. A Muslim, feminist, female protagonist ā hell yes! ā¢Fox and O'Hare, Janet Evanovich. I've loved her since the Stephanie Plumb Novels. These are just as fun. Easy, beach reading. ā¢K-9 Rescue, D.D. Ayers. Sometimes you just need a little trashy romance in your life. Plus Dogs. Happy reading in 2016!
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