Your best book of 2015.

[prendrelemick]

Another year gone by. Have you read anything good? What are your favourite books you have read this year?

Mine are.
The Lovesong Of Miss Queenie Hennessey, by Rachel Joyce.
and The Mighty Dead, by Adam Nicholson.


(I did a brief review of them on the review page.)

[Lokasenna]

My favourite book of the year, and which I meant to write a review for but haven't had time yet, is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It was on my 'to read' list for ages, but once I finally got around to it I really enjoyed it - superbly written, a beautiful pastiche of period literature, and excellently plotted.

[kev67]

Difficult to decide (well, not really) between Goshawk Squadron by Derek Robinson or The Gods Themselves by Issac Asimov. However, I shall pick Goshawk Squadron, which is about Royal Flying Corps pilots in the First World War. It is a war-is-hell story, but it was very funny in places, and very well researched.

[qimissung]

H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. A friend gave it to me, and I just read it in huge gulps. It is the best of nature writing, like "Ring of Bright Water," or "Wild"-another favorite of mine. In fact the two, "Wild" and "H is for Hawk," share some things in common. Both are by women who are searching, both are grieving for a lost parent. Cheryl Strayed has become somewhat self-destructive and she gave herself a challenge in the hopes of breaking that cycle; Helen MacDonald returns to an activity both she and her father enjoyed, with a twist.

[prendrelemick]

My favourite book of the year, and which I meant to write a review for but haven't had time yet, is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It was on my 'to read' list for ages, but once I finally got around to it I really enjoyed it - superbly written, a beautiful pastiche of period literature, and excellently plotted.

I thought it was a great book too. I recommended it to my book club, but they all hated it and only
two of them managed to finish it.

[tonywalt]

A little life by Hanya Yanagihara

[YesNo]

The only novel I finished this past year was Hesse's "Journey to the East". I thought it was pretty good, but what do I know? I did start "One Hundred Years of Solitude" but I haven't finished it.

[Dark Muse]

My favorites are

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Huges
As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway
Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

[mona amon]

It's been a terrible reading year for me - I think I only finished one book since July, and a lot of what I read were plays. I read 4 Shakespeare plays, the History Boys by Alan Bennet, and The Oresteia. And the winner is - the Oresteia! History Boys was very good, but not serious competition, and although I still think Shakespeare is the greatest playwright and greatest writer ever, the plays I read this year (the three Henry VIs and The Taming of the Shrew) were simply no match for the Oresteia.

[TheFifthElement]

H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. A friend gave it to me, and I just read it in huge gulps. It is the best of nature writing, like "Ring of Bright Water," or "Wild"-another favorite of mine. In fact the two, "Wild" and "H is for Hawk," share some things in common. Both are by women who are searching, both are grieving for a lost parent. Cheryl Strayed has become somewhat self-destructive and she gave herself a challenge in the hopes of breaking that cycle; Helen MacDonald returns to an activity both she and her father enjoyed, with a twist.
Second vote for H is for Hawk here. It's a stunning book.


A little life by Hanya Yanagihara
I would love to hear what you thought of this. I've heard mixed things, but very tempted to read it.

For me it's been another excellent year of reading, I feel lucky to live in a time when there is so much great literature to read. Highlights of the year for me have been:
- The Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante: the final book "The Story of the Lost Child" was published this year and I read the books as a set. Fantastic, engrossing and brilliant.
- The Names by Don DeLillo: I've been on a DeLillo marathon and this has been the standout of the books I'd not yet read.
- The Vegetarian by Han Kang: stirring stories from a South Korean writer.
- pretty much everything by Alain de Botton: because he is ace!
- Trying to Keep Still by Jenny Diski: an anti-travel book by a travel writer
- pretty much everything by Rebecca Solnit: because she is very clever
- The First Bad Man by Miranda July: very amusing book about an out of touch woman and self-defence videos.
- High Rise by J G Ballard: because prescience and chaos and violence (and upcoming movie).

Oh there are a bunch more. I've read lots of excellent non-fiction this year: Mindset, Mastermind: How to think like Sherlock Holmes, samplings of Marcus Aurelius and Michel de Montaigne. Great reading year.

[Scheherazade]

I often despair when I realise how many different books there are out there that I have not even heard of yet!

My favourites this year have been The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton and Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, I think.

[prendrelemick]

I often despair when I realise how many different books there are out there that I have not even heard of yet!

.

I know what you mean. The ulterior motive for this thread was to see what's out there.

[Whifflingpin]

Hardbacks 50p each or 3 for £1. Just to make up the 3, I picked up "A Coin from Carthage" by Bryher, an author I'd never heard of . Definitely my best buy this year, that led me to read more of her books. She was a writer of excellent historical novels showing why, for common people at least, it is a curse to live in interesting times.

[Lokasenna]

I thought it was a great book too. I recommended it to my book club, but they all hated it and only
two of them managed to finish it.

Perhaps a little on the lengthy side for a book club text? It was very readable, though - I flew through it.

[Aylinn]

My favourite book of the year is Les Liaisons dangereuses. Mostly for the interactions, in the form of letters, between the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont.

[TheFifthElement]

Forgot to mention The Trip to Echo Spring by Olivia Laing and Tracks by Robyn Davidson. Both great books.

[Translate]

Going for Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. A quick read, and surprised me because of the many turns the character does. It kinda reminded me of myself. The different side to the book is that the history is loaded with Buddhism, but that does not takes the brilliantism of the work in any ways.

[papayahed]

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff. I picked it up in the bookstore and read the first page and couldn't put it down. Also, something called Dream of Evil but i can't remember who wrote it.

[prendrelemick]

Going for Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. A quick read, and surprised me because of the many turns the character does. It kinda reminded me of myself. The different side to the book is that the history is loaded with Buddhism, but that does not takes the brilliantism of the work in any ways.

That's one I read recently, it was good, but I could only read it as a story, I couldn't follow the deeper level stuff.


Forgot to mention The Trip to Echo Spring by Olivia Laing and Tracks by Robyn Davidson. Both great books.

Hang on a minute there Fifth! That's about twenty, and I thought I was pushing the rules a bit with two!

Which would you want with you on that old familiar desert Island?

[TheFifthElement]

Hang on a minute there Fifth! That's about twenty, and I thought I was pushing the rules a bit with two!

Which would you want with you on that old familiar desert Island?

Well I do read a lot of books, and 2015 was an excellent reading year so it is very hard to choose. On the fiction front it would be a tie between The Names and the Neapolitan series (which, technically, is 4 books in itself) because both are deep, filled with meaning and would warrant/deserve more than one reading. For non-fiction Tracks might be quite handy if stranded on a desert island!

[Kairajohns]

I have read so many books and it is really very difficult to decide which one is my favorite. i like to read thrillers and horrors and one of my favorites is Dracula, a Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker.The character of Dracula is beautifully portrayed and the novel tells the story of a Dracula's attempt to move to other place in search of blood. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a masterpiece that empathetically highlights the insecurities of women in a patriarchal society. Published in 1897, Dracula was Bram’s greatest literary achievement that explores the feminist overtones.

[prendrelemick]

The modern trend of critiquing classic books from a feminist angle is long overdue and I think has given a new impetus to Literature in general. I never thought of Dracula like that before.

Another book I read this year (for about the 3rd time) was Treasure Island. A great classic adventure. There's a scene where Jim's mother tells him she is going to feint in terror, and then does so. That is just about the only contribution by a female to the plot. This time it really jarred me out of the story, yet I hadn't particularly noticed it before.

[bounty]

you know, to pick up on the feminist notion a bit---by contrast, when I read books, or more likely, when I watch movies that have a strong female character who is on par with her male counterparts in terms of physicality, the girl power thing loses just a smidgen of its luster for me.

I do love seeing strong female leads, for instance, Emily blunt in the edge of tomorrow was fantastic, and i'll watch alice (milla jovovich) in resident evil and be thrilled with her exploits. I really like Irene kennedy in the vince Flynn/mitch rapp books and how can one not like katniss in the hunger games, Hermione in harry potter, bella swan in twilight and tris in divergent. but when Angelina jolie and brad pitt more or less spar equally in mr and mrs smith, or kate beckinsale (major crush!) and colin Farrell do so in total recall, im a little tempted to let go of my willing suspension of disbelief.

I wont go so far as to suggest those sorts of interactions do more harm than good, but at the very least, well, thatd be a great topic to study...

[Clopin]

I'm not sure where this new idea that "strong female character" means 'physically' strong in the literal sense, but, yes, it's pretty stupid.

[bounty]

clopin! where have you been??

[ennison]

I was myself wondering the same but these young fellas they go walkabout sometimes.

[Dreamwoven]

Mine has to be The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer. A big book, but I read it twice!

[Hawkman]

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff. I picked it up in the bookstore and read the first page and couldn't put it down. Also, something called Dream of Evil but i can't remember who wrote it.

Fascinating! Strange how the memory plays tricks on one. Perhaps it's true what Barthes said about the relative importance of the author in relation to the work, which might be seen to take on a life of its own... :D

[prendrelemick]

I never remember who the author is when I'm reading on the e-reader. Proper books have their name on the cover bigger than the title nowadays.

[Dreamwoven]

I don't use an e-reader, an old stick-in-the-mud...

[seerseenbyseein]

More Die of Heartbreak, Saul Bellow. It was a funny book--The protagonist's father-in-law is one of the great comic creations in all literature, IMHO.

[Dreamwoven]

I've just finished Frederic Morton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Morton) Thunder Twilight: Vienna 1913-1914. Morton was born in Vienna but after the Anschluss fled first to Britain then to the USA in 1940. The book gives a very interesting detailed view of the events leading up to the assassination of the heir to Franz-Joseph (http://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Joseph).

It also discusses the part played by a series of prominent politicians and thinkers at the time in Vienna, including Freud and Jung, the Russian revolutionaries Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, Adolf Hitler, the Croat Josip Broz (later Marshal Tito), Serbian revolutionaries, especially the Assassin, Princip, and many others. Morton obviously loved Vienna and describes it in detail.

I remain unclear about the inheritance situation as there is no family tree provided, so will also buy the earlier book by Morton A Nervous Splendour: Vienna 1888-1889) around the suicide of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Crowns.

[chrisvia]

In no particular order, the books I enjoyed most in 2015:

Borges: The Book of Sand, Shakespeare's Memory
Hart Crane: Complete Poems
Douglas Hofstadter: Le ton beau de Marot
David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas
Proust: À la recherche du temps perdu; I read through the whole of the Modern Library edition last year! C'etait superb !
Bloom: Where Shall Wisdom Be Found?
Shakespeare: The Tempest
Multi-author: Pirke Avot
Walter Pater: The Renaissance
Percy Walker: The Moviegoer
Michel Houellebecq: Soumission

[Dreamwoven]

OK I have just ordered Morton A Nervous Splendour: Vienna 1888-1889.

[WICKES]

'H is For Hawk' was my favourite book of 2015- just beautiful.

[Tinkos1]

confessions of a crap artist

[Seph Thompson]

I inherited a Steinbeck collection and have been steadily devouring the pile. East of Eden was the first one I read in 2015, and it's still my favourite of the lot. I have a thing about Shakespearean fools: Lee ranks as one of the best.

[Dreamwoven]

Grapes of Wrath is pretty good, too.

[prendrelemick]

'H is For Hawk' was my favourite book of 2015- just beautiful.

Hi-ya WICKES, nice to hear from you again. That's the third mention of this book on here, I will deffinitely have to read it.

[prendrelemick]

More Die of Heartbreak, Saul Bellow. It was a funny book--The protagonist's father-in-law is one of the great comic creations in all literature, IMHO.

I will have to read something of Saul Bellow's this year

[Poetaster]

Snow Country - it surely ranks among the finest literature in the world.