Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme, since it’s the halfway point of 2015, is the Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2015.
I always find it interesting to look back over the books I’ve read over a certain period of time and think about what ones stood out to me. It’s a good way to assess the quality and diversity of my reading. Looking back over the 60+ books I’ve read in 2015 so far left me feeling a bit… underwhelmed. I’ve read some great books this year, but I finished selecting my 10 books wishing that it had been a little harder to decide. I’m not sure yet how to fix that in the second half of the year, but I’m going to try to read more diversely.
The 4 Best Novels, so far:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (my review)
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (my review)
Dietland by Sarai Walker
The Shore by Sara Taylor (my review)
The Best Essay Collection, so far:
The Wave in the Mind by Ursula K. Le Guin (my review)
The Best Non-Fiction, so far:
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (my review)
The Best Children’s Novel, so far:
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
The 3 Books That Most Positively Impacted My Daily Life:
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (my review)
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin (my review)
10% Happier by Dan Harris (my review)
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What are the best books you’ve read this year? Are you happy with the books you’ve read this year, or do you want to aim higher for the rest of the year?
I loved Americanah, Dietland, and The Shore, as well. I need to track down a copy of H is for Hawk!
They were all so good! Happy to see them on your list too!
Great list! Definitely going to look into the books that did some life changing for you ;)
It definitely seemed to be quite the non-fiction / life changing heavy first half of the reading year for me! Going to try to balance the second half of the year out with some really good fiction. :)
Great list. I’ve not read any of these but I’ll have to check them out!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
Thanks! I hope you enjoy any/all that you read, if you get a chance! :D
You can never go wrong with Ursula K. Le Guin! I didn’t know about The Wave of the Mind and now I so have to check it out… She has such intelligent, creative, and beautiful things to say, on so many topics.
“She has such intelligent, creative, and beautiful things to say, on so many topics.” – Agree 100%, and you find so many of her awesome thoughts in that one, it’s so very good! :D
Great list. My next trip to the bookstore might lead to a purchase of “Americanah” and “The Wave in the Mind”. I keep hoping to see “The Wave in the Mind” on Book Outlet.
Oh I hope it does! They are both so good. The Wave in the Mind can be a bit hard to find – I got it from the library, but as I was reading it I knew I loved it too much to not own it, so I had to order it from Amazon (couldn’t find it anywhere else). But now it’s been a bit more popular lately as she’s been in the news/blogs a bit more with her recent speeches/talks, so I think it might be easier to find in bookstores now. I hope you enjoy them both!
Everyone seems to be talking about the Kondo book – I wish she had a book about packing up house and decluttering!!!
My top 10:
http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/top-ten-books-ive-read-so-far-this-year.html
Her book is all about decluttering! (The title is misleading, but her philosophy on being tidy is all about de-cluttering and making it easy to keep things in their place.) I’d highly recommend it in preparation for a move – will really help you cut down on things! :)
I’m interested to see Dietland showing up on a few lists this week – I’ve been unsure if I should give it a shot, but I’m starting to lean towards yes! Americanah is another I wan to read (I had We Should Always Be Feminists on my list this week), and I loved The Wizard of Earthsea when I was a kid, though I barely remember it now. I love how varied your list is! Great picks!
I hope you do decide to give Dietland a shot – it’s so much fun, and so good! I was skeptical at first, but am so glad I read it. It would make a perfect travel book if you have any summer vacations coming up. Americanah is incredible – of the 10 books I listed as the best of 2015 so far, that one is #1.
I listened to the audiobooks of Wizard of Earthsea, read by the incredible Rob Inglis. If you ever want to revisit them, that’s a great way!
PS Happy Canada Day! :)
I’ve put a reserve on Dietland at the library, so we’ll see if I manage to get it soon! I’m not surprised to hear that Americanah was so good, she’s an amazing writer. Thanks!
I had Dietland and the Shore on my list too. I really was excited about H is for Hawk and keep forgetting to start it! Glad to hear it was that good.
I hope you enjoy H is for Hawk when you get to it! I think it requires the right mood, but it’s so very lovely!
you inspired me to go through this year’s reads and pick my top reads http://www.abookchick.com/2015/07/top-picks-january-june-2015.html
Great list! I really need to read All the Light We Cannot See – I’m hoping to get to it this summer!
Wherein I reply to ancient blog posts. ;)
I like your positive impact picks! All three are ones I hope to pick up sooner rather than later, though I feel I often relegate “self-help”-y type books to the bottom of the TBR pile.
I’ve read some great things this year, but I want to aim ever higher! Here’s to loads of 5-star reads from August on. :)
Not to beat the audiobook dead horse too much, but that’s part of the reason I love audiobooks – great for picking up “self help-y” type books that are at the bottom of the stack. Since it’s different times that you’d be listening vs. reading, you don’t have to set aside all the great fiction or more robust non-fiction in your TBR pile while you tackle the self-help titles. They are usually also easy to focus on, I don’t get spaced out and lost as much as when I try to listen to fiction. Just something to keep in mind! :D
And HECK YES to loads of 5 star reads the rest of the year – cheers!! I already feel like July was better, so hoping I can continue the trend. :)