By no means is this list supposed to stand in for a New York Times year-end "best of" list. It's not objective and I, regrettably, don't make a living by reading books and telling people what I think of them. However, I do love reading and I love sharing my happiness with people. So, as the year winds down, here's a short list of the best books I read in 2015--and they're all books I would suggest you read in the upcoming year, as well!
1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo -- Stieg Larsson
This book (along with the subsequent volumes in the series) is without a doubt the most spellbinding work I've read in quite some time. I bought it a few years ago due to a friend's recommendation, and let it collect dust on my shelf for far too long. Once I cracked it open and got through the first few chapters, I was hooked. As my roommates could attest, I spent about a week doing nothing but working my way through this series. Do yourself a favor and read this book as soon as you can--and read it before you see the movie, if you can! It's just as thrilling and adrenaline-inducing as any film.
2. Ishmael -- Daniel Quinn
In a time where the world seems full of inexplicable tragedies, this book provides some illuminating insight into the realities of our world. In short, it's one of those books that I wish everyone could read. If everyone reads this book and believed what it said, then maybe, just maybe, the world would be a better place. After all, its about a gorilla teaching a man how to save the world....don't we all want to improve our world? And wouldn't a gorilla be a more exciting teacher than just about anyone else?
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time -- Mark Haddon
This is another book that I allowed to collect dust for far too long. Lent to me a few years ago by the best friend I've ever had, I meant from day one to devour this novel and share my thoughts about it with my friend. Alas, we shared thoughts about many other books along the way but I never got around to reading this one--until this year! It's a simple story of innocence and growing up, told from the unique perspective of a convincingly idiosyncratic character. Don't let yourself wait a few years to read this, like I did!
4. The Amulet of Samarkand -- Jonathan Stroud
Alright, I know what you may be thinking. This is a children's book, why should you waste your time reading it? Well, I read this book when I was younger and when I was home recently I thought I'd give it another go just for fun. Let me tell you, I had so much fun re-reading this book, and the rest of the trilogy of which it is the first volume. It's a gripping fantasy tale with a distinctive narrative voice. The chapters bounce around from one character's perspective to another, and the chapters written in the voice of Bartimaeus utilize hilariously tangential footnotes, something I've never seen in any other book. If you want a fresh, easy escape into a well-constructed fantasy world, check out this book.
5. The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah" -- Alan Light
The music lover in me has always been fascinated by the stories behind the artists who create my favorite songs, and the stories behind the songs themselves. This book is entirely about one song, "Hallelujah," and I found myself enamored with Alan Light's exploration of the song's past and his analysis of the song's meaning, in regards to both how it was originally conceived by Cohen and how it has become a recording of immense cultural significance. If you're the type of person who would enjoy reading about a brilliant song and how it has become such an important part of our contemporary musical canon, you'll love this book.
Well, there you have it! That's just a very short list of my favorite reads from this past year! I inevitably forgot a few, and there's no way such a short list can do justice to the great books I've read this year. If you've got any suggestions of books you think are worthwhile reads, let me know! I'd love to read some more great books in 2016.
