The list-maker in me loves these looks back at 2015, so indulge me one more time! This is what I read:
This is Ridiculous This is Amazing by Jason Good
Wonder Weeks by Frans X. Plooij
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Not that Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Why We Can’t Wait by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Everything You Ever Wanted by Jillian Lauren
God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
It wasn’t a stellar reading year for me – it seemed rare that I was fully engaged in a book.  I lulled a lot on the longer reads (dang you, Goldfinch!) and was disappointed by what I thought would be fun, easy page-turners (Lena Dunham let me down!).  That said, there were still a couple of stand-out gems.
Best books of 2015:  I ended up reading quite a few books focused on justice and race – books that are relevant and important at any time and place, but all the more so given the fact that recent headlines speak of instance after instance of prejudice, oppression, and maltreatment.  I read Why We Can’t Wait over the summer and was rocked by the way Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. boldly defied discrimination with such powerful grace, such selfless love.  Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy was also a reminder that, holy crap, one guy can make a substantive difference.  Honorable mentions to Half Broke Horses for being, just, fun, and to Uncle Tom’s Cabin for putting me through the emotional gamut, from tear-jerking sorrow to hot-blooded indignation.
Worst book of 2015: Â Wonder Weeks. Â I thought it would be packed with interesting nuggets of insight into what’s happening in Juliette’s quickly-developing brain, but instead it was filled with obvious observations and repetitive anecdotes. Â Shoulda skipped it.
On the docket for 2016:  Looking forward to losing myself in the story of All the Light We Cannot See (I’ve heard good things).  Hoping to prompt some intense introspection with My Bright Abyss.  And boldly adding Atlas Shrugged to the list, as it’s been taunting me from my bookshelf for about five years now, intimidating me with its heft.  Bring it.