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Top Ten Books of 2015

Between the ​World and Me​
Between the ​World and Me​

“Between the World and Me” carries a very different message, though it is also written in the form of a letter to a black teenage boy. The boy is Coates’s 15-year-old son, who — like Baldwin’s nephew — is trying to make sense of blatant racial injustice and come to grips with his place in a world that refuses to guarantee for him the freedoms that so many others take for granted.

source: nytimes.com
image: aarp.org
A Little Life​
A Little Life​

A LITTLE LIFE is a title with 3 meanings. First, it refers to its protagonist, Jude, a man who cannot ever accept that his life is worthwhile. Second, it refers to the act of reading it, spending time in this book is really like living a version of life.

source: goodreads.com
Fates and ​Furies​
Fates and ​Furies​

Not only has Groff’s novel, by the Wall Street Journal’s count, landed on more US year-end best-of lists than any other work of fiction, but Amazon has made it official, stamping its endorsement on Fates and Furies as the retailer’s book of the year.

A Manual for ​Cleaning Women: Selected Stories​
A Manual for ​Cleaning Women: Selected Stories​

“The vivacity, humor, sorrow, pragmatism and sheer literary star power that fill the 43 stories collected in A Manual For Cleaning Women hit with such immediacy and vigor that it seems unbelievable that their author, Lucia Berlin, died in 2004, at the age of 68, before most of us ever knew about her.

The Sellout​
The Sellout​

The Sellout is a 2015 novel by Paul Beatty published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and in the UK by Oneworld Publications in 2016. The novel takes place in and around Los Angeles, California, and concerns a protagonist who grows artisanal marijuana and watermelons.

A God in ​Ruins​
A God in ​Ruins​

“A God in Ruins” is especially impressive because it’s a sequel of sorts — a “companion volume,” in the words of the publisher — to “Life After Life,” Atkinson’s fascinating 2013 novel, which introduced readers to the Todds of Fox Corner, a well-to-do British family whose lives intersect in various ways with the major historical events of the first half of the 20th century.

source: nytimes.com
image: apps.npr.org
The Girl on ​the Train​
The Girl on ​the Train​

The Girl on the Train (2015) is a psychological thriller novel by British author Paula Hawkins. The novel debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2015 list (combined print and e-book) dated 1 February 2015, and remained in the top position for 13 consecutive weeks, until April 2015.

image: freep.com
The Buried ​Giant​
The Buried ​Giant​

“The Buried Giant” is a melancholy book, and the mist that breathes through it is a melancholic mist. The narrative tone is dreamlike and measured. There are adventures, sword fights, betrayals, armies, cunning stratagems and monsters killed, but these things are told distantly, without the book’s pulse ever beating faster.

source: nytimes.com
Purity​
Purity​

Notable fiction books of 2015. Crime, history, escape, romance, the supernatural — from novelists both new and seasoned.

image: nytimes.com
M Train​
M Train​

So when the opportunity came up for me to write a list of good books you absolutely must read in 2015, ... 12 Good Books You Must Read In 2015 ... Train really ...

A Spool of ​Blue Thread​
A Spool of ​Blue Thread​

Book Review: 'A Spool Of Blue Thread' By Anne Tyler Anne Tyler's 20th novel will feel comfortably familiar to her fans — A Spool of Blue Thread is the long-haul story of an ordinary Baltimore family thrown into disarray by illness and sudden tragedy.

source: npr.org
Barbarian ​Days: A Surfing Life​
Barbarian ​Days: A Surfing Life​

Book of the day Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan review – a memoir of an obsession For the New Yorker writer, chasing waves was far more than a sport.

The Visiting ​Privilege: New and Collected Stories​
The Visiting ​Privilege: New and Collected Stories​

To enter “The Visiting Privilege” — a mammoth, definitive collection of Williams’ stories (33 selected old, 13 new) is to smack face-first into astonishment: best words, best order.

source: sfgate.com
The Invention ​of Nature​
The Invention ​of Nature​

"The Invention of Nature. Alexander von Humboldt's New World" (published in the UK and the US in 2015, and in 2016, 2017 & 2018 in 23 other countries) New York Times Bestseller Number 2 Spiegel Bestseller (Germany) 10 Best Books of 2015, New York Times Winner of Royal Society Science...

City on Fire​
City on Fire​

Oct. 8, 2015; Locating the best of ... in this book at least.) Though “City on Fire” draws on journalistic ­accounts — Jonathan Mahler’s “Ladies ...

source: nytimes.com
The ​Argonauts​
The ​Argonauts​

Generative and generous, this is a book that belongs on the shelves of anyone who desires, especially if what they desire is nothing short of freedom itself. • The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson (Graywolf Press). To order a copy for £23, go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846.

image: timeout.com
Go Set a ​Watchman​
Go Set a ​Watchman​

In “Watchman,” set in the 1950s in ... "Go Set A Watchman," a follow-up to Harper ... Another pivotal difference between the two books concerns the ...

source: nytimes.com
The ​Nightingale​
The ​Nightingale​

The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel, written by Kristin Hannah and published in 2015. It tells the story of two sisters in France during World War II, and their struggle to survive and resist the German occupation of France.

Get in ​Trouble: Stories​
Get in ​Trouble: Stories​

Get in Trouble review ... Wed 25 Feb 2015 11.00 EST Last modified on ... I n terms of celebrity author endorsements, Kelly Link’s new collection of stories is ...

image: thestar.com
The ​Shepherd's Crown​
The ​Shepherd's Crown​

A ll the best-loved authors, it seems, now leave a last book, to be published posthumously – Joan Aiken, Agatha Christie and (supposedly) Stieg Larsson, to mention just a few – and now, with The Shepherd’s Crown, it is the turn of Terry Pratchett, who died in March 2015.

image: npr.org
The Tsar of ​Love and Techno: Stories​
The Tsar of ​Love and Techno: Stories​

The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories by Anthony Marra is a 2015 Hogarth publication. I confess I had no idea what to expect from this book. It was recommended to me by a friend on social media and due to the topic of conversation we were having at the time, I got the wrong impression about the book’s premise.

source: goodreads.com
image: apps.npr.org
Seveneves​
Seveneves​

Seveneves (2015 book): Is Neal Stephenson correct that women are better suited psychologically to living in space? Ask New Question Matt Chanoff, Spend half my life reading.

source: quora.com
Delicious ​Foods: A Novel​
Delicious ​Foods: A Novel​

All Hannaham’s characters in this novel follow troubled paths through life. The action of Delicious Foods begins on the lam, dropping the reader right into what they might presume is a thriller. Eddie, another protagonist, is driving away from some undisclosed event.

image: apps.npr.org
The ​Sympathizer​
The ​Sympathizer​

Philip Caputo is the author of “A Rumor of War” and 14 other books. He is currently working on a novel set in Mexico. A version of this article appears in print on , on Page 1 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline: Apocalypse Then.

source: nytimes.com
image: popsugar.com
Welcome to ​Braggsville: A Novel​
Welcome to ​Braggsville: A Novel​

‘Welcome to Braggsville,’ by T. Geronimo Johnson. By Rich Benjamin. Feb. 25, 2015; ... to T. Geronimo Johnson’s second novel, “Welcome to ...

source: nytimes.com
The Book of ​Aron​
The Book of ​Aron​

And now, Jim Shepard, one of America’s finest writers, brings the Warsaw orphanage to life in “The Book of Aron.” Drawing on his imagination and dozens of historical sources, the author has produced a remarkable novel destined to join the shelf of essential Holocaust literature.

So You've ​Been Publicly Shamed​
So You've ​Been Publicly Shamed​

But in So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed there is something else at play, too: fear. For this is a book about the cruelty of social media. In particular, it’s a book about the brutish power of Twitter, of which he is a major user.

image: vox.com
Grey
Grey

In June 2015, she released Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, a retelling of the series’ first novel, which sold more than 1 million copies in its first week but received negative reviews from critics. “The inside of Christian Grey’s head is a fascinating place to be,” James said in a press release.

source: time.com
Negroland: A ​Memoir​
Negroland: A ​Memoir​

Margo Jefferson’s ‘Negroland: A Memoir ... (and her book) Negroland. ... That’s a brave claim to make in 2015, ...

source: nytimes.com
Beatlebone​
Beatlebone​

Nov. 25, 2015 Some of the very best fiction is spun from a single filament of fact woven ­tightly — or loosely, if necessary — in and out of an asymmetrical framework of empathy, imagination and sheer audacity.

source: nytimes.com
Gold Fame ​Citrus​
Gold Fame ​Citrus​

'Gold Fame Citrus' Holds Fear In A Handful Of Dust Claire Vaye Watkins' first novel is a frighteningly believable near-future dystopia; drought has ruined the West, and two holdouts among the wreckage find their lives changed by a strange child.

source: npr.org
The Fifth ​Season​
The Fifth ​Season​

Review: 'The Fifth Season' Yes, N.K. Jemison's newest epic is the kind of fantasy that has not one but two glossaries at the end — but reviewer Jason Heller says that just underscores her sumptuous detail and dimensionality.

source: npr.org
Fortune ​Smiles​
Fortune ​Smiles​

Adam Johnson is the author of The Orphan Master’s Son, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the California Book Award, and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

image: gq.com
Did You Ever ​Have a Family​
Did You Ever ​Have a Family​

When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, ... 2015; Catastrophe and ... “Did You Ever Have a Family,” Bill Clegg gives us June ...

source: nytimes.com
Finders ​Keepers​
Finders ​Keepers​

Finders Keepers is a crime novel by American writer Stephen King, published on June 2, 2015. It is the second volume in a trilogy focusing on Detective Bill Hodges, following Mr. Mercedes. The book is about the murder of reclusive writer John Rothstein (an amalgamation of John Updike, Philip Roth, and J. D. Salinger), his missing notebooks and the release of his killer from prison after 35 years.

On the Move: ​A Life​
On the Move: ​A Life​

In “On the Move,” Dr. Sacks trains his descriptive and analytic powers on his own life, providing a revealing look at his childhood and coming of age, his discovery and embrace of his vocation, and his development as a writer.

source: nytimes.com
image: apps.npr.org
The Turner ​House​
The Turner ​House​

The Turner House is the story of the Turners, a family who has lived in their house on Detroit's East Side for half a century, weathering immense changes along the way. Flournoy's National Book Award–nominated debut does an incredible job of bringing both a family and a city to vibrant, poignant life. Find it here. Follow Angela Flournoy on Twitter.

source: buzzfeed.com
Hold Still: A ​Memoir With Photographs​
Hold Still: A ​Memoir With Photographs​

Get this from a library! Hold still : a memoir with photographs. [Sally Mann] -- Photographer Sally Mann's preoccupation with family, race, mortality, and the storied landscape of the American South are revealed as almost genetically predetermined, written into her DNA by the ...

source: worldcat.org
The Wright ​Brothers​
The Wright ​Brothers​

A lot of books about the Wright Brothers are written for children. Maybe that’s because these two aviation pioneers are better known for their work than for anything personal, and because inventing the first viable airplane is more exciting than anything else about them.

source: nytimes.com
The Green ​Road​
The Green ​Road​

Over the past quarter-century, she has displayed her talent in three books of short stories, one work of nonfiction, and five novels. “The Gathering,” her 2007 novel, won the prestigious Man Booker Prize.

Trigger ​Warning​
Trigger ​Warning​

Criticisms of trigger warnings are often based on the idea that college is a time for intellectual growth and emotional development. In order for this to happen, students must be challenged. And they need to learn to engage rationally with ideas, arguments and views they find difficult, upsetting or even repulsive.

source: nytimes.com
Submission​
Submission​

A few hours after Michel Houellebecq’s Submission was released in France, gunmen stormed into the office of Charlie Hebdo and murdered 12 people, including eight journalists. Among the victims was the economist Bernard Maris, one of Houellebecq’s closest friends.

Slade House​
Slade House​

Nov. 11, 2015 At one point in this novel a character is led through an “aperture” into a magical, intradimensional garden. Her host is planning to dine on her soul, after using a kind of science-fiction thingy to reach in through her nostrils and pluck it out.

source: nytimes.com
image: amazon.co.uk
Mislaid​
Mislaid​

In “Mislaid” everyone is a minority — of one. The action begins in 1960s Virginia, a place and time of settled categories and an appropriate launching pad for a story that breezily seeks to upend the order of things.

source: nytimes.com
Ordinary ​Light: A Memoir​
Ordinary ​Light: A Memoir​

Get this from a library! Ordinary light : a memoir. [Tracy K Smith] -- "A memoir about the author's coming of age as she grapples with her identity as an artist, her family's racial history, and her mother's death from cancer"--<p>"From the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet: ...

source: worldcat.org
image: apps.npr.org
Girl Waits With ​Gun​
Girl Waits With ​Gun​

The single woman in question is Constance Kopp, the protagonist of Amy Stewart’s marvellous romp of a debut mystery Girl Waits With Gun. Constance was a real person, as were her sisters Norma and Fleurette.

The Story of ​Alice
The Story of ​Alice

Lewis Carroll loved puns, like those about the tortoise who taught us, or the lessons that lessen the need for any more of them. He especially loved puns that could be found hiding in one word, like wonderland: a place full of wonders and a place where you wonder what is happening to you.

source: nytimes.com
Golden Son​
Golden Son​

Golden Son is a 2015 science fiction novel by American author Pierce Brown, the second in his Red Rising trilogy. The sequel to 2014's Red Rising, Golden Son continues to follow lowborn Darrow's plan to destroy the Society from within.

image: cdon.no
Satin Island​
Satin Island​

Sky fall … parachuting spells disaster in Satin Island. Photograph: Daniel Barbier/Getty Images I n a characteristically erudite essay in the London Review of Books last year, Tom McCarthy took aim at the current vogue for memoiristic fiction, singling out David Shields and Karl Ove Knausgaard (respectively the movement’s chief ideologue and most prominent practitioner) for mention.

image: apps.npr.org
Uprooted​
Uprooted​

Friendship, Magic And Danger Blossom In 'Uprooted ... Magic And Danger Blossom In 'Uprooted ... I've read a staggering number of excellent books ...

source: npr.org
Dead Wake: ​The Last Crossing of the Lusitania​
Dead Wake: ​The Last Crossing of the Lusitania​

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson ... Thu 7 May 2015 01.30 EDT Last modified on Thu 22 Feb 2018 09.24 ... To order Dead Wake for £16 ...

image: ajc.com

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