My 2015 Favorites

Mendi Nisan 28, 2022

What a remarkable year 2015 has been. The highlight, of course, was our #6Barsets project. Reading Anthony Trollope's six Barsetshire novels with friends was simply the best! But 2015 will also be remembered as the year many of my reading habits were turned upside down. Particularly...

Series - I usually avoid them at all costs, but this year started and (remarkably) completed two... Trollope's Barsetshire Chronicles and Elena Ferrante's Neopolitan Novels... for a total of ten, mostly very long, books.
Cozy Mysteries - I've never been a big mystery reader, but this year discovered that cozy series are great escapist reading... and a lot of fun.
Translated works - For the first time ever, I hit double digits for books in translation.

Despite these oddities, and last winter's massive reading slump, I exceeded my goal of reading 52 books, or roughly one per week. Not especially impressive numbers for a book blogger, but I'm happy with that.

Now for the list... links are to my reviews.

Fiction Favorites: Classics

The Barsetshire Chronicles by Anthony Trollope

My favorites: Barchester Towers, Doctor Thorne, and The Last Chronicle of Barset

Emma by Jane Austen

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Fiction Favorites: Contemporary

Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

Honorable Mention:

Elena Ferrante's Neopolitan Novels : My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, The Story of the Lost Child
Julie Mulhern's cozy mystery series The Country Club Murders: The Deep End, Guaranteed to Bleed

Nonfiction Favorites