At the beginning of this year I set a goal on Goodreads to read 26 books. I love to read, but thought that a consistent average of two books a month would still be a good challenge for me.
I am excited to say that I exceeded my goal by reading 28 books this year.
I would like to take some time to share with you the books I read this year and highlight my top ten out of those.
The books I read this year were:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Liar’s Bench by Kim Michele Richardson
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
A Fifty Year Silence by Miranda Richmond Mouillot
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes
Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
Whiskey Charlie by Annabel Smith
The Secret Daughter by Kelly Rimmer
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani
Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Messiner
Trapped in Hitler’s Hell by Anita Dittman
The Tank Man’s Son by Mark Bouman
The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
The titles that in bold are the ones that I would list in my top ten reads of 2015. Overall, I enjoyed all of the books that I read except one that I really hated. It’s funny…I remember one book in the previous year that I hated as well. My one huge dislike is actually the last book that I read, Fates and Fruies by Lauren Groff. It was a book that half way through I was just reading for the sole purpose of getting through it and moving on to something better.
Another thing you may notice is that if I find an author that I really like, I tend to read several books that they’ve written. Last year I read several books by Liane Moriarty. This year I read several books by Lisa Genova, Sue Monk Kidd and Khaled Hosseini.
I’m still trying to decide on my reading goal for the 2016. I do know that I want to increase the number from this year and I want to incorporate more non fiction books.
Did you reach your reading goal for 2015? I’d love to hear if you have a favorite read of the year!
Sheryl P says
Thank you, Monica, for the Prayer Journal. It’s beautiful and perfect for what I want to use this year. Your work is divine!
Monica Andrews says
Thank you so much!!!
Jessie Weaver says
I have heard that some about Fates and Furies. They talked about it on the Sorta Awesome Podcast. Laura Tremaine said she hated it when she was done and then her book club changed her mind. Anne Bogel said she put it down halfway through and then was convinced to give it a second try and like it. I want to read it because I find all the opinions so perplexing!!
I read several of the same books as you this year. I love that you binge-read Khaled Hosseini’s books! So good and an emotional roller coaster. I finally made it through Cutting for Stone this year after having it on my bookshelf for years, and it was in my top 10 also.
Monica Andrews says
Yes, I listened to that episode of the Sorta Awesome Podcast, too! I really tried to keep an open mind while reading Fates and Furies because of it…I would love to have a book club like Laura’s. I have noticed on Good Reads that we have similar tastes in books. 🙂 Khaled Hosseini’s books were so good!!! I love that it gave me a fresh perspective on the refugees in Afghanistan.