Friday 1 January 2016

BOOKS I READ IN 2015



HELLO, so something I love to do in my spare time is read. I didn't read heaps of books this year because I was being stubborn (I didn't want to read my school books but whenever I picked up a book that wasn't for school I felt guilty and thought if I'm going to read then it should be for school. Solution? don't read anything...) but nevertheless, here is a list of all the books I read this year (sorry it's SOOO long).


  • Palo Alto by James Franco. This is a collection of linked short stories which were inspired by memories of life growing up in Palo Alto. The stories are all pretty much about teenagers who spend their time drinking and being angsty. The reason I read this book was because I loved the movie so much - it's one of my favourites - but I was a bit disappointed with the book. The stories weren't particularly gripping and I ended up forcing myself to keep reading.


  • Cloudstreet by Tim Winton. This is an australian fiction book about two families living in the same house of a period of twenty years. I had to read this for school and I have to say, it's better than it sounds. I enjoyed this book, it's easy to read, the characters are believable, and although it can be slightly weird at times, I feel like most people could read this and enjoy it.


  • The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting - a paranormal YA book that I read because it was suggested by Carrie Fletcher from itswaypastmybedtime. Overall, I enjoyed this book although I think it was a bit too young for me - it's definitely on the young side of young adult. It's about a girl who can sense the bodies of people who have been murdered and focuses particularly on her trying to find a serial killer (I think? It's been a while okay)


  • Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. To be honest, this wasn't my favourite book. While it was an easy read and the idea was cute, I felt myself disagreeing with how the themes of this book were dealt and worrying about the message it was sending. Eleanor (the main character) is a victim of domestic abuse and instead of dealing with this in a realistic and confronting way, it is as if she is rescued by her high school boyfriend, romanticising all the wrong elements of what could have been a meaningful story. 

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was a book that I reread this year. I originally read it for the first time in year eight (four years ago) although I don't think I ever finished it or really understood what was happening. This time I read it through and loved it. It is written so well and I love that it is written from the perspective of a young girl, simply a bystander to everything that is going on. I would definitely recommend this book.


  • Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is a book that I had been meaning to read for years so I finally picked it up and I was not disappointed. It's an autobiography (but it reads like a fictional story) about Li Cunxin's journey from poverty in China to being a world famous ballet dancer. It's been a while now since I read this but all I have to say is go read it!!

  • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Basically it's a YA fantasy about a boy who discovers his family isn't as normal as he thought and there are time loops and special powers involved haha. It was a good book, I'd be interested in reading the next two but I'm not rushing out to buy them right now.

  • All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. A YA about a girl, who is coping with her sister's death, and a boy with bipolar. I liked this book, read it very fast and if you're a fan of Paper Towns by John Green, you will enjoy this as it reminded me a lot of it. However, it is not dissimilar to any other YA contemporary books I have read so if you're looking for something more original, maybe keep looking.

  • A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. This book killed me. I read this because one of my friends practically insisted on it and I don't even know where to start with this book. I could write a whole review on it.  It's about the lives of four male friends from the time they graduate college until their deaths, and you go into it not really knowing much. It's very well written, the characters - for me - weren't all completely likeable but they were realistic, which impressed me. And let me tell you, this book is SO emotionally gruelling, your heart will hurt. I have never, and probably will never again read a book so completely heart wrenching.
    I hadn't been able to decide whether this is something I would recommend to people purely because I didn't know whether I wanted to put them through that pain, but it's such an important book. Read it. It doesn't romanticise anything, and a book that can make a person feel this much, must be a good book.

  • City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. A YA fantasy book that I have been obsessed with ever since I first read it in 2012. This is no doubt my favourite book series (it's called The Mortal Instruments). I reread it this year because - keep in mind I'm trying really hard not to get too excited and write this in all caps - they're making a TV series!!! I love these books and the world that Cassandra Clare created. The characters are witty and wonderful and completely swoon-worthy (lmao I'm so lame) and this isn't just one book series either. It's a whole world with two series' already out and another one on the way. Do yourself a favour and read this book.

  • The last book I finished in 2015 was Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with this book. I read this purely because I wanted something easy to read while I was stuck in the car for six hours, and I wanted it to be a romance that I could get excited about. So I downloaded this (on my kindle), not expecting much, although it had a big fan base which gave me hope, yet I can't even be bothered writing this because I'm just so frustrated with that book. There were very few good moments between the two main characters and by the end of the book, their relationship had not progressed at all. The writing was not impressive to me - it seemed like it was a fanfiction or something written on Wattpad. So if you're looking for a YA fantasy/romance where the characters are actually likeable, I wouldn't read this hahah.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year! Sorry it was so long but leave me a comment on what you thought of these books, or which books you read in 2015! 

2 comments:

  1. your my inspiration! i wish i had the dedication to read as much as you seem to! hahaha i love reading but somehow never find the time. I actully really enjoyed Eleanor & Park, but maybe thats because since i dont read that much, for me, any book is good. hahaha

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    1. Aw thanks!!! That's actually so nice <3 Yeah it can definitely be hard finding time to read, luckily I'm on holidays now so I've been reading pretty much every day haha :))

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