Faves of 2015 ~ Top Twenty Reads

I'm bringing my fave reads of 2015 to you in January (month of the sleepy and sunny summer holidays!). 

Before i get to the books, here's a few stats from my personal reading for pleasure. I have not included books I read with my kids or books I read for uni.

Books Read: 92
Number of rereads: 15
I don't make numerical reading goals but my reading has been in the 90-100 books per year for the past 3 years, which is just shy of 2 books per week ~ a good amount for managing my bookish life with my other life commitments.

Young Adult: 59
Adult Fiction: 33
Australian authors: 33 (really happy that over a 1/3 of my reading was Australian ~ although I often feel like I am never going to read all the Aussie titles on my TBR ~ there are so many that came out in 2015 that I still have not gotten to...)

I love celebrating the discovery of new favourite books and this year I have 20 new faves (plus many more books I enjoyed my time with).  Some are literary masterpieces, some are brilliantly written and plotted, some are just plain fun or addictive comfort reads. All 20 of these titles have one thing in common: I was hooked and addicted. These books provided my favourite reading experiences of 2015 and I hope you find something here that you might also fall in love with. 

As always, many thanks to these amazing authors, who brought so much goodness to my reading life last year xx

Aussie YA Faves

Burn by Paula Weston

Brilliant and sexy and addictive and genius end of to an all-time forever fave series of mine. So much love for this one, and yes, I've reread it already! My review.

A Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moriarty

Absolutely amazing and creative and genius and just completely perfect. This conclusion to the series blew my mind <3

Cloudwish by Fiona Wood

The latest Fiona Wood was a perfect fit for me, all the Fiona Wood Aussie YA goodness we all love plus a gorgeous touch of whimsy and loads of heart. Review for this beauty to come!

In the Skin of a Monster by Kathryn Barker

Slightly bizzarre and deliciously surreal, this one is a new total fave for me. I loved it so much, I swallowed it whole. My review.

The Guy, The Girl, The Artist and His Ex by Gabrielle Williams

Smart and smiley and refreshing original. Loved so much about this: the premise and the twisty, brilliant and daring way everything some together. Williams is an outstanding author marching along to the beat of her own drum. This one is marketed as YA but with 4 POV's (some young adult age) it's perfect for fans of adult fiction, too. 

Masquerade by Kylie Fornasier

This was dazzling and unique and unexpected and wholly enjoyable. This is one underrated Aussie YA gem that I would love to see more people get swept up by this captivating and fun book. Also, really excited for Fornasier's sophomore title coming out in 2016! My review. 

Contemporary YA Faves

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

This one is for fans of good, relentlessly addictive books. And for people who are not afraid of heartache (blended just perfectly with the right amount of hope). So so good. I read this on 2 sittings, over one day <3

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

This book really is a stand-out in contemporary YA -- easy to sink into, heart-felt without ever venturing into melodrama, relate-able, fun and emotionally moving. The pacing is great and, if the mood hits you and you find your groove, you just may read it in one sitting (like I did!). Review to come! :)

Lobsters by Tom Ellen & Lucy Ivison

Haha, this book was so fun. I loved the UK vibe, the dual POVs. The awkward moments, humour, and so very teen vibe about it all. I couldn't put this one down and finished it at 3am, with a ridiculous grin on my face. 

First & Then by Emma Mills

This book felt fresh and genuine and true and is my favourite brand of contemporary YA. I enjoyed the first half, but LOVED the second half, where I suddenly found myself caring deeply for the characters. What a gorgeous book!

The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

I really enjoyed this one: fun and clever and full of emotional depth. This book broke a reading drought for me and had me smiling and invested the whole way through. My review. 

No More Confessions by Louise Rozett

The conclusion (maybe? I'm hoping for more!) to a fave contemporary YA series of mine. It was very unexpected, the direction this book went in. It felt brave and sad but true and not without hope. Despite some sorrow, it was still sexy and fun and angsty and so good! I really do love this series and would love for it to keep going, somehow, to revisit the characters in a few years and see how they are doing x

Fave New Adult

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

I don't actually normally read this genre. Well, I do attempt it (but mostly abandon new adult titles part way in) but for some reason this really worked for me! Look, it was not without it's moments of melodrama (a staple of the genre?) but it also had a lot of heart and soul and characters I was totally rooting for. This was swoony and hot, with loads of tension and slow burn. So, check it out if you're a fan of the New Adult scene and hopefully you'll find this as deliciously addictive as I did :)

Fave Fantasy & Fairy Tale Retellings

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski

I adore this series. Seriously DYING for The Winner's Kiss. This second book did everything right and I loved it. LOVED IT. 

The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Wow ~ I loved this. So much atmosphere and intrigue and a gorgeous foreign-vibe fantasy setting. The tortured and mysterious hero really worked for me, too, LOL. I've asked for this book for my shelves for my upcoming birthday, along with the sequel ~ it's a duology (April, you feel so far away!). 

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

 This re-imagined fairy tale is lush and intricate and full of mysteries, sexual tension and unique mythology. This book wins the up-all-night prize, keeping me turning pages into the squeaky hours of the morning, finishing with that rush you get from being completely absorbed by a good tale. I loved it, so much <3 My review.

Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

Bonus book: a tiny short story (I wish it had been a full length novel!) A Cinderella re-imagining that was haunting and swoony and pretty much perfect!

Adult Fiction Faves

In The Quiet by Eliza Henry Jones

Oh my gosh. What an outstanding and haunting and gorgeous Aussie debut. I loved this so much and I have a half written draft review but all the words I say feel inadequate to capture this beauty of a book (so my review has been languishing unread :( ). All Aussies who belong to a library ~ track this one and sink into it <3

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

I don't know what it is about this book (at times I wasn't even sure what the central plot was), but it was just absorbing and felt so true to life. I loved it and am so glad I read it. My library has all of Anne Tyler's backlist, which is exciting after finding a new author, but I have no idea where to begin, so if there are any fans out there, I'd love to know your fave title of hers!

The Blue by Lucy Clarke

This had what I now think of as Clarke's signature features: wide open seas, wanderlust, mysteries and secrets, and swoon. It was addictive (so cleverly written, blending two timelines and leaving small timely clues). I am excited for anything Clarke writes! I am not entirely sure, but this may be my fave of hers yet. Really worth your time!

Reluctantly Charmed by Ellie O'Neill

Such a charming, off-beat Irish vibe, a kind of chick-lit magical realism that was just fun and slightly ridiculous (in the best of ways). What  a gorgeous and fun and completely memorable read. Much, much love! My review. 

What a gorgeous looking bunch of brilliant books! 

Have you read and loved any of these? 

I'd love to know a couple of your faves from 2015 (link me up to a blog post if you have one or comment with a recommendation below)

Round-up of my previous end of year faves posts:

2014 Part One  Part Two  Top Ten

2013 Top Ten

2012 Top Ten

2011 Part One (the books) Part Two (characters) Part Three (scenes) Part Four (faves)

2010 Faves  and Aussie YA faves

Faves of 2013

I had a great reading year in 2013. I discovered a bunch of new fave authors and fell in love with some surprising books. I think my reading taste is mostly the same but it has changed in two ways:

1. I give up on books that are not clicking with me far quicker than in the past. If I am not into it, I don't persevere, and I attempted and abandoned at least 50 books in 2013 (some of them I was over 50% into). This makes it hard for me to say exactly how many books I read last year as so many were returned to my library unfinished or still sit on my kindle half read. I do know I completed 100 fiction books :)

2. I am drawn to more cruise-y, relaxing books lately. This is (I am sure) in direct correlation with how many academic texts I am reading for uni. I am so mentally exhausted after study that I don't have the energy to invest in dense and complicated works. I really enjoyed some light fiction and found some new faves that I may not have loved as much in the past but they were perfect for me in 2013.

My picks are a mix of really amazing books, and also books that I just really enjoyed reading :)

Top Nine picks -- in no particular order

 The Vanishing Moment by Margaret Wild

Loved this so much. Margaret Wild is amazing and this book was really different and completely touching and I loved everything about it <3

 All The Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

This was not at all what I expected ~ it's gorgeous and heart-breaking and lyrical and has this beautiful, stomach-hurting love story and page-turning mystery. I so highly recommend you check this book out.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

I love all of Liane's work and this book was her most addictive, most page-turningly suspenseful yet. I can't wait to see this on the Big screen! Liane is a genius and, IMO, one of Australia's finest writers :)

 Paper Chains by Nicola Moriarty

Gorgeous and sad and serendipitous and completely absorbing. I loved this story and it's characters and it's message. I am so looking forward to more Nicola Moriarty ~ she's amazing and writes exactly the kind of books I love to curl up and read <3

 Haze by Paula Weston

I trust by now you all know how much I love this series -- I am a huge advocate for the Aussie YA, upper YA paranormal series. Shadows (book one) was a surprise love for me in 2012 and the best news is Haze amps it up and is even better. This was ridiculously good and ticked all my boxes (especially the swoon/crush aspect). I love these characters so much and I especially love that I have no idea where Weston plans to take her readers with this series.

 If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

I loved this book so much. Autumn is a gorgeous narrator and I stayed up past 2am to finish it off. This was a sleeper hit which made it all the more awesome. I am so hoping Laura Nowlin has more for us soon!

Swimming At Night by Lucy Clarke

(Also published as The Sea Sisters). I just loved so much about this UK debut. The travel and surfing and Australia and Bali and the twists and turns were compelling and absorbing. Can't wait for more.

 Wildlife by Fiona Wood

Fiona Wood is amazing and Wildlife is a funny, sad, captivating, hopeful and touching stand-out. Bonus: camping (one of my fave settings).

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

I've read all of Kate Morton's work and this one is easily my favourite yet. It took a little bit to get into the book but it was so completely worth it. This mystery is stunning and the review/twist is outstanding (I did not see it coming). I love how her stories haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned.






And some bonus recommendations (because I couldn't choose which book to award the tenth spot to)

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West -- for giving me a late-read-into-the-middle-of-the-night good time (light hearted and swoony!)

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington -- for surprising me and sucking me in and delivering a truly captivating story with a lot of heart and depth.

The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn -- love this Aussie YA debut set in the Blue Mountains (my hometown :)). The plot is compelling and the characters felt real -- this is one for fans of Tomorrow, When the World Began.

Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil -- for all the smiles and good times. Such a lovable and fun read.

You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane A UK chick-lit novel that was just the right blend of fun and swoon and humour and heart.

Champion by Marie Lu -- for the brilliant ending and June and Day <3

Here's to another brilliant reading year in 2014!

Are any of my faves also faves of yours? 

(I just snuck this post in in January, haha. Winning!)

Highlights of my reading year so far (Top 6 Faves)

Yesterday I shared a bunch of highlights from my reading year so far. I tried to make a top ten, but I found it so hard to narrow things down and my list kept overflowing all over the place. However, I wanted to highlight six books that I just really loved:

Two Aussie YA Books

My review of Haze I just love Gaby and Rafa and the way Weston has created her world. So much sexual tension and mystery and reveals and twists and emotion. A really fun, addictive read.

My review of Wildlife Wood's writing is amazing. I fell in love with her character's and I know this book will be a lifelong fave <3

Two Australian adult fiction

My review of Paper Chains I loved the whimsy and the depth of sorrow all mingled up in this one.

My review of The Husband's Secret Oh my gosh, this book by Liane was just so. good. She's amazing and brilliant and my perfect kind of writer.

Two debuts <3 (One contemporary YA and one UK contemporary)

My review of If He Had Been With Me LOVED. I've already reread this.

Swimming at Night. (haven't reviewed!). I love how Clarke captured this story. The travel. The sisters. The travel journal. The surf. Australia! Bali! The foreshadowing and twists and mystery and reveals. A gorgeously written debut, can't wait for more :)

So there's my top 6 faves so far. I also have a post coming up this week on books I am really looking forward to in the second half of this year. So much goodness coming up!

If you had to pick one book you loved this year to recommend to me, what would it be?

Wildlife by Fiona Wood

Life? It’s simple: be true to yourself.
The tricky part is finding out exactly who you are…

In the holidays before the dreaded term at Crowthorne Grammar’s outdoor education camp two things out of the ordinary happened.
A picture of me was plastered all over a twenty-metre billboard.
And I kissed Ben Capaldi. 

Boarding for a term in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sibylla expects the gruesome outdoor education program – but friendship complications, and love that goes wrong? They’re extra-curricula.

Enter Lou from Six Impossible Things – the reluctant new girl for this term in the great outdoors. Fragile behind an implacable mask, she is grieving a death that occurred almost a year ago. Despite herself, Lou becomes intrigued by the unfolding drama between her housemates Sibylla and Holly, and has to decide whether to end her self-imposed detachment and join the fray. 

And as Sibylla confronts a tangle of betrayal, she needs to renegotiate everything she thought she knew about surviving in the wild.

A story about first love, friendship and NOT fitting in.

I have been anticipating this book for a long time (Six Impossible Things being one of my favourite books) but I did not anticipate how much this book would resound with me.I felt like Wood was peeking inside my soul, capturing feelings and thoughts, taking me right back to my teenage self . Taken those haphazard and chaotic feelings and brought them to life in such a poignant, heartfelt and smiley, achey way.

There is so much to love about Wildlife. I love the way Fiona Wood writes. She has taken her time with this. Words are carefully chosen, plots are weaved together, sentiments are nailed, dialogue is funny and sharp and pitch perfect.

I didn't realise Wildlife would incorporate two POVs. And I loved that about it. Lou's POV is shared through her diary entries, Sibylla's in present tense prose. I also loved the whole set-up. School camps were the best, and here we have a whole term school camp experience = winner for me.

A bit about Lou
I ached for Lou the most, wished she did not have to endure through the grief, and at the same time, I loved how she endured. She became so fierce and true to herself. Even in her grief, she is sharp and so likeable: After Fred died I divided my time between blind disbelief, blank chaos and therapy. (p7 Lou). Also, she brings to the book one of the best 'I love you' moments EVER. It nearly broke me, the swoon and all that was and all that was lost.

And Michael, how I loved him
Speaking of favourite characters, I loved Michael so much.

If I ever see Michael with a dreamyvague smile on his face and ask him what he's thinking about the answer is likely to be, prime numbers. (p 42 Sib on Michael) Michael really spoke to me. He was unique, just doing his own thing which was not like the crowd at all and teen years can be so hard for boys like him, but Wood really elevated him and he is such a stand-out and a new favourite literary character for me. I so like him, and I think he will resonate with many readers.

'Lou seems to have in common with Michael that thing of not caring at all about other people's approval. (p245 Sib) I wanted to go into the pages of this book and hang out with them, I wanted to go back to my teenage self and let Lou and Michael rub off on me and make me a better version of myself. 'The only person you should be is yourself. You can't control perception. All you can control is how you treat someone else.' (p 308. Lou to Sib. I love her.)

And, also, Sibylla...

I loved Sib as well, her narration and heartache was charming and honest and she is so beautifully captured. What am I even doing here? Me, an inner city girl. Ninety per cent of my life happens on one highly resourced page of the street directory. (p92 sib LOL)

I'm too tired and too sad to write home just yet.I miss them, even Charlotte. Who'd thunk? I don't think I fully appreciated how relaxing it is having someone I can be really mean to. It's going to be so hard being nice all the time. (p 51 sib -- I know that feeling :))

I am really sick of the people who need to tell me I'm unattrative. Somehow they feel duty-bound to put me down because I've been in that stupid advertisement. Surely my neon self-esteem/appearance sign is still visibly flickering on 'below average'. Nothing has changed here. (p289 Sib. Capturing how we have all felt, despite her confidence and shining personality).

Here I could mention all the themes and goodness and beauty of this book, there is so much depth and richness to explore. However, in thinking about my review, I really want to say, despite the ache and grief and exploring sex and friendship and classic coming of age stuff, just how much FUN the whole book is

Favourite things about Wildlife that I loved:
pranks
ghosts (Maisy and the charcoal man),
hikes
camping
elevensies
clinkers
'we intend to deliver the joy of grammar to wanderers in the alpine region.' p212 apostrophes of possession graffiti. That whole scene = love so much
redskins
sex and STDs and Lou's mum -- many LOLs
Looking for Alibrandi shout-out <3
snippets of awesome hanging out teen dialogue: What flavour would you say blue snakes are?' He asked (p 238 michael to Lou)

Also, finding out more about Dan and the gang from Six Impossible Things:
I look forward to sitting with him when he gets back and I am released. We will sit and not have to talk. Or we may talk. If we do, it won't be to reassure someone who doesn't feel as bad as we feel that everything is okay. (p147 Lou, thinking about Dan)

While I was reading Wildlife I loved it. I loved  the fresh and funny feel. Loved watching the character's interact. Loved the little anecdotes weaved into the narrative. After I finished Wildlife, I loved it even more. Once I saw the big picture I was in awe of how Wood did all that. How she crafted a story that was so much more than a linear storyline. Full of deep running themes (see Reynje's review for more theme discussion).

Wildlife is a beautifully written story that will stand the test of time and multiple rereads. A book for every teenager, and everyone who once was a teenager. A new absolute favourite for me.

I marked some of my favourite passages

Wildlife @ goodreads

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for my review copy :)

2010 CBCA shortlists have been announced (& Notables)

I ADORE the Children's Book Council of Australia and have ferociously followed them and their recommendations since I was a youngster :)

The awards celebrate the brilliance of Aussie talent and writers and many of my all time fave Aussie YA books were once shortlisted with the CBCA.

And TODAY the shortlists were announced ~ on inkcrush I am only going to post from the Older Readers category but you can check their site for all the other Aussie categories and age groups.

On to the list... a HUGE CONGRATS to all authors who have been nominated!

Older Readers Short List 2011
Author	Title	Publisher
Crowley, Cath	Graffiti Moon	Pan Macmillan Australia
Hartnett, Sonya	The Midnight Zoo	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Horniman, Joanne	About a Girl	Allen & Unwin
MacLeod, Doug	The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Marchetta, Melina	The Piper’s Son	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Wood, Fiona	Six Impossible Things	Pan Macmillan Australia
These books are for mature readers

I have only read 4 books from the above list and ALL FOUR of them are BELOVED books of mine.

The six nominated books were narrowed down from the older readers catagory featuring 32 outstanding Australian young adult titles on their Notable Titles list.

Pretty much one of the coolest things about this list is that *most* Aussie libraries automatically add these titles to their catalogues. Including mine ~ so I'll have access to a whole new awesome batch of Aussie YA. If you're in Australia and have not checked in with your local libraries catalogue you really should check it out :)

Here's the notables list straight from the site

Author	Title	Publisher
Abdel-Fattah, Randa	Noah’s Law	Pan Macmillan Australia
Bavati, Robyn	Dancing in the Dark	Penguin Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Blain, Georgia	Dark Water	Random House Australia
Braxton-Smith, Ananda	Merrow	Black Dog Books
Bursztynski, Sue	Wolfborn	Woolshed Press, Random House Australia
Burton, Rebecca	Beyond Evie	Angus & Robertson, HarperCollins Publisher
Buzo, Laura	Good Oil	Allen & Unwin
Cooper, Michelle	The FitzOsbornes in Exile	Random House Australia
Cornish, DM	Monster Blood Tattoo Book 3: Factotum	Omnibus Books, Scholastic Books AustraliaCrowl
Crowley, Cath	Graffiti Moon	Pan Macmillan Australia
Eaton, Anthony	Daywards	University of Queensland Press
Fitzpatrick, Deb	90 Packets of Instant Noodles	Freemantle Press
Flanagan, John	Ranger’s Apprentice: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja	Random House Australia
French, Jackie	Oracle	Angus & Robertson, HarperCollins Publishers
French, Jackie	A Waltz for Matilda	Angus & Robertson, HarperCollins Publishers
Gardner, Scot	Happy as Larry	Allen & Unwin
Golds, Cassandra	The Three Loves of Persimmon	Penguin Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Hall, Leanne	This is Shyness	The Text Publishing Company
Hartnett, Sonya	The Midnight Zoo	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Hawke, Rosanne	Marrying Ameera	Angus & Robertson, HarperCollins Publishers
Herrick, Steven	Slice: Juicy Moments from my Impossible Life!	Woolshed Press, Random House Australia
Hilton, Nette	The Innocents	Woolshed Press, Random House Australia
Horniman, Joanne	About a Girl	Allen & Unwin
MacLeod, Doug	The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher	Penguin Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Marchetta, Melina	The Piper’s Son	Penguin Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Matthews, Penny	A Girl Like Me	Penguin Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Murray, Kirsty	India Dark	Allen & Unwin
Plüss, Nicole	Scout	Penguin Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Pryor, Michael	The Laws of Magic: Moment of Truth	Random House Australia
Roy, James	Anonymity Jones	Woolshed Press, Random House Australia
Westerfeld, Scott Ill. Keith Thompson	Behemoth	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)
Wood, Fiona	Six Impossible Things	Pan Macmillan Australia

I have only read 12 of the above titles (out of 23) and am really looking forward to checking out a bunch of ones I haven't yet read.

What favourites of your made it on here?

Which books on here haven't you read that you're really wanting to?

(I was thrilled to see both SLICE and GOOD OIL on there ~ two other recent faves of mine)