Your end of year top 5 titles of 2015!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

My list in no particular order:

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton
The Children's Train: Escape on the Kindertransport by Jana Zinser
The Secret Life of Luke Livingstone by Charity Norman
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Four that are on my mid year list have made it to both this and the Aussie list:)

[Zoey]

Always hard to narrow down to 5. I have 3 from my mid-year list plus 2 new ones


The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
You by Caroline Kepnes
Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
A Cotswold Killing by Rebecca Tope

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

It is hard Zoey - I found it harder with the Aussie list though;)

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson
A Song of Shadows by John Connolly
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
Us by David Nicholls

[Kathryn]

I have been hanging out for this to help inform my reading choices for next year!!

My top 5 will follow soon. In the meantime, I will enjoy checking out which books others enjoyed!

[Bianca]

Ordered by date from earlier in the year till more recently:
- The Man I Love by Suanne Laqueur
- Give Me Your Answer True by Suanne Laqueur
- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
- The Blue Guitar by John Banville
- In the Quiet by Eliza Henry-Jones.

[Kathryn]

Three of my top 5 remain from the middle of the year -
Fractured by Dawn Barker,
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, and
Matthew Flinders' Cat by Bryce Courtenay.

The remaining 2 spots go to -
And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers and
Room by Emma Donoghue

[MaryG2E]

For me the absolute stand-out book of 2015 was
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Then, in no particular order, the following books that gripped my imagination and/or my emotions strongly:
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Alex by Pierre Lemaitre
Forty Days Without Shadow by Olivier Truc
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

A highy satisfying year of reading some great titles :-))

[K]

Here is my top 5:
1. Second Hearts
2. Allegiant
3. Fable
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns
5. Looking for Alaska

Honourable mentions:
The Fault in Our Stars
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

[Andrea]

Mine haven't changed a great deal since mid-year, but that's not to say I haven't read some really good books in the second half of the year.

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story by Qais Akbar Omar

My honourable mentions go to a trio of books that have stayed in (or messed with) my head over the year:

Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn
You by Caroline Kepnes
Alex by Pierre Lemaitre

[Sally906]

I have read 160 books so far this year – if I read something outstandingly brilliant then I will update this list.

Anyhow, my top 5 non Australian author books, in the order I read them, are:
The Room by Jonas Karlsson
An Enormously English Monsoon Wedding by Christina Jones
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole
Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall

Honourable mentions
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
The Iron Trial by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (I reread this every couple of years and always makes my top list - so booted it off down here to honerable mentions this time to give another book a chance!!!)

[Odette]

Is this thread for only non Australian authors or the overall top 5 for all Australian and non Australian authors.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Both Odette:)

[Odette]

There are about ten books that I really liked and is a bit difficult to separate them.

Here are the top 5 including both aussie and international authors:

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Nightingale byFiona McIntosh
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
The Lake House by Kate Morton

The close runner ups are:

Hope Farm by Peggy Frew
Spirits of the Ghan by Judy Nunn
Volcano Street by David Rain
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
Hush, Little Bird by Nicole Trope

[Mish]

My top 5 books are:

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
This House of Grief by Helen Garner
Of A Boy by Sonya Hartnett

[MaryG2E]

Mish wrote: "My top 5 books are:

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Left Neglected by [author:Lisa Genova|97848..."

A great list. I've read all of them. Wasn't thrilled by the depiction of disability in Left Neglected (I work in the field), but apart from that minor objection, you've read some top notch titles Mish.

[Ace]

Off the top of my head I remember so many great books this year:

A Man Called Ove
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy
The Crimson Petal and the White
A Little Life

Warriors of the Storm
Make Me

I will kick myself later for not remembering some others, but its not bad recall for 6:30am. For some reason I've missed the midyear list, I think it would have been harder to split them. As Uhtred Ragnarson and Jack Reacher are my favourite characters they appear here, I love reading them but the books are standard template and not quite in the same class of literary fiction as others. Sorry for such a long post Michael, I'm not sure this is what you were aiming for! Oh and The Paying Guests. I'm stopping now.

[Carolyn]

Three of mine are the same as in my mid year top five:

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
3. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
4. After Darkness by Christine Piper
5. History of the Rain by Niall Williams

Honorable mentions to: Life or Death by Michael Robotham, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, When the Night Comes by Favel Parrett and The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide for his beautiful writing.

[Mish]

MaryG2E wrote: "Mish wrote: "My top 5 books are:

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Left Neglected by

Thanks Mary. I have noticed that we do read a lot of the same books and more often than not, our views are the same.

But With Left Neglected i can understand that.... not everyone liked that book, for different reason.

[Stef]

My top five

1. Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins by Emma Donoghue

2. The Swan Book by Alexis Wright (note this is australian)

3. The Hourglass Factory by Lucy Ribchester

4. Language and Power by Norman Fairclough

5. The Chimes by Anna Smaill (this was my number one at mid year)

honorable mentions go to:

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter

and The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader

the four books which were part of my top 5 in mid year might have been pipped at the post but I am still happy and grateful i read them!

[Noelene]

My Top 5
The Natural Way of Things
A Year of Marvellous Ways
All That I Am
Big Little Lies
Like a House on Fire

Mostly Australian authors and I didn't go out of my way to read Australian Authors this year.

[marlin1]

This was an interesting exercise, lots of great books but I went with the ones that played with my emotions ie heart racing, gut retching, chilling and happy feelings...ones I didnt want to leave! (I guess that's what most 5 star books are)
The Blue: A Novel byLucy Clarke
Little Black Lies bySharon Bolton
The Quality of Silence byRosamund Lupton
The Country Practice by Meredith Appleyard
A Time to Runby J.M. Peace

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Some good ones there Marlin:)

[MaryG2E]

I'm loving reading these Top 5 lists. Some really interesting titles...

[Stef]

marlin1 wrote: "This was an interesting exercise, lots of great books but I went with the ones that played with my emotions ie heart racing, gut retching, chilling and happy feelings...ones I didnt want to leave! ..."

I really liked The Quality of Silence too!

[Margot]

Around The World In Wonder Socks by Arthur Penlington
Devotion by Ross Barber
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Into the Labyrinth by Sigge Eklund
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

[Veronica ⭐️]

My top 5 reads of 2015
1 Deadly Messengers by Susan May
2 Doomsday Kids Series Amaranth's Return & The Doomsday Kids Book 4: Amy's Gift by Karyn Langhorne Folan
3 Mistake Creek by Rachel Amphlett
4 Outback Fever by Suzanne Brandyn
5 The Wild One by Janet Gover

[Kim Marie]

2015's top 5 for me (but with a tie for 5th)....

Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb
The Martian by Andy Weir
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Red Queen by Honey Brown
Ronan's Echo by Joanne van Os and The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth

[Susan]

My top five, in no particular order:

My Salinger Year
Manuscripts Don't Burn
The Great Gatsby
Adeline: A Novel of Virginia Woolf
Orlando

[Stef]

I just saw you had Valente at number 4 Michael (not sure if you did before). I love that book too!

[Stef]

Oh and THAT Carol (I just read your review). My God yes! You have picked some good ones for sure!

[Elaine]

I love reading everybody's top picks. Here are mine and not in any order. Not an easy task to pick just five either as I'm sure many here know.

A Little Life

Salt Creek

One Life: My Mother's Story

Big Little Lies

Leap

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Don't forget to put your top 5 Aussies in the other thread if you haven't already Elaine:)

[Elaine]

I'm trying to catch up Brenda on everything I missed out on these last few weeks. I just realised that 3 of my five here are Aussie authors so that will be easy to do, I think. Not sure about Lucy Treloar though. She was born in Malaysia but has lived in Australia amongst other places. Does she count as an Aussie? Thanks for the reminder. :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Yes Lucy's Aussie:)

[Elaine]

Brenda wrote: "Yes Lucy's Aussie:)"

Thanks B :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

;)

[Josie]

I'd have to go with:

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away by Christie Watson (Nigeria)
Goldcord Asylum Jude Starling (UK)
Behind the Hood (Behind the Lives, #1) by Marita A. Hansen (NZ)
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp (USA)
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey (Trinidad)

[Rosie]

My list in no particular order:

The Secret Keeper

The Light Between Oceans

The Patterson Girls

Rocking Horse Hill

Outback Ghost

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Fabulous titles Rosie:) All Aussie authors too... did you realise we have a Top 5 Aussie authors thread for 2015 this time? https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Mary]

My favourite books of this year are:
The Lost Child
The Eye of the Sheep
Golden Boys
This House of Grief
Floundering

[Suzie]

My top 5 books read in 2015 are:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
So Much to Tell You by John Marsden
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Nest by Inga Simpson

Honourable mentions:
So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
Laurinda by Alice Pung

[Nancy]

I gave 5 stars to these books read/acquired in 2015, they were all outstanding reads, all by Scandinavian authors:

The Inspector and Silence by Håkan Nesser
Game by A.C. Efverman
The White Lioness by Henning Mankell
The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg
Never End by Åke Edwardson

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Nancy wrote: "I gave 5 stars to these books read/acquired in 2015, they were all outstanding reads, all by Scandinavian authors:

The Inspector and Silence by Håkan Nesser
......."

A.C. Efverman is an Aussie Nancy:) She's been here almost 20 years...

[Bookishbabe]

I didn't read enough Australian books in 2015 :(
I want to change that this year.

My top reads (sorry for the lack of local reads)
The improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher
Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash
What We left behind by Robin Talley

[Nancy]

Brenda wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I gave 5 stars to these books read/acquired in 2015, they were all outstanding reads, all by Scandinavian authors:

The Inspector and Silence by [author:Håkan Nesser|16..."

I guess she is that too, if she's lived here that long, I've actually met her and she signed Game for me :) She looks very Swedish but she hardly has a Swedish accent.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

You're very fortunate to be able to go to one of her signings:) Good for you...yes her photo tells of her heritage:)

[Nancy]

Brenda wrote: "You're very fortunate to be able to go to one of her signings:) Good for you...yes her photo tells of her heritage:)"

Yes and she was very nice and friendly too, she took time to talk to me even though there was a lot of people.

[Katrina]

Suzie wrote: "My top 5 books read in 2015 are:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
[book:So Much to Tell Y..."

Suzie I see Cary Elwes book in your list....i also read this during the year and loved it......and then had to watch The Princess Bride again :) But if you didn't already know there is an audio book read by Carey and with the voices of most of the original cast speaking when he quotes them. It is fabulous and really brings the book alive.