Favourite Book(s) Read In 2015

[Patricia]

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

I might have more but thought these were great!

[Sean, Moderator]

Karin Slaughter is great...

Another fabulous author and popular with members is Linda Castillo.

[Lori]

Some of my five star rated this year were
The Poet by Michael Connelly
Where the Shadows Lie by Michael Ridpath
Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham
They're Watching by Gregg Hurwitz
The Killing Lessons by Saul Black (not for the squeamish)
Finders Keepers by Stephen King
Still Life by Louise Penny

[Bill]

For spooky stuff, Ice Twins edges out Mind of Winter. Hoping F. G. Cottam will make next year’s five star list. We’ll see. But I’d be tempted to name M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts as the best adventure read, as well a classic horror story.

Some other newly discovered favourite authors were Claire Fuller, whose Our Endless Numbered Days is the most moving story about a child growing up amongst strange & terrible circumstances I’ve read since Me & Emma, & Rebecca Scherm, whose Unbecoming (I think there’s a multiple pun in the title) is a great addition to the bad girls club, along with S. Williams Tuesday Falling. Scherm’s Grace wins for cleverness & trickery, William’s Tuesday kick-arse action.

For intensity & the very best setting (but then, for me it would be), the voyage of the yacht The Blue, by Lucy Clarke, was my best read. For sheer all-round artistic brilliance, Sharon Bolton’s Little Black Lies was the very best book to appear this year & a super depiction of grief & loss. I’d not have missed either for the world.

[Christine]

This is a great post, Bill! Will have to check out a few of these that are not familiar to me. Agree with you about Little Black Lies.

[Mandy]

Bill wrote: "For spooky stuff, Ice Twins edges out Mind of Winter. Hoping F. G. Cottam will make next year’s five star list. We’ll see. But I’d be tempted to name M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts as th..."

I loved The Girl With All The Gifts, Little Black Lies and Tuesday Falling too :)

[Mandy]

Some of my favs

Little Black Lies - Sharon Bolton
The Martian - Andy Weir
Bird Box - Josh Malerman
I Am Pilgim - Terry Hayes
I Am Death - Chris Carter
All Angela Marsons 3 books (Kim Stone)
Rubbernecker - Belinda Bauer
The Passage - Justin Cronin
The Vault - Karen Long
Behind Closed Doors - Elizabeth Haynes

[Bill]

Marson's series is really good with each better than the last. Haynes is atop my TBR.

[[deleted user]]

A lot (not all) of my favourite books of 2015 were Netgalley books I'd luckily received... no particular order..

I let you Go - Clare Mackintosh
playing with fire - Tess Gerritsen

The Girl on the train - Paula Hawkins
The Blue - Lucy Clarke
The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
Inside theO'Briens - Lisa Genova

[Janet , Moderator]

Good to see you here, Kimberley! Hope you're keeping well. :)

[Christine]

Kimberleeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bill]

Reading I Let You Go now.

[Christine]

It's my next one, Bill. We will have to compare notes!

[[deleted user]]

Yes thank you Janet - hope you are good too?? Hey Chris!! :)

[[deleted user]]

Bill ,& Chris enjoy!! I loved 'I let you go' !

[Perri]

I love these lists-to recognize some, disagree with others, and add books!

[Aymen]

Okay, I finally picked my favorite book last year, I thought a lot and the winner is: Shining by Stephen King, amazing book. But the movie was the worst movie I ve ever seen.

[Perri]

Aymen wrote: "Okay, I finally picked my favorite book last year, I thought a lot and the winner is: Shining by Stephen King, amazing book. But the movie was the worst movie I ve ever seen."

Awesome! That's the book that pulled me on the Stephen King bandwagon. Cujo pulled me back off for a while. Are you talking about the Jack Nicholson version of the Shining? I think there's another one more kid oriented, but can't remember if it's any good.

[Aymen]

Yes the Jack Nicholson movie, he was acting scary since the beginning of the movie. Hmm interesting, I will look for the other one. Did you hate Cujo? Should I not read it?

[Sean, Moderator]

You will all enjoy "I Let You Go" I am sure!

[Kirsten]

Mandy wrote: "Bill wrote: "For spooky stuff, Ice Twins edges out Mind of Winter. Hoping F. G. Cottam will make next year’s five star list. We’ll see. But I’d be tempted to name M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All th..."

I've been listening to The Girl With All The Gifts and loving it!

[Perri]

Aymen wrote: "Yes the Jack Nicholson movie, he was acting scary since the beginning of the movie. Hmm interesting, I will look for the other one. Did you hate Cujo? Should I not read it?"

I didn't like it at all, but everyone's different. I looked up the other Shining and saw it was a TV miniseries in 1980 so maybe not available to you. Interesting Stephen King hated the Nicholson version as well http://www.avclub.com/article/stephen...

[Aymen]

Hi Perri I also found this trailer of another shining movie.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9sGl1LV...
And yes I heard what Stephen King said, he said that Wendy was there just to scream and look stupid, and that the movie was so cold, but the book was warm... Personnaly I loved Jack Torrance in the book, how he struggles to become a good husband and father and change for the better, and how he start to lose control... In the movie he looks crazy from the beginning. I think the kid who played Danny was not bad though...

[Perri]

Aymen wrote: "Hi Perri I also found this trailer of another shining movie.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9sGl1LV...
And yes I heard what Stephen King said, he said that Wendy was there just to scream and look ..."

Yeah, Jack Nicholson pretty much chewed up the scenery in the Shining. Did you catch the gingerbread house made to look like The Overlook hotel? http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/12...

[Aymen]

Nice house! Really Cool.

[Mandy]

Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Bill wrote: "For spooky stuff, Ice Twins edges out Mind of Winter. Hoping F. G. Cottam will make next year’s five star list. We’ll see. But I’d be tempted to name M. R. Carey’s The Gi..."

Would like to know what you think when you've finished it :)

[Lori]

Another thriller/fantasy I really enjoyed was Stephen King's 11/22/63 from a few years ago. I enjoyed the time travel aspect and the characters were so real. Great storyline too.