Top Ten Tuesday: Books I've Read So Far in 2015

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is the Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2015.

(These are in the order I read them, rather than an official ranking.)

1. 1984 by George Orwell. Okay, I technically only finished the last part of this in 2015, but it's definitely one of my favorites. This is probably one of the most fleshed-out and realistic dystopian worlds I've read (they don't bother brainwashing the lower class with no power, for instance), it had quite a few interesting things to say, and I'm a sucker for endings like that.

2. Unwind by Neal Shusterman. This was quite well-written (particularly on an emotional level) and it reminded me of some books I loved when I was younger, so I adored it. Quite interesting as well.

3. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak: This was just absolutely lovely and feel-good, I loved it. The ending also got meta and raised some interesting questions about stories and doing the right thing.

4. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury: This isn't my favorite Bradbury, but it had some very interesting images conjured with his language and touching moments.

5. Reality Boy by A.S. King: I wasn't expecting to like this as much as some of her other books I had already read, but I ended up really enjoying it. I loved some of the questions it asked and the way it slowly revealed the truth of what had been going on.

6. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury: Reading this collection of essays all at once did get a little bit repetitive (and some, as taken from introductions, are more about him than writing), but it did not fail to inspire me to write about what I loved and what interested me.


7. Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead: Stead's When You Reach Me has been a favorite of mine since I was in middle school, at which point I also read her debut novel but wasn't as interested in it. However, Liar & Spy, though not as complex in plot as When You Reach Me, still hit me hard with its emotional truths and what the main character was going through. This is the kind of middle grade I'd love to write someday, even if it's a more quieter story than the titles that are the most popular with the age group.

8. "The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury" by Neil Gaiman: Okay, I'm cheating a little with this one. I liked Trigger Warning as a whole, but this was the story I bought it for and the one I enjoyed the most. It's a lovely tribute to Bradbury, even more poignant after his death, and it was filled with little references to his stories.

9. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: This one took me a little while to get into because I was not entirely sure where things were going, but wow, how all of the characters were connected! Aside from how it was crafted, there was plenty of suspense and just general drama. It isn't really a character-focused story, but I can definitely understand why it was so popular at the time.

10. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (from an idea by Siobhan Dowd): I'm still crying internally over this, I think. It had some very important things to say about grief and guilt, whether the world and black and white, and if stories with happy endings and optimism are always the best. Also, the illustrations and format of the book were beautiful.