I read a lot this past year. Like, a lot. According to Goodreads, where I log my books, I read 119 books in 2015. That stupid stat gives me more joy than is healthy. (I’m obsessed).

So with all those books, you have to figure at least some of them are worth recommending. Here were some of my favorites:

• Ship of Brides – Jojo Moyes. This book looked at a very little slice of history- namely, how Australian women married to British soldiers during WWII got to England to be reunited with their husbands when the war ended. It was short, sweet and incredibly interesting.
• I listened to some memoirs by some of my favorite funny women, including both of Mindy Kaling books and Amy Poehler’s Yes Please. I think listening to these women’s words in their own voices made these books 1000x more interesting. The books were funny, touching and much more engaging than I would have thought.
• I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrois. Oh this book, how it stuck with me. Skylar is a smart, feisty girl on the brink of leaving home for good – something she can’t wait to do.  She grew up poor and knows that college is her best escape option.  Josh was nothing but trouble and when he came back injured from serving overseas at age 19, not much changed. This book captures the yearning of first love, and the yearning of wanting to get out and start fresh so very, very well. Loved it.
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. An amazing book about two sisters and the life they lived in occupied France during WWII. This book broke my heart – it was so, so brutal. I had never given much thought to what life was like for those who lived through the war- the every day person who was just trying to survive- and this book brought all that home in vivid detail. Smart, sad and full of the determination of the human spirit to survive, it was a great read.
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Out of all the books I read this year, this one is my favorite. Quiet and funny and sweet and full of so much love, the story of Ove and his extraordinarily ordinary life hit me in all the feels. I truly laughed and cried and cannot wait to read it again.
• I read a fat ton of Urban Fantasy this year and while I feel like I should be embarrassed about that, I loved the books too much to be. My favorite series is still the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews but the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire came in a very close second.
• A few honorable mentions:
  • Dumplin‘ by Julie Murphy- great audio book about a 17 year old finding her place in a world where being skinny and looking good counts for so very much.
  • The Wrath & The Dawn: YA book with a twist. Not my favorite of the year, but intriguing enough that I can’t wait to read the next.
  • Memory Man by David Baldacci – so many of his book run together for me, but this one had a very unique premise and I enjoyed the hell out of the ride.
  • The Cainsville series by Kelley Armstrong. If you don’t mind slightly supernatural books, this series is great. Eagerly awaiting book 3 from the library.
  • The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. What happens when a British prince falls in love with an American girl? How much does she have to change to fit into his world? Great read that will make you look at Kate Middleton in a whole new light.

So many good books, so little time! Got any favorites? Please let me know!