It Is Trish

In the midst of the stress of moving and fundraising, I fell back on my comfort standby:  books!

I read and reviewed 85 books this year (I read a few more than that, but I decided they were a bit more academic and too boring for a review).  You can check them out on my review page called Title Archive.

I also updated my Recommended page with better lists of books and some new categories!

Favorite Books of 2015
(I read them in 2015, they were not necessarily published in 2015) 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Harry Potter begat fanfiction begat Fangirl begat Carry On…four steps removed, but SO AMAZING.  The dialogue sparks, Penelope is awesome, the worldbuilding is clever, and Simon and Baz have one of the most SQUEE-worthy relationships in the world.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Clare North

This book MESSED ME UP.  Its science fiction premise was a strong foundation for some really interesting moral questions, and the central relationship between frenemies Harry and Vincent was super intense.

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

I love Beauty and the Beast retellings, and this might be one of the best!  I absolutely adore when two strong-willed characters begrudgingly fall in love in the midst of a verbal death match.  Goblins and English ladies: who knew they were such a great combination?

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

With one of the coolest setups I’ve read (twins take over alternate chapters, but one tells the story of them as 13-year-olds while the other describes them as 16-year-olds, and we only slowly learn how to put the pieces together), it’s also beautifully written and covers a wide range of important themes.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

I’m LESS happy after reading this book, but it’s still one of my favorites.  Incorporating subtle and believable sci-fi into a coming-of-age book about accepting yourself and the consequences if you refuse to do so…it cut my heart into pieces but made me desperate to reread it anyway.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I’ve loved Achilles since Brad Pitt played him in Troy.  Miller’s book focuses on his relationship with Patroclus, and while their relationship is beautiful, we also get a really cool comparison between violently heroic Achilles and kind-hearted healer heroism from Patroclus.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

This year I was obsessed with brilliant men who changed the world but messed up their relationships in the process (see also: Hamilton).  This biography is massive, but I tore through it, fascinated by how much technology has changed in my lifetime, and how much of it was due to one man’s creative genius.

Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm

One of the best suspenseful narratives I’ve read (that doesn’t hinge on violence), the unreliable narration made me desperate for answers and increasingly impressed by developing art heist, secret identities plot.

Those are some of my favorite books from this year!  What was one of your favorite books you read this year?  Leave a comment and let me know!