Tag 5 stars

My 5 Star Reads of 2015

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I don’t just give out 5 star reviews to any good book. 3 stars for a good, solid book. 4 stars for a book I really liked a whole lot. 5 stars require the right book at the right time. They need to hit me in the right spot. Generally they provoke out loud laughter and/or real tears. I’m wowed by the scope of the research or the scope of the imagination required to write such a book. I will remember them months down the road. That is my 5 star read. Here they are, in no particular order:

  1. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran – took me to a side of India I’d never seen.
  2. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson – a world like no other.
  3. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – people thought the main character was weak, I thought she was realistic. I would have acted the same way.
  4. A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley – slow reveals. 🙂
  5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – how come no one saw it?
  6. Timeless by Gail Carriger – great ending to a great series. So clever!
  7. Rook by Sharon Cameron – The Scarlet Pimpernel was my favorite book and musical. All the fun details in this book… I just can’t stand it!
  8. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai – my first book in verse. I didn’t know how you could get a story across in verse; I found out and loved it.
  9. The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – secrets and power. I love books like this.
  10. The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson – the only love triangle I can stand reading about. Plus, the world is wonderful.
  11. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett – listened to this on audiobook with my daughter. The narrator is awesome. I nearly went off the road laughing in my car.
  12. New York by Edward Rutherfurd – HISTORY. He puts so much work into his books and it shows.
  13. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt – listened to this on audiobook. so much to talk with daughter about.
  14. The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick – I want to be part of this book club.
  15. Time’s Divide by Rysa Walker – epic time travel.
  16. Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai – I traveled to Vietnam. It was such a wonderful time.

There we are. My best of the best. Not too shabby a list. There are multiple genres represented, and a few were audiobooks. I’m looking forward to what next year brings.