Books 2015

I have read 89 books or 21,385 pages this year (besides fanfic and the books I had to read for work and the stuff* in my Feedly)!

*And I’ve read lots of “stuff” this year, that is essays and articles and interviews and blog posts from various sources this year. My favourite sources have been: The Advocate, The Atlantic, Brainpickings, PsychCentral, and Psychology Today. (An honourable mention goes to Arts & Letters Daily and The New Scientist.)

Apparently reading a lot is a side-effect of a shitty year for me. At least something?

And Mighty Mads tagged me for a meme a few weeks ago, so I better actually do it now!

rules: in a text post, list 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard – they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. tag 10 friends, including me, so I’ll see your list. make sure you let your friends know you’ve tagged them!

All right, I’ll list ten books I’ve read this year that have stayed with me.

I’m not tagging anyone, but I’d love to read your takes on this, so go ahead and make my day and do this meme!

1. My favourite book this year was hands down “Carry the Ocean” by Heidi Cullinan. The characters and the conflicts came across as real and authentic, and at the end of the book I felt… changed. For the better.
2. The “Kate Daniels” series by Ilona Andrews. Brutal, but also life-affirming, empowering, smart, joyful.
3. The “Bear, Otter, and the Kid” series. I’m a sucker for stories about families of choice instead of blood, and this is a brilliant example. I also love the experimental style, the unreliable narrator – techniques that normally don’t work for me. And oh, the characters!
4. Anything and everything by Seanan McGuire. Intelligent, entertaining fantasy at its best.
5. If you’re in the mood for slashy angst, anything and everything by Garrett Leigh.
6. “The Royal We” by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. It’s a Kate/William AU with a side helping of Pippa/Harry. Bizarre, but riveting. And really long, so settle in with enough supplies in form of wine and candy!
7. “The Rebuilding Year” and “Life, Some Assembly Required” by Kaje Harper. Comfort food in form of slash. With a solid dash of “family by choice”. I think I’ve read those books three or four times this year.
8. Brit slash: I can’t recommend a title, but if you’re in the mood for something very British of the slash variety, have a look at J.L. Merrow.
9. If you’re in the mood for cosy mysteries featuring cats, I recommend Sofie Kelly’s and Leann Sweeney’s series.
10. Last but not least for all my kinky Lesbian/bisexual/pansexual friends out there, I must not forget to recommend the “Sunstone” series by Stjepan Šejić. Hot, kinky, beautifully drawn and a great story, too!

Stuff I was disappointed by:

“Orphan Train” kind of hammered home why I usually don’t read literary fiction. The editing was subpar. The characterisation made me wonder if the author has ever talked to a teenager. Also, the whole story just… wasn’t quite poignant enough for me.

“Captive Prince”. I bought and skimmed the books years ago, now I finally read them properly and I’m still not thrilled. The world building (and especially the names) doesn’t work for me at all. The first book was boring beyond belief for me. The second book was… somewhat better. But the whole thing still feels like a forced set-up just so there could be canon D/s slash.

Honourable mentions:

• Sean Kennedy’s “Tigers and Devils” series – Australian football meets gay romance. Not my usual fare, but strong characters and just… different. In a good way.
• “A Note in the Margin” by Isabelle Rowan. Another Australian story. Tackles very serious issues such as mental illness and homelessness. In what felt to me an authentic and respectful, yet hopeful manner. Definitely different.