Favorite Books Of 2015

Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas was as fun, relaxing and happy as mine was.

Today, because it is so close to the end of 2015, I'm going to share my top four books of the year. I wish I had more, but I've only read about 33 books this year so my top four (in no particular order) it is! 

 Corral Nocturne by Elisabeth Grace Foley 

I love Elisabeth's writing style, and I think Corral Nocturne really showcases it. It was beautifully written, the characters were full of life and humor and, honestly, reading this book was like reading the work of a friend. 

It is centered around a Cinderella plot, but is set on a ranch in the late 1890s or early 1900s. It's a plot that has been done many times, but never like this. If you like a good Cinderella story, historical fiction novella or romance then you should really check this little book out: Goodreads and Amazon. 

Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott 

I really loved this book when I read it back in March, but I cannot remember what happened, so here is my review from Goodreads of the book:

This was a lovely book. I don't know how to write a review that will do it justice. The characters were fresh and original. I loved how distinctly different all of the cousins were.

Archie - I loved Archie for his gentle-manliness, his loyalty and how he has this deep sense of right and wrong. My favorite part about his character is how remorseful he feels when he's done something wrong. It is so touching, and somehow even when he is a bit preachy I don't mind, because I love him so much! 

Charlie (Prince)- Now, Charlie is a character that I didn't love as much at the beginning. He bothered me, because of how he really can't seem to get it into his head that Rose wants to be respected and not treated like a child. Even after everyone else has gotten it, he doesn't and that really, really bothers me. He's so proud and his character just rubs me the wrong way. I am glad that towards the end he begins to change. It really makes me look at him differently and with a new respect. He does care for Rose quite deeply, and that stopped me from completely hating him. He has a long way to go to win my favor, but if he continues to improve then we might get along. ;)

Mac - At the beginning of the story you really don't know "The Worm" very well. He's a shy, quiet bookworm who is always reading. He's like myself, not really someone that you want to read about unless you know their private world, problems and passions. In chapter eleven you really get to know Mac in the best way possible. I love how the author wove him into the book. I loved it. I love how Rose really gets to know Mac over the next few chapters. He's a true gentleman and he grows from an irresponsible little boy into a respectable and altogether lovable young man. I think his relationship with Rose is the closest. It is so obvious that he cares for her. I love Mac. A lot.

Steve - You really don't get to know Steve very much except that he is quite proud of his top-knot and is not quite as gentlemanly as the rest. He is young, and has time to grow. I am excited to see who he grows into in the next book.

Will and Geordie - These two characters are younger. You don't get to know them quite as well, but somehow they seem more like gentleman than Steve. 

Jamie - Jamie is so cute and lovable and...cute! I just want to squeeze him!

Rose- Rose is the main character. It's hard not to love her right from the beginning, because there's something so charming about her. She so cute and earnest and she is always striving to be good. I love that about her. I know that she will grow into a charming young woman. She does strive to be good, but is not perfect by any means. She is a little vain, but that makes her even more charming to me, because I do not like characters who are perfect. They make me sick. Rose is always learning, even up to the last chapter which I absolutely love. Her character is so defined that by the end you love her no matter how preachy she is.

That being said...the book is quite preachy. It doesn't bother me all the time, but sometimes it becomes too much and I feel that I would like more old-fashioned fun and less (very)  old-fashioned morals. Some of the lessons that Dr. Alec teaches Rose for instance are a little old-fashioned and make me quite crazy. However, the preachiness of the book didn't bother me too much, because some of them were very good lessons that made me smile.

Taking everything into consideration, this book is sweeter than sugar without becoming too cheesy. It's a lovely little book, written by a lovely author.   

I also read the sequel Rose in Bloom which I also really enjoyed, You can find out more about Eight Cousins at Goodreads and Amazon.

The Penderwicks in Spring By Jeanne Birdsall 

     

This book...is a work of art and another delightful piece in the puzzle that is the Penderwick series. If you haven't read the first three books already then I demand that you do that right now, because they are my favorite books in the whole...entire...world and that is saying a lot. 

The newest installment in the Penderwick series is just as beautiful as the first three. The characters are all grown up now, even little Batty seems grown up. It makes me sad that I don't know every little detail of the years that went by, but not very sad, because I love this book so much. I thought that because the characters were so much older that I wouldn't have that same connection with them, but now that they're my age, I feel that I have even more of a connection with them than in the last book. Skye is older, but hasn't changed much. Jane is older and has changed a little bit. Rosy is the older sister that I wish I could be. Batty is...Batty. She's grown up into a funny kid with a character all of her own. I love her now, more than I ever could have in the previous books. Ben is darling and Lydia is so cute. Jeffrey, what can I say...he's grown up and that makes me both sad and happy. But mostly happy, because he is amazing and I love him. He's grown up into the young man that I knew he would be I'm so proud ;). He loves his music as much as ever and, guess what, he loves Skye as much as ever. 

All-in-all, I think this book is pretty amazing. Jeanne Birdsall has a beautiful writing style that never fails to put me in my happy place. :) These books are so real to me that I feel like i'm good friends with all of the characters. If you need a book that will make you cry, laugh and feel like you're walking though a never-ending field of wildflowers on a warm, spring day, then this is the book for you. I love it. Immensely. Goodreads  and Amazon.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

This is another amazing book about one girl's love of reading and finding hope in the darkest of times and places. The way it was written is so different from anything that I've ever read before that I was instantly drawn in by the creativity of it. Even though it sounds strange, a book that is narrated by death can actually work but only if it is written as well as this book is. 

It's not only the writing style which I thoroughly enjoyed, but the beautiful characters. They were all flawed, completely imperfect human beings. Some of them I wanted to hate, but somehow I couldn't because they were beautiful in their own way. This is the summary from Goodreads: 

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It is a beautiful story that made me laugh, cry and inspired me to write. Goodreads and Amazon


Those were my top four books of 2015! I also enjoyed many of the other books that I read this year, here are a few of them:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince 
To Kill a Mockingbird  
Rose in Bloom 
Moods 


~ Claire