Top 10 of 2015

Whaaaaaat? 2015 ended? That's so crazy! It feels like it should just be turning September to me. Look, 2015 has been a pretty good year for me but I'm aiming to make 2016 even better. So, let me close out last year by looking back on my goals to see how miserably I failed at them and then, I will tell you my favorite books of this past year. I didn't have many goals for this past year, at least, I don't think I did. I set my number goal at 40 and I completed 63 books. Awesomeness. This has been my best year statistically in...ever. I've only been reading this avidly for about three years now and this was my third reading challenge so it was for sure my best reading year. I also wanted to complete five series and I proudly completed nine series, some of which, I stared and ended this year. I also stared many series that I haven't completed yet, but that's another post. Those were seriously all of the goals I had for this year because I don't want to overload myself with goals to the point where I can't read what I want to. So, let's start talking about my favorite books I read this year. Two important things to note, though is that I'm going with the books that I read this year, not the ones that were published this year because I only read two books that were published this year. Shame. I know. I am also only counting one book from each series because I read many amazing books that were a part of a series this year and it would be unfair to count like four books from the same series. So, with those rules aside, let's get into it.

#10 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky
 This book was told in a very interesting format through diary entries and it was amazing. It really explored teenage angst in a way that I found to be true but not overbearing. A lot of times when sex is talked about in books it is romanticized greatly or it is used to bring a character down a moral step or two but I think this book makes it clear that a person's love life have little bearing on their overall morale. This book touches on these subjects in a classy yet realistic way and I loved every second of it.

#9 Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Cute. That is the best way I can describe this book. I loved all of the characters. The situation that Anna is put into is crazy because of the setting yet realistic in the sense that she meets this guy, he has a girlfriend, but she becomes great friends with him and it goes from there. I loved their relationship because it really starts out as a friendship and you see it grow and develop. They both make mistakes throughout the whole book and the ending of it really opens your eyes to a bigger picture I thought Perkins did an amazing job showing this situation from Anna'a perspective and it was tugging on my heartstrings in all the scenes that it was meant to.

#8 Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
This book is basically my soon to be life story. I think almost anyone in this younger generation will be able to relate to this book because we all have this one thing, be it a book, movie, band, TV show, whatever, we all have this one thing that we obsess over. This book truly resonates with an audience because so many people see themselves as this nerdy, awkward person but most people get by, just like the main character Cath did. I also truly appreciated the fact that Cath didn't completely change throughout the book. She grew as a person but she's still Cath. She didn't turn into a completely different person just a more confident person and I think that is an amazing message that this book sends out.

#7 The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
This is actually an unpopular opinion but I liked this book more than the first one. I think it's because the first one had a lot of world building and background to set up and it was just done in a way that I didn't find interesting but when it really got into the plot I really enjoyed it. With this book, we get thrown into action and I loved it so much. There was no background that we needed it just went forward full force and I am so excited for the book that comes next in this series.

#6 Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
I've wanted to read this book since it first came out a couple of years ago and I'm so glad I finally got the opportunity to pick it up. Celeana is a badass character who is an assassin and she is the female version of every single love interest in YA literature. She is arrogant and self centered and super talented and I love her. In most books, the girl is kinda shy and pretty but doesn't know it and the guy is a sex god who has major talent and sees something in the girl and completes her *eye roll*. This book makes the main character all of that but keeps the guys decent as well. It's action packed and has a really nice fantasy undertone that becomes more and more prominent the further you read into the series.

#5 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
This book and I go way back. I first experienced it in the second grade and saw the movie in the second grade and it was really my first look into the bookish world that I live in today. This book was amazing but also minimalist so it really leaves it up to the reader to fill in the details and that's what I loved most about it because rereading it ten years later didn't ruin my childhood perception of it. Just because some things weren't talked about in detail, doesn't mean that they didn't happen the way I thought they did. This was a huge nostalgia read and it still holds up. Also, completing this series this year hit me hard. If you read the last book, you probably know why.

#4 Venom by Fiona Paul
This series was amazing! I reviewed it a while back and it was phenomenal. (Link to review here ) It is a murder mystery series set in Renaissance Vince, Italy. Does anyone need more convincing then that? It was so dark and romantic I loved everything about it except the ending. The ending of the whole series was just off to me but it was seriously the last twenty pages of the last book and I can easily put that aside because the rest of the series was mostly amazing. It had a couple of issues in it that for the most part can be over looked but I addressed them in my review. Even though this series has some serious flaws, I still loved every minute I spent reading it.

#3 Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
This book is a sequel to The Giver and it was amazing. It's pretty short and really easy to read but it is just one of those books are thought provoking because of it's simplicity. I thought this book was great and I don't want to tell you guys too much because I think it's best if you just go into it blind. It's really short so you can get though it very quickly. The thing that I find most interesting about this book is the ending because it makes me wonder if the books in this series, which I believe is a companion series, will intertwine and if they do, how. This could go in a million different directions and I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

#2 The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
I know most of you must be surprised why this isn't my number one book of the year but I did read one book that outdid this one. But, this book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was funny, adventurous, educational, and full of amazingly quirky characters. This book is similar to his others because it is set in an urban fantasy world that is taking ancient mythology and putting it into modern times but this time, he is using Norse myths. This man knows what he is doing. Let's face it, he has come up with the perfect formula to create an amazing book that will reach children and adults. This book was just perfect.

#1 Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
This book captured my heart and took it all the way to Neverland. Peter Pan is just such an important story to me just because the whole aspect of growing up has terrified me and now more than ever, this is more and more prevalent in my life. This book had me sobbing at the end because it comforts that thought. If you are wondering, the Disney animated movie does follow closely to this book but the endings are somewhat different. I have so many thoughts on this book and I will be making a review of it but I probably won't post it in a little while. It is just a beautiful book that is heartbreaking in one sense but comforting in another. Again, more on that in my review, but keep in mind things that have to do with time hit hard with me but maybe not for many of you. Anyway, perfect book, by far my favorite of the year,

So those were it my top 10 of 2015. I can't believe this year is now over, I also realize that I'm typing this on New Year's Eve so you will be reading it in 2016. So, that's why I'm saying "this" and "next" year still. So let me know how 2015 went for you guys I'm super curious and I want to know. I had a lot of fun this year and wrapping it up but I think I should end this post now because it's getting to be pretty long. Next week I think I will be talking about 2016 so look out for that. See you then, Happy New Year!