2015 was a whirlwind for me that included lots of travel (can you believe I traveled to Las Vegas, Germany, France, Belgium AND the Netherlands this year?!!) and lots of writing. It also included lots of reading. My reading goal for 2015 was to read at least 45 books from a variety of genres and I managed to do that. In fact, I surpassed my goal! *High five for being an overachiever* I read a grand total of 59 books in 2015 including graphic novels, science fiction, history, young adult, romance, poetry and thrillers. These were my top 5 reads …
5. The Silence Of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski
I bought this book at Powell's during a trip to Portland and it sat on my shelf for 5 years before I finally got around to picking it up in early February. It was such a treat to read! The story is set in the 1950s and follows a young mute boy named Bonaventure who was born with the gift of hearing the universe … he can hear everything, from flowers growing in nearby fields to voices drifting in from the past. A blend of my two favorite genres, magical realism and historical fiction, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is filled with gorgeous, lyrical writing and outstanding characterization. With a hint of mystery and a sprinkling of theology, this book captivated me from start to finish. It reminded me quite a bit of Jan-Philipp Sendker's The Art Of Hearing Heartbeats which topped my favorites list back in 2012.
4. God Got A Dog by Cynthia Rylant
I saw this book at the library and the title immediately jumped out at me. God got a dog?! What in the world? … Turns out, the book was a fantastic collection of illustrated poems. Each poem ponders the question "what if God was one of us?" and paints beautiful, whimsical images of God eating spaghetti for the first time, writing fan mail, going to church, even getting into a bar fight. The poems feature "God", front and centre, but what stood out to me was how each poem captured us … our humanity and the things we take for granted. I was expecting this to be a light, uplifting read but it was actually quite thought-provoking. I brought the book back to the library and immediately ordered my own copy.
3. Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist
"Here's what I want you to do: tell someone you love them and that dinner's at six."
Oh, you guys. I LOVED this book. This was my first Shauna Niequist read and she immediately forged her way onto my "I must read everything and anything this woman writes" list. Bread & Wine is a collection of essays about hospitality - the messy, authentic kind, not the Pinterest variety - and community and friendship and faith. It's also about food, obviously, and Shauna weaves these topics together in such a beautiful, lyrical way. You can tell Shauna writes from the heart, pouring all she has onto the page. This book inspired me to get into the kitchen, cook dinner for a friend and plug deeper into community.
2. Mademoiselle Chanel by CW Gortner
This book begins in 1895 when Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel is a young girl and wraps up in the 1950s when she's 71 years old. Despite covering an entire lifetime of history and anecdotes, Mademoiselle Chanel is a page turner from start to finish. It has a little of everything … romance, business, politics, war, feminism, classism, fashion, drugs, high society, several scandals and lots of controversy. The story flows through the First World War, the roaring 20s, the Great Depression and World War II - really, the epitome of historical fiction! I'm still amazed CW Gortner managed to squeeze so much into 400 pages without an ounce of "info dumping". I loved the story, but as a historical fiction writer what really caught my attention here was the effortless blend of fact and fiction. I just want to sit down with Gortner and have him teach me all the tricks of the trade.
1. Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum
I've saved the best for last, folks. Hausfrau was, without a doubt, my absolute favorite read of 2015. If you know me personally and are at all familiar with the novel's plot, this may surprise you … a story about adultery, with steamy sex scenes in just about every chapter? Really?! Yes. Really. Trust me on this.
Hausfrau is one of the most challenging books I've ever read as far as content goes, but it was so, SO worth it. Beautifully written; a heartbreaking, disturbing story of a woman whose life is spiralling out of control. Jill Alexander Essbaum is an award-winning poet, and the writing in this book was absolutely stunning … the metaphors, the descriptions, oh be still my heart! It made me cry and I can count on one hand the number of books that have made me cry (answer: four) I would definitely recommend picking this one up, especially if you're a fan of complex stories that dig deep into a character's psyche.
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