2015 Reading Challenge Review and Favorite Reads

At the beginning of every year I do a wrap up of my favorite reads from the previous year. Last year I committed to the 2015 Reading Challenge where I picked books from different categories, and I did pretty good with almost completing the whole challenge!

Here are the books I read to complete the challenge!

• A Book Published this year: At the Waters Edge, by Sara Gruen
• A Book in a genre you don't typically read: (biography!):  My Life in France, by Julia Child 
• A book everyone's reading All the Light we Cannot See, by Anthony Doer 
• A book you chose because of its cover: Huckleberry - A cookbook!  Couldn't resist! 
• A Book by A favorite author: After You, by Jojo Moyes  (def not as good as Before You)
• A book recommended by someone with great taste : Follow The River, by James Alexander Thom
• A book you should have read in High school:  For Whom the Bells Toll, by Ernest Hemingway  - actually I am still reading this one - it is slow and hard to get through but I enjoy the writing! 
• A book that's currently on the best seller list: The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown

Here are some other books I did not read in the challenge but I really want to read this year!

• A Book you have been meaning to read: Still Alice by Lisa Genova 
• A Book your mom loves: WALDEN or The Children's Blizzard (fact)  or Devil Colony ( fiction but lots of scientific fact)
• A book from my Childhood: The Borrowers by Mary Norton
• A book originally written in another language: Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• OTHER books by favorite authors: Lisa See - China Dolls OR Rainbow Rowell - Fangirl OR The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (The Red Tent was one of my fav books of all time!)

Anyway for My FAVORITE BOOKS of 2015...I read a lot of middle of the road books - i.e. 3 star*** books and none that I rated 5***** stars, so I really do not have any TOP favorites that you just HAVE to read, but a few good ones - 4**** star reads! - that would be worth your time!

Follow The River, by James Alexander Thom 

Probably my favorite read of the year! WOAH - this story was insane and what a crazy story of survival and determination! Honestly I did not know this was a true story until the authors note at the end with the history of the story. Throughout the book I thought there were some areas which were unbelievable and I thought the author could have made it more believable, but then when I realized at the end it was based on a true life account, I realized most of it really did happen and was impressed with the story.   Goes to show real life is stranger than fiction. So the story was awesome and the author did a pretty good job of filling in the blanks, but honestly he could have cut a third out of the book as about a third of it was the same journey trials over and over...but an amazing story and a fast read! Caution though - a few gory parts in the book too so would not recommend for younger readers. 

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick

This on was a doozy of a read and I started it at the end of December but finished it in 2016 but the movie about this is coming out so I would read it before the movie comes out! Very intense and what a story!

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

A touching heartwarming story of strength and courage to overcome hardships and endurance to persevere! Loved reading more about rowing and feeling more of a connection to a family member who coaches rowing at Stanford. Now I get what it is all about (well without the blood sweat and tears of it!) . A well written story interspersed with some facts about Germany during the Olympic days before WWII.

My Name Used to Be Muhammed: The True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian

Wow - what a story! I knew this was about a man who converted from Islam religion to Christianity (Mormon) but did not realize that he had been so deep in the Islamic Culture - the stories about his family are heartbreaking. The stories about his time in an Egyptian prison are crazy and the fact that he spent years in prison because of his conversion just makes me appreciate the freedom of religion we have in America! What a strong man and a amazing story.

And as always I post my reads and often a short review on Goodreads! 

And I need to start sharing some of my kids favorite reads too!  Shayla is my voracious reader so I will have to pass on some of her favorite as well!  

Here's to your happy reading in 2016!