Our Top Ten Books

In the last few months various outlets have been publishing their top books of 2015. We thought we’d join in with the top ten books we read in 2015 and our top 5 books published in 2015. Find out which books made our lists and scroll down for links to a number of other “best of 2015 lists.”

We have both created two lists.  One list is for the top ten books we read during 2015 and the second list for our top 5 books that we read that were published in 2015.

Jen’s List (links will take you to the posted review): 2015 was a really good reading year for me. I’m generally a harsh rater and am very stingy with my 5-star ratings. This year, I think I doubled the number of 5-star reviews on my shelf. Below is my top ten list. Some of them weren’t 5-star books but all of them left a lasting impression.

1. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie
2. Her Privates We by Frederic Manning
3. The Sea by John Banville
4. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
5. A Little Life (2015) by Hanya Yanagihara
6. Two Years, Eight Months, and Twenty-Eight Nights (2015) by Salman Rusdie
7. Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
8. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (review to follow soon)
9. Broken April by Ismail Kadare
10. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (review to follow soon)

My Top 5 published in 2015 (in no particular order):

1. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
2. Two Years, Eight Months, and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie
3. The Chimes by Anna Smaill
4. Did you Ever Have a Family by Billy Clegg
5. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (I’m only halfway through this one but it’s safe to say this should make the list).

Book Worm’s List:

1. Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson
2. Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
3. Did You Ever Have a Family by Billy Clegg
4. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
5. Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie
6. The Illuminations by Andrew O’Hagan
7. After Dark by Murakami
8. The Seducer by Jan Kjaerstad
9. The Shining by Stephen King
10. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

Top 5 published in 2015:

1. Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson
2. Did you Ever Have a Family by Billy Clegg
3. The Chimes by Anna Smail
4. The Illuminations by Andrew O’Hagan
5. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

Other Best of 2015 Links:

Publisher’s Weekly: PW’s Best Books 2015
Washington Post: The Ten Best Books of 2015
The New York Times Book Review: The 10 Best Books of 2015
Amazon: The Best Books of 2015
Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Books of 2015
The Huffington Post: Top 18 fiction books of 2015
Book Riot: Best Books of 2015

We want to hear from you! Which were your favorite books of 2015? Fellow bloggers feel free to add links to your top 10 books in the comments section.