Books of 2015
Unfortunately, I did not keep scrupulous track of when I read each book this year. So here goes!
(ugh, did I seriously only read 28 books this year? In my defense, some of them were very long. EDIT: More like 31.)
January and February
The Girls of the Kingfisher Club, Genevieve Valentine- A+ (Jazz-era "Dancing Princesses" retelling; spectacular)
Rogue Spy, Jo Bourne- A- (not quite as good as The Black Hawk, and also a little kitschy with family)
Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison- A+ (a truly excellent reread- I was not capable of appreciating it properly in high school and am now furious that Don never considered this a contender for GAN)
March-June (what is my life)
Middlemarch, George Eliot- A+ (still excellent, although I was able to appreciate the role finance played in the narrative much better this time)
Perfect Fling, Carly Phillips- B (I wasn't too impressed...)
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover, Sarah MacLean- A- (good romance, FUN gender swap... but I hate secret child narrative)
Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas- B+ (bahahaha, ludicrous hottie assassin fantasy novel for teenage girls, so enjoyable)
Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas- B+ (the same! but now, she is a FAIRY PRINCESS hottie assassin!)
The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner- A- (decent middle-grade fantasy set in Alternate Greece)
July-August
Americanah, Chimamanda Adichie- A (stellar writing, soupy plot)
The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu- A- (stunning worldbuilding, non-Euro centered fantasy... a really dark view of nation-building & whether trust/alliance are ever possible)
The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner- A (superior middle-grade fantasy set in Alternate Greece- good heavens, what intrigue)
The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner- A+ (A MASTERPIECE OF MACHIAVELLIAN SCHEMING OMG HOW IS THIS FOR KIDS)
Sonata for a Scandal, Lawson- A- (romance set amongst the Romantic music era- an interesting look at erasure of female art)
To Dare the Duke of Dangerford, Ewers?- C (nonsensical Regency-era romance; why must there be aristocrats? and a cake-baking contest??)
EDIT (FOR FORGETTING, PART III): A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner- A- (more scheming, this time with Sophos)
September-November
The Duke of Dark Desires, Miranda Neville- B+ (well-written romance featuring an escaped French aristocrat; still kind of soupy)
The Power Broker, Robert Caro- A+ (this is the longest book ever omg; amazing, even if it reads a little gossipy)
The Ruin of a Rogue, Miranda Neville- B (Regency romance, totally adequate; it did involve house-cleaning, that was fun)
Oreo, Fran Ross- A (the myth of Theseus, set in 1970's era NYC; I wanted to love it; I couldn't quite; but oh, did I admire the chutzpah)
The Problem with Seduction, Emma Locke- B+ (an interesting look at "legitimacy" and the respectability that money cannot buy in the Regency era)
A Dangerous Invitation, Monroe- A- (a romance set in the gutter! it read like Oliver Twist, but with alcoholism, grave-robbing, and sex)
Great and Unfortunate Desires, Gina Danna- C- (rotten writing, Orientalism at its finest, an obvious villain, and a douchey hero)
Start Me Up, Nicole Michaels- B (sweet small-town romance involving a divorced blogger and a hot mechanic)
Before We Were Free, Julia Alvarez- B+ (decent writing, odd plotting; a YA look at Trujillo's hold on DR)
Broken Homes, Ben Aaronovitch- A- (great worldbuilding of Alternate London; probably not the best place to start the series)
EDIT (FOR FORGETTING): Uprooted, Naomi Novik- A (lovely fantasy novel about girls and patriarchy and power)
December
The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson- A+ (ahhhhhhhh SO GOOD HALP)
Hip Check- B (solid hockey player-nanny romance)
Shadowshaper, Daniel Jose Older- A- (fantasy set in Bed-Stuy; the villain is gentrification. The ideas are great, the writing is elementary)
EDIT (FOR FORGETTING, PART II): A River Runs Through It, Norman MacLean- A (gorgeous writing, distressing misogyny)
(ugh, did I seriously only read 28 books this year? In my defense, some of them were very long. EDIT: More like 31.)
January and February
The Girls of the Kingfisher Club, Genevieve Valentine- A+ (Jazz-era "Dancing Princesses" retelling; spectacular)
Rogue Spy, Jo Bourne- A- (not quite as good as The Black Hawk, and also a little kitschy with family)
Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison- A+ (a truly excellent reread- I was not capable of appreciating it properly in high school and am now furious that Don never considered this a contender for GAN)
March-June (what is my life)
Middlemarch, George Eliot- A+ (still excellent, although I was able to appreciate the role finance played in the narrative much better this time)
Perfect Fling, Carly Phillips- B (I wasn't too impressed...)
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover, Sarah MacLean- A- (good romance, FUN gender swap... but I hate secret child narrative)
Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas- B+ (bahahaha, ludicrous hottie assassin fantasy novel for teenage girls, so enjoyable)
Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas- B+ (the same! but now, she is a FAIRY PRINCESS hottie assassin!)
The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner- A- (decent middle-grade fantasy set in Alternate Greece)
July-August
Americanah, Chimamanda Adichie- A (stellar writing, soupy plot)
The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu- A- (stunning worldbuilding, non-Euro centered fantasy... a really dark view of nation-building & whether trust/alliance are ever possible)
The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner- A (superior middle-grade fantasy set in Alternate Greece- good heavens, what intrigue)
The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner- A+ (A MASTERPIECE OF MACHIAVELLIAN SCHEMING OMG HOW IS THIS FOR KIDS)
Sonata for a Scandal, Lawson- A- (romance set amongst the Romantic music era- an interesting look at erasure of female art)
To Dare the Duke of Dangerford, Ewers?- C (nonsensical Regency-era romance; why must there be aristocrats? and a cake-baking contest??)
EDIT (FOR FORGETTING, PART III): A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner- A- (more scheming, this time with Sophos)
September-November
The Duke of Dark Desires, Miranda Neville- B+ (well-written romance featuring an escaped French aristocrat; still kind of soupy)
The Power Broker, Robert Caro- A+ (this is the longest book ever omg; amazing, even if it reads a little gossipy)
The Ruin of a Rogue, Miranda Neville- B (Regency romance, totally adequate; it did involve house-cleaning, that was fun)
Oreo, Fran Ross- A (the myth of Theseus, set in 1970's era NYC; I wanted to love it; I couldn't quite; but oh, did I admire the chutzpah)
The Problem with Seduction, Emma Locke- B+ (an interesting look at "legitimacy" and the respectability that money cannot buy in the Regency era)
A Dangerous Invitation, Monroe- A- (a romance set in the gutter! it read like Oliver Twist, but with alcoholism, grave-robbing, and sex)
Great and Unfortunate Desires, Gina Danna- C- (rotten writing, Orientalism at its finest, an obvious villain, and a douchey hero)
Start Me Up, Nicole Michaels- B (sweet small-town romance involving a divorced blogger and a hot mechanic)
Before We Were Free, Julia Alvarez- B+ (decent writing, odd plotting; a YA look at Trujillo's hold on DR)
Broken Homes, Ben Aaronovitch- A- (great worldbuilding of Alternate London; probably not the best place to start the series)
EDIT (FOR FORGETTING): Uprooted, Naomi Novik- A (lovely fantasy novel about girls and patriarchy and power)
December
The Traitor Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson- A+ (ahhhhhhhh SO GOOD HALP)
Hip Check- B (solid hockey player-nanny romance)
Shadowshaper, Daniel Jose Older- A- (fantasy set in Bed-Stuy; the villain is gentrification. The ideas are great, the writing is elementary)
EDIT (FOR FORGETTING, PART II): A River Runs Through It, Norman MacLean- A (gorgeous writing, distressing misogyny)