Natalie's Books of 2015

Hello, friends! (I write this as though so many people read this, when in reality it's just me and maybe my mom. Hi, Mom.) Once again, I have proved a most inconsistent blogger, but I thought that, as the end of the year is quickly approaching, it might be fun to review some of the books I've read this year. Also, I didn't want to do school work.

Without further ado--

Everything* I've Read in 2015

*Everything except the books I forgot**
**Side note, all titles in italics are books I reread***
 ***I reread a lot of books

1. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4. Hard Times by Charles Dickens
5. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
6. Middlemarch by George Eliot
7. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
8. Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson*
9. The Story of England by Christopher Hibbert
10. We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story by Josh Sundquist
11-14. The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce
15. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
16. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
17. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
18. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
19. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
20-22. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
23. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness D'Orczy
24. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
25. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman
26. The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
27. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
28. Summers at the Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
29.  Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
30. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer**
31. Winter by Marissa Meyer
32. East by Edith Pattou
33. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
34. The Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George
35. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

*To be honest, I read that book multiple times this year.
**Actually haven't finished that one. Oops.

Notable Mentions:

1. Everything Maggie Stiefvater

I have a super serious obsession with her books. They read like something out of my dreams, or my very heart. Stiefvater has a miraculous way with words that creates the most magical stories. I've been reading her books for several years now (since I was, like, thirteen) but this summer I rekindled my love when I read her newest series, The Raven Cycle. These books are so, so good. Every character is so precious and the world is so mythic and fantastic. I also read The Scorpio Raves (technically a reread, but I remembered nothing of the plot so it was like reading it afresh) and Lament. Of these two, I preferred The Scorpio Races, but I enjoyed both thoroughly. Basically Maggie Stiefvater is queen and I want to be her when I grow up.

2. Fairy-tale Retellings

This year I also indulged my love of fairy tales. I love books that draw from myths and fairy tales, and I read some really good retellings in the past months. East retold the fairy tale "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon," aka the polar bear king story. This fairy tale is so under-appreciated, but is one of my most favorites. I loved Pattou's take on the story and felt so happy and satisfied by the end. Winter also made me happy in so many ways. As the conclusion to Meyer's sci-fi fairy-tale series, Winter combined the stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meyer does characters so well and I really enjoyed seeing the series wrap up.

3. Neverwhere, a London Adventure

Like with The Scorpio Races, I have actually read Neverwhere before, but it had been several years and I had forgotten many of the details. So, while on my study abroad, I decided to listen to the BBC radio dramatization of the novel. Let me tell you, that was on of the best decisions of my life. I listened to it whilst in London, and it was just the neatest thing to visit the places mentioned in the novel. I remember, one day when I had visited the British Museum, I came back to the youth hostel to relax and listen to Neverwhere. As I listened to it, the characters actually went to the British Museum--the museum I had just been in, like, an hour ago. Listening to the book was such a fun experience and really made me cherish my time in London even more. Also, listening to James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch narrate is always a plus.

There you have it! All the books I read this year (probably). Hopefully, once finals are over, I can squeeze in a few more before the new year comes around. But I look forward to all the lovely books next year will bring.

Until the next time I need to procrastinate,
Natalie