This week's topic is a check in on 2015's reading highlights thus far. I like making this list because it highlights some books that are really great but which by necessity will be displaced before the year end top ten. Here is where I am at and I'm feeling like it's a pretty good reading year so far!
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1. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
I can't imagine anything knocking this really superb book off of the top spot for the year. It may even find a place in my top ten of all time. Don't be scared off because it is a "western"; it is first and foremost a story about people in extraordinary circumstances. (my review)
2. Jackaby by William Ritter
My only other 5 star read this year. With its Sherlock Holmes meets Doctor Who approach to a historical paranormal story, this one hit all my bells repeatedly. Love the characters, can't wait for the sequel! (my review)
3. Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon
This is book number 3 in a fantastically well done historical mystery series set in colonial era America. Each installment is different and seems to be getting better. I wasn't sure about this one during the initial pages but by the end McCammon had taken me on a totally satisfying journey! (my review)
4. Shine, Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer
There is something about Lydia Netzer's unique writing style that works so well for me. This is the second of her books I've read and it's somewhat impossible to describe but it somehow manages to be charming, strange and moving all at once. (my review)
5. One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean
I've read three really awesome Regency romances by MacLean in the last month and she has definitely become a favorite. This one just edges out the other two mostly because I adore the two main characters. I haven't reviewed this one yet but did just post one on Nine Rules to Break when Romancing a Rake which came in a close second!
6. Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
Roach is one of my favorite non-fiction writers and her latest book about the gastro-intestinal system was equal parts educational and entertaining. (my review)
7. The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The second book in the Hyperion Cantos and while it is not as good as book one it is still pretty spectacular and much much larger in scope. This is one of the best science fiction series I've ever read! (my review)
8. Lirael & Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Kind of a cheat but this is really just one long story told across two books. They are books two and three in the Abhorsen series and tell the story of Lirael and Sabriel's son Sameth as they save The Old Kingdom. The whole series is incredibly original and richly imagined YA lit! (my review - Lirael and Abhorsen)
9. Clockworks and Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
These are the last two volumes in the incredible Locke and Key graphic novel series. It's a blend of mystery and horror and the two concluding volumes are amazing! The whole series is great!
10. Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
This is book 11 in the very popular Harry Dresden series and it surprised me a little how much I enjoyed it! It's a long series that still has a lot of life and the power to entertain! (my review)
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That's it for me. Except that The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson is almost tied with Turn Coat. It's the first in a mystery series featuring a Wyoming sheriff named Walt Longmire on which the TV show is based. It's great! Okay I'll stop now. Can't wait to see what made other's lists!
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