We’ve had some chats here about various “Best Book” Awards for 2015, from the Baileys Prize to the Man Booker Prize to National Book Award. And since we decided that other people’s favorite books of 2015 are so much fun, that our own list of favorite reads from 2015 would be a blast. This series was kicked-off by our super-terrific Archivist yesterday, and now we’re off and rolling….
So, for the next few weeks, we’ll be bring you our staff’s favorite reads from this year, in the hopes that you can discover a new book to treasure…Because asking a library employee to name just one favorite book is like asking them to pick the loveliest star in the sky, or a perfect grain of sand… Some of these books have been mentioned here before. Some books were published a while back; some are brand, spanking new. All of them come with a gilt-edged guarantee from your favorite library staff (wink, wink) that these are some ideal books to carry with you into the New Year.
This week’s selections come from none other than Lady Pole herself, who has made our Saturdays on the blog such a joy:
The Supernatural Enhancements: This was one of the first books I read this year and still is pretty strong in my mind. The disjointed, sort-of-epistolary style, the edge-of-your seat suspense and the overall story itself easily made this one of the best books I read this year.
Bartleby the Scrivener – This is a supreme example of passive-aggression put into words and how utterly destructive and useless that tactic can be. No matter how many times I keep reminding myself how funny Melville is, he keeps surprising me in the best of ways.
Don’t Pigeonhole Me – This is an amazing example of how versatile Mo Willem’s talent truly is. The art and content is msot definitely for adults, but still has the sense of whimsy and on-point humor that makes pretty much everything he does entertaining.
Trigger Warning – I always wish I was more into short-stories than I am, but I had no trouble devouring this book. If anything the brief stories in so many different styles and formats made this book even more of a delight. Neil Gaiman is easily one of my favorite authors and this book not only shows that he is as much a master of short-form fiction as he is long-form, but it also demonstrates his masterful ability to frame a collection and discuss his thoughts on fiction in an introduction that I wanted to print out and hang up on my wall.
Furiously Happy – I really can’t say enough about Jenny Lawson’s courage, eloquence and completely side-splitting humor. She takes some truly horrible situations and retrospectively finds the fun and joy in them, allowing her to appreciate her good days more fully, know that she will come out of the other side of the bad days and, I sincerely hope, help people who are in similar situations.