Library Reads: Best of 2015

It's here. The Library Reads Favorites of the Favorites for 2015 list.  Please click here for all Library Reads lists and for your reminder as to why old lists matter as much as the new ones.

LibraryReads Favorite of Favorites 2015

The Girl on the Train:
A Novel

by Paula Hawkins

Published: 1/13/2015 by Riverhead
ISBN: 9781594633669

“Rachel is a washed-up thirty-something who creates a fantasy about the seemingly perfect couple she sees during her daily train ride into London. When the woman goes missing, Rachel manages to insert herself into the investigation of the woman’s disappearance. In the vein of Gone Girl, this dark psychological thriller is fast-paced and features some very unreliable narrators.”

Andrea Larson, Cook Memorial Public Library, Libertyville, IL

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

by Erik Larson

Published: 3/10/2015 by Crown
ISBN: 9780307408860

“In cinematic terms, this dramatic page-turner is Das Bootmeets Titanic. Larson has a wonderful way of creating a very readable, accessible story of a time, place, and event. We get three sides of the global story–the U-boat commander, British Admiralty and President Wilson–but what really elevates this book are the affecting stories of individual crew and passengers.”

Robert Schnell, Queens Library, Jamaica, NY

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The Rosie Effect: A Novel

by Graeme Simsion

Published: 12/30/2014 by Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781476767314

“Don Tillman and Rosie are back again, and they’ve relocated to New York. Rosie is continuing her studies, while Don is teaching and even adding to his small circle of friends. But when Rosie announces that she is pregnant, Don is once again out of his depth. What follows are crazy situations that could only happen when Don is involved. Funny and heartwarming.”

Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, MA

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The Nature of the Beast:

A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

by Louise Penny

Published: 8/25/2015 by Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250022080

“Louise Penny set the bar high with her last two books, but she had no trouble clearing it with this one. All our old friends are back in Three Pines where a young boy with a compulsion to tell tall tales tells one true story with disastrous results. But which story is the truth and why is it so threatening? Exquisitely suspenseful, emotionally wrenching and thoroughly satisfying.”

Beth Mills, New Rochelle Public Library, New Rochelle, NY

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A Spool of Blue Thread: A Novel

by Anne Tyler

Published: 2/10/2015 by Knopf
ISBN: 9781101874271

“In this book, we come to know three generations of Whitshanks–a family with secrets and memories that are sometimes different than what others observe. The book’s timeline moves back and forth with overlapping stories, just like thread on a spool. Most readers will find themselves in the story. Once again, Tyler has written an enchanting tale.”

Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, MA

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Circling the Sun: A Novel

by Paula McLain

Published: 7/28/2015 by Ballantine Books
ISBN: 9780345534187

“I couldn’t stop reading this fascinating portrayal of Beryl Markham, a complex and strong-willed woman who fought to make her way in the world on her terms. McLain paints a captivating portrait of Africa in the 1920s and the life of expats making their home there. Highly, highly recommended.”

Halle Eisenman, Beaufort County Library, Hilton Head, SC

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Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things

by Jenny Lawson

Published: 9/22/2015 by Flatiron Books
ISBN: 9781250077004

“Lawson’s hilarious memoir is a romp between absurdity and despondency. Passages alternate from ridiculously funny stories of her life to episodes of her sometimes debilitating depression. Lawson embraces living life, rather than merely surviving it. Why be just happy when you can be furiously so? Recommended to fans of David Sedaris and Sloane Crosley.”

PJ Gardiner, Wake County Public Libraries, Raleigh, NC

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The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel

by Nina George

Published: 6/23/2015 by Crown
ISBN: 9780553418774

“Quirky and delightful, Nina George’s book focuses on Jean Perdu, owner of the Literary Apothecary, a floating bookshop. When a new tenant in his apartment building sets in motion events that force Jean to re-evaluate his past, he finds himself floating off down the rivers of France in search of lost love, new love, and friends he didn’t know he needed.”

Beth Mills, New Rochelle Public Library, New Rochelle, NY

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Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel

by J. Ryan Stradal

Published:7/28/2015
by Pamela Dorman Books
ISBN: 9780525429142

“This novel is quirky and colorful. The story revolves around chef Eva Thorvald and the people who influence her life and her cooking. With well-drawn characters and mouthwatering descriptions of meals, Kitchens of the Great Midwest will appeal to readers who like vivid storytelling. Foodies will also enjoy this delicious tale.”

Anbolyn Potter, Chandler Public Library, Chandler, AZ

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A God in Ruins: A Novel

by Kate Atkinson

Published: 5/5/2015 by Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 9780316176538

“In A God in Ruins, we become reacquainted with Teddy Todd, the beloved little brother of Ursula from Atkinson’s last book. As with Life After Life, this novel skims back and forth in time, and we see the last half of the 20th century through Ted’s eyes and the eyes of his loved ones. At times funny and at others heartbreaking, Atkinson revels in the beauty and horror of life in all its messiness.”

Jennifer Dayton, Darien Library, Darien, CT