My Top Ten Books of 2015!

Well the year is over, hard to believe. It's been such a wonderful year full of wonderful books and I am excited to share the top ten books I enjoyed out of the seventy I read in 2015. It was hard to choose just ten, but in the end I chose the books I feel have resonated and stuck with me the most. You can easily find my full reviews on these books by typing the title in the search box above.

10. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

This is a junior fantasy I read for a class this last semester. I wasn't expecting to even like it, first because it was required reading, and second because I'm not a huge fan of fantasy in general. However, within the first two paragraphs of this book I was hooked. This is an incredible series I'd feel comfortable recommending to anyone.

9. The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

This was another  surprising book for me. It's isn't popular and I hadn't herd any great reviews on it, but the premise interested me so I decided to pick it up. I read this book in one sitting. It is a classic dystopian novel with a not so original plot, but I completely fell in love with the characters from the start. The story and characters evolved in such a way that I was surprised and in tears by the end.

8. A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

This is the last book in The Madman's Daughter series, and while I did love all three, this one was the most compelling to me. This book is based off of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and is most definitely the most disturbing book in the series. All the books are pretty dark and spooky but this one left me gripping the pages in suspense and terror. I read it around Halloween time which may have added to my enjoyment, but I overall think Megan Shepherd is an incredible writer.

7. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

This book is short but powerful. It follows a man on his journey in Heaven after an accident on a rollarcoaster kills him. He meets five people in Heaven. Five people who greatly influenced his life, or who he unknowingly influenced. What I loved about this book was how each person was someone I wouldn't expect. This book really made me think about my own life, and who my five people might be, and for what reasons they would be there.

6. Courtships of the Prophets by Mary Jane Woodger

This was a simple and cute book about some of the Prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and how they met their eternal sweethearts. I adore the Prophets and Apostles. It's always been easy to tell how much they love and cherish their wives, so seeing into the stories of their courtships was quite a treat.

5. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

I love Kasie West's books, and this one might be a my new favorite. It is a cute and silly contemporary novel that just warmed my heart. It's clean, funny, and I just loved all the characters. It was just a joy to read.

4. My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt

This book covers a more controversial topic, but the author handles it beautifully by writing in prose and with minimal details. This book follows Angel as her life falls apart and how she tries to scrape it back together. It is honestly a beautiful story and a quick read.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Another cute and funny book. Actually probably the cutest and funniest book I've ever read. I don't know why I put off reading this book for so long but it was so much fun! It is a book I would re-read whenever I'm down. There is some language in this book, which is why I gave it a lower rating, but the story and the characters and the overall cuteness of it all won it a spot on my top ten.

2.Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Another cute contemporary novel, but with a more serious and heartbreaking undertone. It's about a girl who makes contact with the boy who received the donor heart of her dead boyfriend. I cried so hard while reading this. I thought it was wonderfully developed and the story just left me in a puddle of emotions.

1. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

My favorite book this year is also the most powerful and heartbreaking. This book is the true story of Corrie Ten Boom, a brave woman who risked everything to save Jews from Hitler during WWII. What I loved most about this book was that it told a story that is not heard as often. I've read plenty of books about the horrible things the Jews went through, but nothing about those who helped them. Corrie and her family are thrown into a prison that may as well have been a concentration camp. and her bravery and faith during all of it is incredible. This is a book I feel everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.