When I sat down to make a list of books I’ve loved in 2015, I realized that most of them were not released this year. The thing is, that even if I had read more 2015 releases, I am confident that I would have kept coming back to these titles because I enjoyed them so much.
Oddly enough, I had to cheat because I did read a book this year that was so great it belongs on this list, despite it coming out in 2013. It’s that good. You’ll see that at the end.
I picked four books mainly because I was watching over 365 movies last year thanks to my Movie A Day (continuing in a much larger fashion this year over here). You can probably say that the honorary #5 is Robert Galbraith’s (AKA JK Rowling) The Silkworm since I loved the first two books in the series, even though I haven’t read it yet.
So, enjoy the 4 books I loved in 2015!
My favorite book of the year comes courtesy of YouTube superstar, Tyler Oakley. Binge is a hilarious, touching, and fascinating look into the life of one of YouTube’s most popular stars. Tyler is an important voice. He’s a shining example of using his fame in a positive way. As far as I am concerned, he’s an icon in the LGBT community. He’s accomplished so much in just a few years, including raising upwards of a million dollars for The Trevor Project. Tyler isn’t resting on his laurels wth this book. It’s intensely personal, incredibly relatable, and a really great read. You’ll definitely go through a spectrum of emotions. You can read more about it via my review HERE. Suffice it to say, it’s well worth your time to read it and get to know the Tyler you might not know about, the one you don’t see all of on your computer screens. You’ll be glad you did.
It’s another double book year from my favorite author Stephen King!
How could they not be two of my favorite books of the year?
This year, King released a new, eagerly-awaited collection of short stories The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and it is worth the wait along with the second of a Trilogy that began with the excellent Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers. The final installment of this trilogy, End of Watch, arrives in just a few months.
Both of his 2015 releases are top notch King releases. Action packed, scary, and both leave you wanting more. Finders Keepers is almost a crime novel but there are some supernatural elements creeping in. I’ll leave those surprises for your readings.
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams gives you everything you can want from a Stephen King collection and is one I could not put down. Some truly excellent short fiction here that further proves is a master of his craft no matter the length of the tale.
Lastly, that book I mentioned that came out in 2013. I’d never heard of either the book, its author, or the author whose idea inspired the book. In fact, I had only heard of it when I stumbled across the trailer for the film version that comes out this fall (a terribly long time to wait).
The book is called A Monster Calls and it is truly wonderful.
It is hard to talk about the book without spoiling anything so I’ll keep it quick. A boy is visited by a monster and hears three stories before the monster requires him to reveal his own truth or else face a dreadful punishment. It might sound like a scary book but it really isn’t. It’s a book about emotions, and change, and dealing with things that you cannot change, even if you do not want to accept them. It is so touching and is one that is very important for young people to read should they find themselves in the same situation that our hero is in.
The artwork is stunning, the writing is beautiful. It’s simply a must read book for anyone, any age. It also happens to be ridiculously priced at like $5 at amazon.
Those are my favorite books that I’ve read in 2015! 2016 looks to be a great year for books so we’ll probably do this again next year!
My favorite movies of 2015 is coming in a few weeks!
Garon Cockrell is the Founder and Editor of Pop Culture Beast and host of The Pop Culture Beast Show. He founded the site over seven years ago to have a place on the internet to write about the things he loved. Since then, Garon has become a best-selling author (Demonic and Other Tales), an award winning screenwriter (Best Screenplay 2013 Motor City Nightmares Film Festival), and a cast member on the top rated podcast, Never Not Funny.