Rhoda's Best Books Read in 2015

For many years now, I have kept a log of all the books I've read.  I just counted, and I read 34 in 2015.  Many of you enjoy getting book recommendations, so I thought I'd list the best books I read in 2015.  Most of these books came out in previous years; I just read them in 2015.

Here they are, in no particular order:  The comments are from my log.

• Some Luck,  by Jane Smiley--Excellent novel that follows a farming family in Nebraska through the years from when they are a young married couple, through the birth and growing up of all the children—the dust bowl, WWII, the “red” scare-- all affect them or someone in their family.  Interesting weaving of historical events with the fiction elements.  
• The Invention of Wings,  by Sue Monk Kidd--A historical novel about the Grimke sisters of Charleston, who became abolitionists.  True story of the sisters intertwined with fictional slave woman, who was “given” to the older sister for her birthday.  I had never heard of the Grimke sisters, so found that part very interesting.  It was well written and researched.
• A Time to Kill,  by John Grisham--Interesting, well written story about a lawyer in Mississippi who agrees to represent a black man who murdered two rednecks who brutally raped his 10-year old daughter, then threw her into the woods to die.  Good twists and turns to keep you interested. 
• Living the Secular Life, by Phil Zuckerman--Great book about positive living as a secular humanist. Quote from the book that I like:  “Simply put, humanism rejects belief in heaven, hell, God, gods, and all things supernatural, while at the same time affirming belief in the positive potential for humans to do and be good, loving, and altruistic.  Humanism rejects faith in favor of reason, it rejects superstition in favor of evidence-based thinking, and it replaces worship of a deity with an appreciation for and love of humankind and the natural world.”  p. 129  
• Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher--A hilarious novel, all written in the form of letters of recommendation.  An English prof/writer/teacher of creative writing sardonically deals with life and the craziness of academia.  I laughed over and over, but it struck home a bit too much sometimes.  Great book--especially for those who have worked in academia.
• The Lost City of Z, by David Grann--Amazing true story of an Amazonian explorer in the 1920’s named Fawcett, who was looking for the lost city of Z.  He did heroic things to survive but ultimately disappeared.  He became a folk legend, with many people trying to find him and the two others in the lost party. The descriptions of the Amazonian insects, diseases, and treatment of the indigenous people were horrifying.
• The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing, by Mira Jacob--Young woman who is working as a photographer in Seattle takes “art” pictures on the sly while working as wedding photographer.  She had been a news photographer before, until she took a picture of a man committing suicide by jumping off a bridge. Fascinating story, extremely well told, compelling reading.
• The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristna Henriquez--A really good book about people from Central America and Mexico who have come to the U.S.  One family has come to get help for their beautiful daughter, who was hurt in a construction accident.  The other major story is of a young boy who falls in love with the girl.  It is the best story I’ve read about how they cope with life in this unfamiliar land, make community, and become “Americans” in a dual way.  
• Being Mortal:  Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande--This is an important book.  It talks from a physician’s perspective about two issues:  In the first part he talks about assisted living and nursing homes, how some are structured for life, others for custodial care, without much for the residents to live for.  In the second part, the most important part, he talks about end of life issues, and how doctors aren’t trained to truly deal with finding out the wishes of the patient, what they want out of their last days, and how the care should be different, based on the patient’s answers to four important questions.
• The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters--Fascinating book that takes place after WWI.  Young woman and mother must take in boarders because all men in family either died in war or are dead.  Daughter falls in love with wife of the boarder couple and they begin a furtive, though torrid relationship.  All spins out of control. 
• Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson--Two sisters are orphaned in mother's home town after mother commits suicide.  They are cared for by a series of eccentric relatives who gradually let the girls sort of go feral. You will really like this book--well written, great story.
• Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett--A Japanese industrialist is lured to South America by promise of his favorite opera singer performing at a birthday party for him.  All goes well until the party is taken over by revolutionaries, who think the country’s president will be at the party.  They take everyone captive and begin many months of captivity, where they go from being captives to being a sort of “family.”  You always know that it will end badly, but their captivity becomes a sort of idyllic time of separation and contemplation of what is important in life.
• Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson--Excellent, fun book about a very proper English gentleman who falls in love with a Pakistani widow, much to the dismay of his son and the rest of the town.  Well written, witty  I liked it a lot.
• Descent:  A Novel, by Tim Johnston--Compelling novel about a girl abducted while out running in the mountains of Colorado.  Brother, who was following on bicycle, is severely hurt by being hit with car of man who abducted sister.  It follows the family as they continue to try to find her or give up in despair.  One reviewer called it a "literary thriller," which I would agree with wholeheartedly.  You can't put it down, wanting to know what will happen, but the writing is outstanding, thought-provoking.

I would love for you to comment by telling me some of the best books you have read recently.  I am wanting recommendations, also.