Books I Read: 2015

One of my goals last year was to read 12 books, a repeat of a goal I had in 2014. An average of a book a month is doable for me and not that overwhelming- but still reminds me to do some reading when I get a chance! These are the books I read in 2015:

1-3. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden - Jessica Sorenson (series of 3 books) (also Redemption of Callie and Kayden & Resolution of Callie and Kayden)
This is a young adult series that I read on my plane flights to/from Key West in January. It's a fun love story but also deals with some issues like abuse. Overall a very quick read, but it was great for vacation and I liked the characters. (3/5)

4-6. Recon: The Fringe series - Tarah Benner (3 books so far) (also Exposure and Outbreak)
This was a young adult series about a post-apocalyptic world in which characters live in huge facilities in the desert because the rest of the outside world is uninhabitable due to radiation. It starts out kind of weird, but I ended up loving the characters and the storyline was engaging throughout all three books. (4/5)

7. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
This was another futuristic book in which characters are involved in a huge multi-player video game that is more real than their actual lives. One of the goals in this video game is to find a prize hidden by the creator. Pretty fun book. (3/5)

8. The Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom
This is a historical fiction novel about a young Irish immigrant girl who ends up being raised by black slaves in the "kitchen house" on a Southern plantation. I really enjoyed it, although the author was a little melodramatic at times. I liked it better than the Help, which is a similar period piece. (4/5)

9. Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
I don't even know how to rate this book. It was so unusual. Basically every time the main character Ursula dies, she comes back to life and lives through the same experiences, up to a pivotal moment when a different choice or event changes the course of her life. It was good for awhile but then I started to get irritated with Ursula making the same bad decisions in life after life. There wasn't really an ending either. (2.5/5)

10-11. Legend & Prodigy - Marie Lu
These were enjoyable books as a diversion on plane rides, but ultimately forgettable. Like, I can barely remember them enough to write a synopsis, other than that the two main characters are named Day and June. I still have yet to read the third book, Champion. I'll probably read it just to finish the series even though these books were just ok, (2/5)

12-13. The Silkworm & Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
I love this new series by J.K. Rowling. The Silkworm was not quite as good as Cuckoo's Calling, but I still enjoyed it, Career of Evil was better and I liked how it explored both Cormoran and Robin's pasts a bit more. These books are very "adult" with an extensive vocabulary and mature themes. It's not a fast paced serial killer thriller like James Patterson writes, but I like these books much better. Silkworm (3/5). Career of Evil (4/5).

I read a lot of series and young adult books this year, especially ones with futuristic or post-apocalyptic themes. This coming year I hope to branch out and read a greater variety of books. I'm making the same commitment of 12 books a year!