{"id":12656,"date":"2015-12-29T18:06:29","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T23:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/?p=12656"},"modified":"2020-06-08T14:51:04","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T18:51:04","slug":"the-books-of-2015-books-i-read-and-loved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/archives\/12656","title":{"rendered":"The Books of 2015: Books I Loved"},"content":{"rendered":"

Previously:
\nBooks I loved (Published in 2015)<\/a>
\nCovers I loved<\/a>
\nCovers I hated<\/a><\/p>\n

These are the books I loved that weren’t published in 2015, but that I want to point out, in case you haven’t read them. There are only two re-reads here–books I love so much I just wanted to note again how happy they make me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Graphic Novel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal<\/a><\/em> (2014) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphonsa<\/p>\n

This is an absolutely delightful comic. The following two volumes aren’t quite as good as the first, in keeping a story that is understandable to those not already immersed in the Marvel universe, but the first volume does a lovely job of that, and I highly recommend it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Historical Romance<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Spymaster\u2019s Lady<\/a><\/em> (2008) Joanna Bourne<\/a> (10\/10)
\nMy Lord and Spymaster<\/a><\/em> (2008) Joanna Bourne<\/a> (9\/10)<\/p>\n

These are (rather obviously) part of a series, with spies set during and around the Napoleonic wars.<\/p>\n

As someone who read the James Bond novels as a teen, I\u2019m a sucker for a good spy novel. (Yes, I know how unrealistic the James Bond stories are. That doesn\u2019t mean they aren\u2019t fun.) And these are fun.<\/p>\n

The women in the stories are no wilting flowers, but do what they can to save themselves (after all, espionage means danger) which I always appreciate.<\/p>\n

Plus, how can I not love a series where a heroine says, \u201cI am England\u2019s expert on skullduggery in accounting.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shadows of the Heart<\/a><\/em> (1996) Tracy Grant<\/a>
\nShores of Desire<\/a><\/em> (1997) Tracy Grant<\/a>
\nRightfully His<\/a><\/em> (1998) Tracy Grant<\/a><\/p>\n

This is another series set in a similar time frame, by another author I quite like.<\/p>\n

First, the heroines in these stories are generally not shirking violets and virgins, in fact, the heroine in on story is pregnant when she is rescued by the hero.<\/p>\n

Second, these are also mysteries, and good mysteries at that. The heroines are involved in helping to resolve the mysteries (especially when the mystery for one is who she is). And there are lots of fun historical bits, which I always enjoy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Very Best of Charles de Lint<\/a><\/em> (2010) Charles de Lint<\/a><\/p>\n

I love Charles de Lint, and this is a (mostly) fan selected selection of some of his best stories. I own most of these stories in other collections (because seeing Charles de Lint in an anthology makes it an automatic buy) but it was a pleasure to read all these stories, both the handful of new stories and the many stories I\u2019d read (and re-read) before.<\/p>\n

One of the things about Charles de Lint is that many of his characters have been hurt and broken in the past, but with very few exceptions, the stories leave you with a sense of hope.<\/p>\n

Legion: Skin Deep<\/a><\/em> (2014) Brandon Sanderson<\/a><\/p>\n

This is a novella, the sequel to Legion. It\u2019s got a fascinating premise, which is that the main character has multiple characters and personalities living with him\u2014he is aware that they are not real people, but instead the way in which is super-intelligent mind parses and deals with things\u2014a new person\/personality appears often in response to his needing to become an expert in something.<\/p>\n

Like I said, it\u2019s a fascinating idea, and the stories are interesting as well, so it\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Audio Books<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Devil You Know<\/a><\/em>, Audible Version (2006\/2007) by Mike Carey<\/a> and narrated by Michael Kramer<\/p>\n

British magical detective of sorts, with a complicated past and an even more complicated present. My book catnip, and the narrator does a lovely job with the story.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mercy Blade<\/a><\/em>, Audible Version (2011\/2011) Faith Hunter<\/a> narrated by Khristine Hvam
\nRaven Cursed<\/a><\/strong> (2012\/2012) Faith Hunter<\/a> narrated by Khristine Hvam
\nDeath\u2019s Rival<\/a><\/em>, Audible Version (2012) Faith Hunter<\/a> narrated by Khristine Hvam<\/p>\n

I am thoroughly enjoying listening to this series. The narrator does a very good job of making the voices of Jane and Beast (and the other characters as well) distinct and sounding like the book describes them.<\/p>\n

Plus, I get to hear all the details I frequently miss when I zip through a story.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fantasy Re-Reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lions of Al-Rassan<\/a><\/em> (1995) Guy Gavriel Kay<\/a><\/p>\n

This is possibly my favorite Guy Gavriel Kay story. I love the research and history he puts into creating his fantastical world, and how these are not even true fantasies in the sense they don\u2019t have magical usage or creatures, they just exist and interact in a past that never existed.<\/p>\n

Child of a Rainless Year<\/a><\/em> (2005) Jane Lindskold<\/a><\/p>\n

This is an unusual story, of a woman who was orphaned at a young age, coming to discover who she is not as a teen or twenty something, but as a settled, middle-aged woman.<\/p>\n

And in addition to this very unusual main character is a fantastic story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Previously: Books I loved (Published in 2015) Covers I loved Covers I hated These are the books I loved that weren’t published in 2015, but that I want to point out, in case you haven’t read them. There are only two re-reads here–books I love so much I just wanted to note again how happy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,1090],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books-reading","category-years-favorites"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pefxA-3i8","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12656\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/notreally\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}