The Martian -- Andy Weir. Hands down the best book of the year for me. I promised myself a hard copy of it...and then Amazon Kindle had it on sale for $2.99 I'm not a huge Science Fiction fan, though I'm sliding that way, but Weir was totally clever in his ability to make me think ____I___ was the one that wasn't going to survive on Mars. P.S. I'm still buying a hard copy.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes -- Caitlin Doughty. This was an ARC from ALA Las Vegas...one I actually had to hunt down b/c every copy had been handed out. Exceptional read. Doughty is a mortician; but she's also so much more. The book is a mix of funny and somber and irreverent without being cheesy or gauche. Fair warning, this book may trigger some really uncomfortable feelings. The Invisible Front -- Yochi Dreazen. A very somber discussion (study?) about (non-military) suicide vs combat death. Speak -- Laurie Halse Anderson. YA about a girl that is raped and then ostracized by everyone she thought was a friend. In Cold Blood -- Truman Capote. True crime novel about the Clutter Family murders. I'd never read this...even though I've taken about 20 English Lit classes in college. Excellent read. The Good Earth -- Pearl S. Buck. Fictional novel about life in China. This is also something I'd never read despite my English degree. The End of Your Life Book Club -- Will Schwalbe. This is an interesting non-fiction account of the last year or so of his mother's fight with cancer...and the books they read and discussed. Lesli