The 15 Best Books I Read in 2015

1-6.

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8-10.

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15.  

Here are all the "contestants":

What I'm Reading Wednesday - The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Rising, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Back from my vacation in Colorado and break from writing!

Here's what I've been reading:

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

This book is most definitely different and I'm loving it so far. Of course, I will always <3 dystopias. 

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

This was the third in the series and a perfect end, though I hope to hear more from Maya and Daniel, and Chloe and Derek in the future :). 

The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman

It's taking me awhile to get through this one because I'm reading every entry and thinking about how and if it applies to any of my characters. I plan on then doing the same thing with The Negative Trait Thesaurus. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (audio)

I love the way this book has changed in the second half and am sad that I'll be finishing it in the next few days. Now, off to find out if it has a sequel...

What I'm Reading Wednesday - Ender's Game and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Update on my goal to write 5 scenes this week: it's going well! I wrote one scene, each about 1,000 words, on Monday and Tuesday night. I'm about to make it three in a row. So far the trick has been pushing through the difficult parts and just getting SOMETHING down. I can fix the small nuances later.

On to books.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I first read this book as an assignment for school when I was in eighth grade. I remember that I liked it a lot, but I also remember missing out on a lot of the nuances. Since the movie came out last year and I'd like to see it, I decided to go ahead and reread the book. It's even better than I remember so far. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (audio)

I kid you not, I find myself jonesing for this book. About twenty or thirty minutes before I leave work I start thinking about listening to it in the car. I kind of wish I'd checked it out as a regular book so that I could zoom through it, but I guess there's something to savoring it too :).

(Just realized I used the word nuance twice in this post. Decided to leave it be. If the word fits...)

What I'm Reading Wednesday - Ruin and Rising, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Finally reading the third one :). 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (audio)

Mmm so good. 

What I'm Reading Wednesday - The Calling, The DUFF, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

 Late again! Argh.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

I've actually already finished this one. Can't wait to get my hands on the third. 

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Looooove the romance in this one, even if it is kind of predictable. It makes me swoon. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (audio)

I'm really getting into this, it makes me look forward to my drive home. It also makes me wonder why I've never considered writing this genre. Part of me thinks maybe I'm not creative enough. I mean, a magical demonish lair headed by a chimera type monster who collects teeth (I CANNOT wait to find out why)?!? Brilliant. 

Also, I'm sensing a theme in the covers this week. Girl's faces. Each really does speak to the tone of its book. 

What I'm Reading Wednesday - Wonder, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and The Positive Trait Thesaurus

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

My fourth graders read it this year so I figured it was time for me to read it as well. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (audio)

I just started this one today. 

The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi

I started this book to help me understand my characters better and create two distinct pov voices. I plan to read it all the way through, though that's not necessarily how it's meant to be read. I also plan to read The Negative Trait Thesaurus next.