2015 Favorites | Books & More

2015 is over, and 2016 is here. To be honest, most of 2015 was kind of a shit year for me, and I'm for the most part relieved that it's over. Hopefully 2016 will be much much better. I have neglected this blog a lot in 2015, and I'm sad that I did. I want to continue blogging, but I just haven't been able to get myself to write anything even remotely coherent. This is also why, most of my latest posts have been 'Top Ten Tuesday' posts. I do plan, and hope, to blog a lot more, and more consistently in 2016. Well, here's to hoping!

Anyway, this post is all about those things in 2015 that were amazing and all kinds of awesome. I really wanted to share all the things I've loved this past year, and that's how this post came to be. Not that it's revolutionary or anything. Most people have posts like this around this time. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to these lists other than their overall category. 

Favorite Books of 2015

2015 was not the best reading year for me. I read a lot in the first quarter of the year, but then it all went down hill for me. I read a lot of 'meh' books in 2015, and I wasn't really invested in what I was reading, no matter what it was. However, I did manage to read some really fantastic books, and some of them I'm definitely thinking of re-reading in 2016. These books aren't in any order what so ever.

Something Like Autumn by Jay Bell

This is the third book in the Something Like series by Jay Bell, and I think that this may be my favorite book of the series so far. I knew, going into this book, that it would break my heart, and oh boy, did it do that. I loved getting backstory on Jace, and it made me love the character even more. I'm so in love with this series, and I can't wait to continue it in 2016.

Carry The Ocean by Heidi Cullinan

Honestly, I think that this was probably my favorite book of the year. This book deals with a lot of different topics including depression, sexuality, and autism spectrum disorder. It's such a beautiful book, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to re-read it in 2016.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This is one of the last books I read in 2015, and it was amazing. I don't venture out of my contemporary comfort zone a lot, but with this book, I'm glad I did. I loved the main characters, adored the world, and I was intrigued by the plot. I'm so excited to read the next book when it comes out.

Fawn by Nash Summers

This short story, I decided to read on a whim. Actually I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted to read it when I first saw it, but I'm happy that I did. The writing was beautiful, and it made me cry in several places. It's a beautiful story, and I might re-read it this year.

Take Them By Storm by Marie Landry

This book made me smile. There were so many things I loved about this book, and I actually have a review up of this, so if you want to know more about my thoughts, you can check that out here.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I have a review up of this one too – I’m on a roll here. I went into this book with very high expectations, and this book completely exceeded those expectations. I read this one in a day – which I’m still surprised that I actually managed, but I just couldn’t put the book down. This was a beautiful story, and even though it could be a little slow at time, I still loved it.

Love Lessons series by Heidi Cullinan

Okay, so this is not one book, but a whole series. Again we have something written by Heidi Cullinan on the list. I wasn’t really sure how I felt about this series when I started it. However, it grew on me, and just got better and better. The characters were fantastic, and the writing really drew me in. This series has a diverse cast, including a trans character, very briefly a bisexual character, and an array of representation from the G side of LGBTQ. I would highly recommend this series. My review of the first book in the series can be found here.


Honorable mentions: Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz, Anything Could Happen by Will Walton, Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg, and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli.

Favorite Movies of 2015

I feel like I didn't watched a lot of movies in 2015. Most of my time has been spend on catching up with various TV series, so I’ve kind of neglegted watching movies. And when I finally sat down to watch a movie, I reached out for an old favorite, instead of watching something new. However, I did manage to watch some new releases. My favorite one has to be Star Wars The Force Awakens. Actually I’ve watched it twice, at this point. This year was also the year where I went to the movies with my younger brother a lot. Three of those movies has made it to my favorite list - Fast and Furious 7, Big Hero 6, and Straight Outta Compton, and there were all pretty darn awesome in their own ways. I would highly recommend all four of them.

Favorite TV Shows of 2015

Now, I watch a lot of TV. Probably a little too much, but it takes my mind of off things. I have three series that are pretty much my all time favorites, and two new shows that I absolutely adore. But let's start with the three oldies. Criminal Minds, Castle, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit are some of my all time favorite shows, and this year I watched maybe a little too much of them. I usually have one of these three shows running in the background when I’m writing, or really, doing anything. As of new shows, this year I’ve absolutely loved Jessica Jones, and Daredevil. Both shows are incredible, and I can’t wait for the second season of Daredevil.

Favorite Music of 2015

I have listened to a lot of music this year, and I have definitely expanded my horizon. According to Spotify my two most listened to artists in 2015 were Beyonce, and Nicki Minaj, and if you know me, that is not really a surprise. I absolutely adore both of these ladies, and I'm sure I'm going to keep listening to then far into 2016. Next are two artists that I haven't listened to much before, but I'm very happy that I've started to listen to them. Those two artists are Angel Haze, and Drake. Drake is all my brothers fault. Seriously, he listens to a lot of Drake, like a lot, and now I do too. As for Angel Haze, I've known about them for a while, but have just never listened to any of their music, but holy hell, I'm glad I did, because it's pretty darn amazing.

Favorite Moments of 2015

Even though there were a lot of bummer moments in 2015, there were some really amazing moments that I fondly look back on. One of those is when I went to London back in July. I went with my mother, younger brother, and cousin. It was such a lovely trip, and it made me want to travel so much more. Another moment was when I, in June, passed my Danish Exam, and I can now technically call myself a Danish teacher. I'm still not done with my teacher's education, but it's two years, out of four down, and it removed a big weight off of my shoulders. The last is not really one moment, but a series of moments with my two favorite people in the world. I spend a lot of time with my cousin Charlie, and my best friend Marie, and I'm so grateful for all that time. Basically those times are some of my very favorite moments from 2015. 


So these were my favorite things of 2015. Sometime in the next couple of days I will post a '2016 reading and blogging resolutions' post. Hopefully. Anyway, I hope you had a great 2015, and that you entered 2016 in an awesome way.