Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2015.  This list will be almost half of the books I've read so far this year!  Luckily, about half of them have been pretty good, so I won't feel like I'm unintentionally recommending stinkers by putting those books on this list.

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2015:

Cruel Beauty
by Rosamund Hodge
rating: 3.88

This is one of three fairytale retellings that made my list, but the only young adult one (the other two were middle grade).  I loved the world that the author built; it was almost like alternate history, but with a lot of fantasy thrown in.

The Wide-Awake Princess
by E. D. Baker
rating: 4

Of the three fairytale retellings that made this list, this is the only one that wasn't strictly a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling... although it did incorporate that story, along with many others.  This is actually the first in a series of books about Annie, and now I kind of want to read the rest of them.

Listen, Slowly
by Thanhha Lai
rating: 4.13

I really enjoyed the author's other book, Inside Out & Back Again, which was written in verse.  I thought this one would be, too... but it was a regular prose novel, and I was a little disappointed when I first started reading it.  But then I got caught up in the story and really enjoyed it.  I haven't read any other books set in modern-day Vietnam (that I can recall), so this one provided a refreshing change of scenery.

Carrie
by Stephen King
rating: 4.13

I read my first Stephen King novel this year!  I went with this book mainly because it was short and not so intimidating.  But I actually really enjoyed it.  I'm not quite so afraid of trying some of his other books, now that I have an idea of the way he writes.

Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt
rating: 4.25

I hadn't read the book, nor had I seen the movie... even though the former has been out since before I was born, and the latter is already more than a decade old.  I can see why this one is a modern classic, though; it's a simple story, but it has unforgettable characters.  Fantasy combines with serious questions to make an intelligent and thought-provoking read.

Shadow and Bone
by Leigh Bardugo
rating: 4.25

This is my most recent read.  I didn't know much about it going into reading it, other than that it was a Russian-flavoured fantasy.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was fairly well written and had an engaging story... as well as some characters that are very intriguing.

5 to 1
by Holly Bodger
rating: 4.25

I like to read verse novels, but I haven't had a chance to do much of that sort of reading this year.  This book is not strictly a verse novel; it switches back and forth between free verse and prose.  I really enjoyed this dystopian look at an Indian city in the future, where there are so many boys that the girls have now become the precious commodity.

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
rating: 4.38

I had this book in my TBR pile for years... and I only just got around to sitting down and reading it (partly because I wanted to watch the movie, but only after I'd read the book).  It was different from anything I've read... but I can definitely see why it's so highly regarded.

Beastkeeper
by Cat Hellisen
rating: 4.38

This middle grade retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" puts an interesting twist on the story with a multi-generational curse.  Don't let the fact that the main character is young turn you off, though; it's an intelligent, well-written fantasy that will appeal to older readers as well.

All Our Yesterdays
by Cristin Terrill
rating: 4.5

What can I say about this bittersweet time-travel story?  It was one of the first books I read in 2015, and I'm still thinking about it.  I was quite disappointed when the author cancelled the sequel, but I guess I'd rather have no sequel than one that's a disappointment.  This book would be difficult to live up to!

What are the best books you've read so far this year?