2015 Holiday Reading List: Gift Ideas + Best Books of the Year

I read quite a few books this year. In fact, I just looked back on my Kindle and the final number appears to be around 37. I'd say that's a lot, would you agree? We can probably thank the two retreats that I led and my three international flights for such a high number ;) 

So, since I did so much reading this year, I feel that I can adequately provide you with a list of the best new/newish books of 2015. I should be clear that since I read mostly fiction, that's what this list is made up of: fiction books that I couldn't put down over the past 11 months.

Also, since I read so many books in 2015 and not all of them were new, I'm including three short lists below. First, a list of the six best "new releases" that I read this year (books that came out in late-2014 or 2015); second, a very small list of a few older books that I finally got around to reading this year and loved, and third, a list of page-turners and travel reads (perfect for the beach, a long plane flight, or those times when you don't want to think too much while reading). 

If you haven't read these books, I definitely recommend each and every one of them. If there's a book lover on your gift list, I also highly recommend giving any of these books as gifts. Here goes!

Best New Books Read in 2015:

• We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
• The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
• The Color of Secrets by Lindsay Ashford
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Older Books that I Finally Read + Loved in 2015:

• Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
• The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

New Page-Turners/Beach Reads/Airplane Books Worth Picking-Up:

• The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
• The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North
• Sugar by Deirdre Riordan Hall
• Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Looking back at all of the books I read in 2015, there are some common themes that emerge: WWII-era novels, novels about the horrors of slavery and the bonds/friendships that arose despite those horrors, and family + relationship novels. Sounds about right...

What books did you read in 2015 that you just couldn't put down? I'm always looking for new books to add to my list!

Looking for more suggestions? You can peruse all of my past reading lists here.