Top 10 Books of 2015

Best Books of 2015 - Our Top 10 Good Reads

Our list for the best books of 2015 has the bases covered. Whether you prefer a memoir, history, or fiction, you'll find it among these 10 good reads.

‘Presence’

Amy Cuddy
Want to enjoy a more confident year? Consider power posing. This transformative self-help tome explains how assuming the Wonder Woman stance before a big interview sends an empowering message to your mind. — Deirdre Donahue

‘Unforgettable’

Scott Simon
Brimming with wisdom and charm, this lovely memoir by the National Public Radio host celebrates his beloved mother. A much-married former showgirl and model, she adored her only child and taught him the importance of good manners, humor and kindness. — DD  

‘The Patient’s Playbook’

Leslie Michelson
Trust me — you need this guide because everyone at some point faces a health crisis. Michelson details, step by crucial step, how to navigate the terrifying world of doctors, hospitals, second opinions, drug trials and insurance so you get lifesaving results. — DD

‘A God in Ruins’

Kate Atkinson
You don’t have to have loved Atkinson’s 2014 novel Life After Life to read this page-turner. It stands beautifully on its own. Here, she focuses on Teddy Todd, a former World War II pilot, vividly transporting us from modern Britain back to the war that, she suggests, shaped all that followed. — Christina Ianzito

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‘The Nightingale’

Kristin Hannah
This gem is smart, propulsive historical fiction from Hannah, who has long been a veteran on the best-seller lists. Set in German-occupied France, it features two very different sisters fighting in their own ways for the Resistance. You’ll race through, fingers crossed for their safety. — CI 

‘Ardennes 1944’

Antony Beevor
A must for all history buffs. Celebrated for his past classics such as Stalingrad, The Battle for Spain and D-Day, the acclaimed British historian now plunges the reader into Hitler’s last gamble, which resulted in the one of the most savage battles of World War II. — DD

‘Fates and Furies’

Lauren Groff
Groff’s latest novel was short-listed for the 2015 National Book Award, and for good reason. It’s a brilliant story of a marriage between two dramatically different characters, Lotto and Mathilde, that’s built on lies — or at least wildly divergent perceptions of reality. The truth doesn’t just hurt; it destroys. — CI  

‘My Kitchen Year’

Ruth Reichl
After her magazine Gourmet was shuttered, famous foodie Reichl found herself unemployed and shell-shocked. So she retreated to her kitchen and fired up the stove. She dishes up the recipes that helped her rediscover the joys of cooking for herself and her family. Delicious. — DD  

‘Between the World and Me’

Ta-Nehisi Coates
If there is one book that is required reading this year, it is this slim volume — winner of the 2015 National Book Award for nonfiction — that Coates penned to his adolescent son. Coates probes deeply into the issue of race and the experience of being a black male in America today. — DD  

‘Barbarian Days’

William Finnegan
The search for the perfect wave has found its Homer in Finnegan. Beginning with a childhood spent in Hawaii and California, this textured memoir captures both the physical excitement of surfing and the intellectual stimulation of endless travel. But it’s not all sunshine and adventure. Even if you never go in the water, this book makes quite a splash. — DD   

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