2015 Recommended Books List

Well, guys, 2015 is drawing to a close. It's been kind of a wild year--then again, what year isn't wild?--and lots of stuff has happened. Some of that stuff has involved me reading books. And some of those books were good. So, without further ado, I present to you: the AJ Gonzalez 2015 Recommended Books List. Seven books that I loved and think you should read. (All summaries are written by me.)

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1. Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Summary: Ciere Giba is one of a tiny percentage of people given superpowers by a vaccine to a deadly virus. For such people with "adverse effects", there are only two options: work for the government, hunting down others like yourself, or be branded a traitor and be locked up. Of course, a few of the effected--including Ciere--have taken a third option: a fast-paced, dangerous life of crime.

So, it's a little hard to summarize both the premise and the plot of this book--but the book itself does a great job of setting up the premise and keeping the plot moving. It's been described as a cross between X-Men and Ocean's Eleven, and honestly that's a pretty accurate description. Besides having an interesting, almost-plausible premise (I read this while the Ebola crisis was in full swing, and boy did that make it more convincing), this book has awesome, fascinating characters and some amazing twists and turns. I thoroughly recommend it. (And I just found out there's a sequel. I know what's going on my reading list for next year!)

2. Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Summary: Zahrah Tsami was born with dada locks--vines growing in her hair that are supposed to be a sign of special powers. Zahrah doesn't know anything about that; she feels normal, despite what others think. But when her best friend's life is threatened, Zahrah is forced to harness all her courage and all her power to save him. 

I have to say: this book is basically everything I've ever wanted in a YA fantasy novel. It's very well-written with an unusually diverse cast. (All of the characters are black. All of them.) The main character is a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl with realistic emotions, motivations, and character growth. There's no shoehorned romance (actually there's no romance at all). Additionally, the world-building is incredible. You can tell that the author put thought and imagination into the world she's crafted here. In short: this book was a delight and I highly recommend it. 

3. By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson

Summary: Achan Cham is a stray, the lowest of the low in the land of Er'Rets. Vrell Sparrow is a noblewoman, disguised as a common boy to avoid a forced political marriage. Neither of them expect to attract the attention of Kingsguard knights--but they do, setting in motion events that eventually culminate in the revelation of a shocking secret. 

So, this probably isn't the most original book I've ever read, but as far as fantasy goes, it is good. It plays out a lot of the common tropes and plot points of fantasy without being too predictable or derivative. It's also one of the few overtly Christian-themed fantasies I've read. The sequels aren't quite as good, in my opinion, but the second one, at least, is still worth reading. (I haven't yet gotten around to the third.) Even if you decide against the sequels, I'd say By Darkness Hid is at least worth a read. 

4. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Summary: Wealthy, mysterious Englishman Phileas Fogg and his French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in eighty days on a bet--but unbeknownst to them, they are pursued by a detective determined to arrest Fogg for bank robbery. 

Yes, this is an old, classic book. (It was first published in 1873.) Yes, I'm still recommending it, because I re-read it this past year and absolutely loved it. It's not hard to read, as some classics are; the characters are all well-defined and keep the plot moving along. Additionally, there are some wonderful descriptions of travel in a pre-airplane world, not to mention the locales that the characters travel through. So it's just a good book overall, and I highly recommend it.


5. The Memory Key by Liana Liu
Summary: In a world ravaged by a viral form of Alzheimer's Disease, Lora Mint is just like everyone else: she has a "memory key", a computer chip implanted into her brain that keeps her memories functioning properly. But when an accident causes her key to malfunction, an old memory resurfaces--indicating that her mother's death years ago was no accident. Lora determines to find out what happened, but with part of her brain on the fritz, the search may only drive her crazy.

So, this book is a little weird, because it has all the makings of a hardcore dystopian thriller, but in reality it's more of a mystery with a few futuristic trappings. Still, it's a good book--the plot keeps you turning pages, since you want to find the answer to the mystery as much as the main character does. It's also pretty clean as far as language and sexual content, which can be unusual for a YA book. I would certainly recommend it.


6. Grandmaster by David Klass
Summary: Daniel Pratzer is eager to prove himself as a member of his school chess club. But he's only a novice, and as far as he knows his father never played a game of chess in his life. Then the club invites the both of them to a week-long father-son tournament, and Daniel learns that his father was once a world-class grandmaster, until he quit chess for the sake of his sanity. As the tournament goes on and tensions rise, Daniel is forced to question if the acceptance he craves is worth it.

I picked this book up at the library because it looked like an easy read, and because I'd never seen a novel about chess before. I was right on both counts: this is a page-turner that's really fast-moving for a book about chess, and the author definitely knows how work a plot that has chess--and a father-son relationship--at its center. It's also pretty clean, which is always nice.


7. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
Summary: Told in novel format, this is the story of Nat Bowditch, 18th Century mathematician and nautical wonder, chronicling his life from childhood to the captaincy of his own ship.


This is the only non-fiction book on this list; but it's here for a reason. Despite being entirely non-fiction, it's written and paced like a story. It has some very hard-hitting emotional moments, and all of the setting are very well described. It's clear the author did her research, but also knew how to incorporate it into an engaging story. So yes, this is non-fiction, but I still enjoy reading it, and I highly recommend it.

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So there you have it: seven books and I read or re-read this year and loved. If you've read any of these, or end up reading them because of me, feel free to comment or email me about it and we can chat. Feliz Navidad and a Happy New Year to everyone!