Books Read in 2015

It pains my heart when I read statistics claiming that a quarter of American adults haven't read a single book this year.  Why would someone choose not to enrich their lives?  By reading books, you are more capable of building a robust perspective of the world and your fellow complex earthly beings who also reside here.

Whether you are reading a novel for the first time or re-reading your favorite book, there is never a better day, month or year to crack open a good read.  Listed below are all 33 of the books I've consumed in 2015:

1.  Yes Please - Amy Poehler

For lovers of: Female comedian memoirs 

2.  As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride - Cary Elwes

For lovers of: Behind the scenes tales of giants, sword fighting, and Rob Reiner as told by Westley himself

3.  Night - Elie Wiesel

For lovers of: 1st rate holocaust memoirs

4.  Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy - Donald Miller

For lovers of: Spiritual memoirs that appeal to the millennial/generation X persuasion.

5.  The Awakening - Kate Chopin

For lovers of: 19th century controversial literature

6.  David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants - Malcolm Gladwell

For lovers of: Books that teach you how your personal disadvantages can function as your ultimate advantage

7.  Bel Canto - Ann Patchett

For lovers of: Books that remind you of Breakfast Club but for held hostages 

8.  The Road - Cormac McCarthy

For lovers of: Grim, apocalyptic tales of survival

9.  The Giver - Lois Lowry

For lovers of: Children's dystopian literature

10.  The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan

For lovers of: Mother-daughter narratives that transcend generations

11.  Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

For lovers of: Alfred Hitchcockian marital page-turners

12.  Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless Love - Francis Chan

For lovers of: Spiritual devotionals trumpeting God's radical love

13.  Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

For lovers of: Gothical romanticism

14.  Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

For lovers of: Satirical (and often times foreseeable) dystopian literature

15.  To The Lighthouse - Virginia Wolfe

For lovers of: Novels featuring minimal storytelling but enriching character development

16.  Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

For lovers of: Embarrassingly candid confessional diaries 

17.  To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

For lovers of: Beloved classics that nearly restore your faith in humanity (assuming you don't continue with Go Set a Watchman)

18.  About a Boy - Nick Hornby

For lovers of: British 'man-boy' fiction

19.  Emma - Jane Austen

For lovers of: Both Jane Austen and Clueless

20.  Plunder and Deceit - Mark R. Levin

For lovers of: Political non-fiction for millennials but marketed to baby boomers

21.  Midnight's Children - Salmon Rusdie

For lovers of: (Indian) magical realism

22.  Winesburg, Ohio - Sherwood Anderson

For lovers of: Stories chronicling small-town isolation

23.  The Stranger - Albert Camus

For lovers of: Fiction that ponders and grapples with existentialism and morality

24.  Beloved - Toni Morrison

For lovers of: Post-slavery tales that will give you the hibbie jibbies 

25.  The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

For lovers of: Young Adult weepies

26.  Cannery Row - John Steinbeck

For lovers of: 'Slice of life' novels that zero in on a community's townspeople 

27.  Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World- Bob Goff

For lovers of: Inspirational memoirs that will make you re-evaluate the way you live

28.  Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

For lovers of: Books that make you want to call up your favorite professor or spiritual mentor  

29.  The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

For lovers of: A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life

30.  Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

For lovers of: (Latin) magical realism

31.  1984 - George Orwell

For lovers of: Bleak and foreseeable dystopian novels that seem to always remain relevant


32.  Why Not Me? - Mindy Kaling
For lovers of: Memoirs that remind you of the conversations you share with your best friends


33.  A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickins
For lover of:  Classic Christmas tales that will lift your jaded spirits

Which books have you read (or re-read) this year?


See also: Books Read in 2014 
                How To Read Over 20 Novels a Year

Top 5 Films of 2015

Perhaps this year's slew of movies can't boast any sort of cinematic innovations similar to last year.  I recall being blown away by Birdman cinematographer's "one shot" magic show.  I also adored Linklater's patience in developing last year's Boyhood which fictionally documented a boy's life through the course of twelve years.  

Still, despite this year's mostly run-of-the-mill offerings, there have been a few movies that have dealt with the mysteries of the mind.

1.  Inside Out 

After a few recent commonplace features, Pixar is once more back on the radar by delivering compelling and original content that speaks to both children and adults alike.  This time around, Pixar has decided to conquer the most complex and fascinating realm: the brain.  In Inside Out, we have the luxury of meeting pint-size characters portraying an eleven year old's primal feelings as they learn how to function in accord.   

2.  Steve Jobs

Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs plays like a three-act on-stage performance focusing on three crucial product demonstrations.  Though hardly any character is remotely likable,  screenplay superstar, Aaron Sorkin, knows how to build momentum with his heated wordplay.  Although Michael Fassbender doesn't share many physical traits with Steve Jobs, his performance is truly mesmerizing and deserves to be recognized this award season.

3.  Love and Mercy 

Love and Mercy chronicles Beach Boy genius Brian Wilson long after The Beach Boys' early successes.  This film knows how to defy rock bio-pic expectations by focusing, not solely on the 'rock n roll' lifestyle, but the mental illness he possessed and the love story that ultimately grounds and rescues him.  

4.  Mad Max

Remakes, reboots, sequels and other brand-based franchises have definitely frustrated me within the last decade or so.  However, with Miller's latest Mad Max upgrade, I was pleasantly surprised.  Perhaps I had little running on the film since I've never even seen the original trilogy.  However, Mad Max knew how to galvanize me with its beautifully electrifying cinematography and its apocalyptic and female-spirited wasteland chase.    

5.  Ex-Machina

Just because we may have the capability to perform technologically advanced innovations, doesn't mean that it's necessarily a good idea for the nature of mankind.   Nathan, a young scientist whom lives in an isolated home/research lab, has toyed with the notion of playing God.  By creating astronomical strides with his collection of artificial intelligence, he has nominated a well-meaning programmer, Caleb, to test his latest concoction's self-awareness.  This cerebral sci-thriller contemplates what happens when both man and machine become too smart for their own good.

Films I Still Need To See:  Brooklyn, Hateful Eight, Joy, Amy, The Revenant, Star Wars, Spotlight, etc. etc.

Honorable Mentions: Trainwreck, What Happened Nina Simone, The Wrecking Crew


Which movies did you enjoy this year?


See also:  Top 5 Films of 2014

Top Albums and Singles for 2015

I usually scoff at people who claim that they like "all kinds of music."  How is that possible?  There are simply too many genres and sub-genres imaginable.  More specifically, there is so much music outside the confines of Clear Channel radio stations for most Americans to make such a bold statement.

Have I captured "all kinds of music" on my top albums listicle this year?  Not exactly. I've included an eclectic mix, but certainly not "all kinds."  With so much music being released each year, I could have overlooked a musical genius lurking about somewhere.

Who decides which musicians are relevant these days?  I'd like to think that in the Internet age, we, mere digital consumers, have more of an influence than we may realize.  Let's swap our favorites and introduce one another more kinds of music.

Top 5 Albums of 2015

1.  Sound & Color - Alabama Shakes

2.  I Love You Honeybear - Father John Misty

3.  Currents - Tame Impala

4.  Yours Dreamily - The Arcs

5.  Goon - Tobias Jesso Jr.

Top 40 Singles of 2015

1. Snakeskin - Deerhunter

2.  Easy Way Out - Other Lives

3.  A Heart Like Hers - Mac Demarco

4.  PPP - Beach House

5.  Huararche Lights - Hot Chip

6. Reality in Motion - Tame Impala

7. Chateau Lobby #4 - Father John Misty

8. Gimme All Your Love  - Alabama Shakes

9.  Green and Gold - Lianne La Havas

10.  Everyday - Diane Coffee

11.  Young and Dumb - The Bird and the Bee

12.  Northern Highway - Martin Courtney (Real Estate)

13.  False Hope - Laura Marling

14.  An Illustration of Loneliness - Courtney Barrett

15.  California Nights - Best Coast

16.  Tomato Can - The Arcs

17.  Little Ballerina - Emile Haynie ft. Rufus Wainwright

18.  Lonesome Street - Blur

19.  To Die in L.A. - Lower Dens

20.  Silent Ivy Hotel - El Vy

21.  You're Wasting Out - Andy Shauf

22.  What Part of Me - Low

23.  Big Decisions  - My Morning Jacket

24.  Taste the Ceiling - Wilco

25.  Falling From the Sky - Calexico

26.  Went to War  - Amason

27.  Lisa Sawyer - Leon Bridges

28.  Apollyon of Blue Room  - Of Montreal

29.  Eugene - Sufjan Stevens

30.  Empty Me Out - Liz Vice

31.  Hot Coals - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Fields

32.  Tropic of Cancer - Panda Bear

33.  Teenage Talk - St. Vincent

34.  Leaving L.A. - Tobias Jesse Jr.

35.  Yes Man - Ben Folds

36.  I - Kendrick Lamar

37.  Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

38.  No No No - Beirut  

39.  Black Star - David Bowie
40.  Busy Earnin' - Jungle

Who have I left out?  What are your top albums (or singles) of 2015?  

See also: Top Albums and Singles of 2014