From Committees of RUSA

 

Notable Books List 2015

RUSQ Notable Books Council

RUSA Notable Books Council contributing members are Katharine Phenix (chair), Anythink Libraries, Adams County, Colorado; Liz Kirchhoff, (vice-chair), Barrington (IL) Area Library; Victoria Caplinger, NoveList/EBSCO Information Services, Durham, North Carolina; Stacey Hayman, Rocky River (OH) Public Library; Jason A. Reuscher, Pennsylvania State University Libraries, State College, Pennsylvania; Mary Callaghan “Cal” Zunt, Cleveland Public Library; Sharon Castleberry, Dallas, Texas; Sarah Jaffa, Kitsap Regional Library, Kitsap County, Washington; Sara Taffae, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Craig Clark, Upper Arlington, Ohio; Vicki L. Gregory, School of Information, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; and Marlene Harris, Reading Reality, Duluth, Georgia.

The Notable Books Council, a group of readers’ advisory experts within the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, has announced its selections for the 2015 Notable Books List.

Since 1944, the goal of the Notable Books Council has been to make available to the nation’s readers a list of about twenty-five very good, very readable, and at times very important fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books for the adult reader. A book may be selected for inclusion on the Notable Books List if it possesses exceptional literary merit, expands the horizons of human knowledge, makes a specialized body of knowledge accessible to the nonspecialist, has the potential to contribute significantly to the solution of a contemporary problem, or presents a unique concept.

The 2015 winners are:

Fiction

Denfeld, Rene. The Enchanted: A Novel. Harper (ISBN: 978-0-06-228550-8). Death row inmates await escape through execution in this weirdly gorgeous tale.

Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Scribner (ISBN: 978-1-4767-4658-6). Navigating the dark of World War II, a German boy and a French girl survive using senses other than sight.

Flanagan, Richard. Narrow Road to the Deep North: A Novel. Knopf (ISBN: 978-0-385-35285-7). Australian beaches, Burmese jungles, love and death permeate a story of World War II POWs.

Harkaway, Nick. Tigerman. Knopf (ISBN: 978-0-385-35241-3). Funny, strange, and dangerous, the island of Mancreu may be beyond saving, but perhaps a superhero can bring redemption. Full of win.

Lee, Chang-Rae. On Such a Full Sea. Riverhead (ISBN: 978-1-59448-610-4). From fish farm to big pharma, one hundred years later it’s all the same.

McEwan, Ian. The Children Act. Nan A Talese (ISBN: 978-0-385-53970-8). A deceptively simple story reveals complexities of life choices.

Mitchell, David. The Bone Clocks: A Novel. Random House (ISBN: 978-1-4000-6567-7). The human condition: bleak but not without moments of redemption.

Mandel, Emily St. John. Station Eleven: A Novel. Knopf (ISBN: 978-0-385-35330-4). Love, music, and Shakespeare sustain survivors of a global pandemic.

Ness, Patrick. The Crane Wife. Penguin (ISBN: 978-1-59420-547-7). A thoughtful exposition of love, in all its endless varieties.

Powers, Richard. Orfeo: A Novel. Norton (ISBN: 978-0-393-24082-5). On the run from Homeland Security, Peter Els reflects on a life of attempted creation and immortality through music and chemistry.

Rash, Ron Something Rich and Strange: Selected Stories. Ecco (ISBN: 978-0-06-234934-7). A brutal and beautiful collection of human tales set in the Carolinas.

Toews, Miriam. All My Puny Sorrows. McSweeney (ISBN: 978-1-940450-27-8). How much sacrifice does the love of a sister require?

Nonfiction

Birmingham, Kevin. The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce’s Ulysses. Penguin (ISBN: 978-1-59420-336-7). Biography of a notorious classic which changed the landscape of literature and launched the Modernist movement.

Blum, Howard. Dark Invasion: 1915 Germany’s Secret War and the Hunt for the First Terrorist Cell in America. Harper (ISBN: 978-0-06-230755-2). German spies collaborate to unleash a campaign of terror in the United States at the start of World War I.

Bragg, Rick. Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story. Harper (ISBN: 978-0062078223). Can a man play rock and roll and still go to heaven?

Eig, Jonathan. The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution. Norton (ISBN: 978-0-393-07372-0). The not-so-immaculate conception of the first oral contraceptive.

Greenwald, Glenn. No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State. Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt (ISBN: 978-1627790734). A real-life spy thriller and a cautionary tale about government data gathering.

Jager, Eric. Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris. Little, Brown (ISBN: 978-0-316-22451-2). Political intrigue that starts with a murder and ends with a throne.

Kolbert, Elizabeth. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. Henry Holt (ISBN: 978-0-8050-9299-8). Whether it’s rats or cockroaches that inherit the earth, this tale of species loss forms a narrative of evolution and annihilation.

Lepore, Jill. The Secret History of Wonder Woman. Knopf (ISBN: 978-0-385-35404-2). Suffering Sappho, we need to teach these girls to have some fun!

Macy, Beth. Factory Man. Little, Brown (ISBN: 978-0-316-23143-5). Made in America vs. Made in China—is it too late to save one of these labels?

Sides, Hampton. In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeanette. Doubleday. (ISBN: 978-0-385-53537-3). Glory and heartbreak on the rocks.

Stark, Lizzie. Pandora’s DNA: Tracing the Breast Cancer Genes Through History, Science, and One Family Tree. Chicago Review Press (ISBN: 978-1613748602). One woman’s face-off with her genetic fate.

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Spiegel & Grau (ISBN: 978-0-8129-9452-0). A searing indictment of institutionalized racism and state-sanctioned death.

Poetry

Fairchild, B. H. The Blue Buick: New and Selected Poems. Norton (ISBN: 978-0-393-24026-9). A regional American experience through myth and memory.

Hirsch, Edward. Gabriel: A Poem. Knopf (ISBN: 978-0-385-35357-1). A father’s lament.

The Reading List 2015

RUSA Reading List Council

RUSA Reading List Council members are Gillian Speace (chair), NoveList, Durham, North Carolina; Victoria Carlson Kemp (vice-chair), Flower Mound (TX) Public Library; Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos (CA) Library; Nanette Donohue, Champaign (IL) Public Library; Jennifer Hendzlik, Anythink Libraries, Adams County, Colorado; Jared L. Mills, Seattle Public Library; Janet Schneider, Bryant Library, Roslyn, New York; Ann Chambers Theis, Henrico County (VA) Public Library; and Valerie Taylor, librarian (retired).

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selections for the 2015 Reading List as well as the short lists and read-alikes. Established in 2007 by the CODES section of RUSA, The Reading List seeks to highlight outstanding genre fiction that merit special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them.

The 2015 winners are:

Adrenaline

Beukes, Lauren. Broken Monsters. Mulholland (ISBN: 978-0-316-21682-1).

Detroit serves as the economically battered backdrop of this inventive, visceral suspense story about a series of bizarre murders that draws a group of memorable characters into a complex web of violence. Smart, stylish, and addictive, this page-turner shows how the American Dream has failed many on a personal level.

Read-alikes

  • Koja, Kathe. Skin.
  • Carrisi, Donato. The Whisperer.
  • True Detective (HBO, 2014).

Short List

  • King, Stephen. Mr. Mercedes. Scribner (ISBN: 978-1-4767-5445-1).
  • Lee, Patrick. The Runner. Minotaur (ISBN: 978-1-250-03073-3).
  • Nesbø, Jo. The Son. Knopf (ISBN: 978-0-385-35137-9)
  • Koryta, Michael. Those Who Wish Me Dead. Little, Brown (ISBN: 978-0-316-12255-9).

Fantasy

Addison, Katherine. The Goblin Emperor. Tor (ISBN: 978-0-7653-2699-7).

Following the sudden, suspicious deaths of his entire family, exiled half-goblin Maia becomes emperor, a role requiring diplomacy and adherence to strict protocols. Focusing on the intricacies of court life, this elegant novel unfolds at a pace that allows readers to savor the rich tapestry of character, setting and plot.

Read-alikes

  • Bujold, Lois McMaster. The Spirit Ring.
  • Elliott, Kate. Cold Magic.
  • Rawn, Melanie. The Ruins of Ambrai.

Short List

  • Abercrombie, Joe. Half a King. Del Rey (ISBN: 978-0-8041-7832-7).
  • Marmell, Ari. Hot Lead, Cold Iron. Titan (ISBN: 978-1-78116-822-6).
  • Holmberg, Charlie N. The Paper Magician. 47 North (ISBN: 978-1-4778-2383-5).
  • Johansen, Erika. The Queen of the Tearling. HarperCollins (ISBN: 978-0-06-229036-6).

Historical Fiction

Forsyth, Kate. Bitter Greens. Thomas Dunne (ISBN: 978-1-250-04753-3).

Banished from the court of Versailles, spirited Charlotte-Rose de la Force meets a nun who weaves together the strands that form the Rapunzel fairy tale, revealing its surprising origins. A captivating marriage of history and folklore featuring characters true to their time periods, yet timeless in their dreams and desires.

Read-alikes

  • Dunant, Sarah. In the Company of the Courtesan.
  • Valentine, Genevieve. The Girls at the Kingfisher Club.
  • McIntyre, Vonda. The Moon and the Sun.

Short List

  • Brown, Amy Belding. Flight of the Sparrow. NAL (ISBN: 978-0-451-46669-3).
  • Griffith, Nicola. Hild. Farrar (ISBN: 978-0-374-28087-1).
  • Burke, James Lee. Wayfaring Stranger. Simon & Schuster (ISBN: 978-1-4767-1079-2).
  • Lawhon, Ariel. The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress. Doubleday (ISBN: 978-0-385-53762-9).

Horror

Buehlman, Christopher. The Lesser Dead. Penguin (ISBN: 978-0-425-27261-9)

Beneath the streets of 1970s New York, Joey meets the merry children, a gang of ancient child vampires, and discovers that immortality isn’t all fun and games. Gritty, clever, and gonzo, this fresh take on the vampire mythos gets darker and creepier as the pages turn.

Read-alikes

  • Skipp, John, and Craig Spectorg. The Light at the End.
  • Rowe, Michael. Enter Night.
  • Wendig, Chuck. Double Dead.

Short List

  • Thomas, Lee. Butcher’s Road. Lethe (ISBN: 978-1-59021-470-1).
  • Hendrix, Grady. Horrorstör. Quirk (ISBN: 978-1-59474-526-3).
  • Cantero, Edgar. The Supernatural Enhancements. Doubleday (ISBN: 978-0-385-53815-2).
  • Cutter, Nick. The Troop. Orbit (ISBN: 978-1-4767-1771-5).

Mystery

Weaver, Ashley. Murder at the Brightwell. Minotaur (ISBN: 978-1-250-04636-9).

This classic English mystery follows Amory and her estranged husband, Milo, whose paths cross at a seaside resort where suspicious deaths implicate Amory’s former fiance, Gil. A vivid mystery that sparkles with personality as Amory and Milo puzzle out the truth behind the murders and negotiate their own complicated relationship.

Read-alikes

  • Christie, Agatha. Tommy and Tuppence Series.
  • Greenwood, Kerry. Cocaine Blues: A Phryne Fisher Mystery.
  • Satterthwait, Walter. Escapade.

Short List

  • Hayder, Mo. Wolf. Atlantic Monthly (ISBN: 978-0-8021-2250-6).
  • Holsinger, Bruce. A Burnable Book. William Morrow (ISBN: 978-0-06-224032-3).
  • Edwards, Graham. Talus and the Frozen King. Solaris (ISBN: 978-1-78108-199-0).
  • Cameron, W. Bruce. The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man. Forge (ISBN: 978-0-7653-7748-7).

Romance

Dev, Sonali. A Bollywood Affair. Kensington (ISBN: 978-1-61773-013-9).

Comic misunderstandings ensue when playboy Bollywood director Samir travels to America to secure an annulment for his brother, married at age four to Mili in a traditional arranged Indian wedding ceremony. Appealing protagonists, a diverse supporting cast, and a colorful multicultural backdrop lend this charming story unexpected emotional depth.

Read-alikes

  • Bride and Prejudice (Miramax Films, 2004).
  • Freudenberger, Nell. The Newlyweds.
  • Venkatraman, Sundari. The Malhotra Bride.

Short List

  • Thomas, Sherry. My Beautiful Enemy. Berkley (ISBN: 978-0-425-26889-6).
  • James, Julie. It Happened One Wedding. Jove (ISBN: 978-0-425-25127-0).
  • McCarty, Monica. The Raider. Ballantine (ISBN: 978-0-345-54393-6).
  • James, Eloisa. Three Weeks with Lady X. Avon (ISBN: 978-0-06-222389-0).

Science Fiction

Weir, Andy. The Martian. Crown (ISBN: 978-0-8041-3902-1).

Stranded on Mars, wisecracking botanist Mark Watney proves that an astronaut has to be smart, resourceful and, perhaps, a little crazy to survive. Strong characterization, well-researched but accessible technical detail, and a deft blend of suspense and humor will please science enthusiasts and fans of survival stories on any planet.

Read-alikes

  • Gravity (Warner Brothers, 2013).
  • Roach, Mary. Packing for Mars.
  • Heinlein, Robert. Farmer in the Sky.

Short List

  • VanderMeer, Jeff. Annihilation. FSG Originals (ISBN: 978-0-374-10409-2).
  • Bach, Rachel. Fortune’s Pawn. Orbit (ISBN: 978-0-316-22111-5).
  • Scalzi, John. Lock In. Tor (ISBN: 978-0-7653-7586-5).
  • Sternbergh, Adam. Shovel Ready. Crown (ISBN: 978-0-385-34899-7).

Women’s Fiction

Walton, Jo. My Real Children. Tor (ISBN: 978-0-7653-3265-3).

Patricia Cowan, an elderly woman suffering from dementia, remembers two different lives, two different careers, two different families, and two different worlds. A striking novel of how tragedy turns to joy and heartbreak turns to love with a narrative twist that hooks the reader and never lets go.

Read-alikes

  • Atkinson, Kate. Life After Life.
  • Sliding Doors (Miramax Films, 1998).
  • Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler’s Wife.

Short List

  • Reid, Taylor Jenkins. After I Do. Washington Square (ISBN: 978-1-4767-1284-0).
  • Jewell, Lisa. The House We Grew Up In. Atria (ISBN: 978-1-4767-0299-5).
  • Moran, Caitlin. How To Build A Girl. Harper (ISBN: 978-0-06-233597-5).
  • Umrigar, Thrity. The Story Hour. Harper (ISBN: 978-0-06-225930-1).

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ALA Privacy Policy

© 2023 RUSA