I am happy to see 2015 go. I had a productive year but it was a tiring and sombre one. With friends and family falling ill and passing away with alarming frequency, this was not a year for intensive reading. Or, some months, any reading at all (I only managed to finish two books in September). That said, hidden among the comfort reads and mindless fluff that typified my reading this year were some truly excellent books. Most of which I unfortunately never got around to writing about. It took fierce concentration to get the list down to ten but here they are:
10. The Song Collector (2015) – Natasha Solomons
A lovely, gently-paced novel about love, aging, and music.
9. Knight Crusader (1954) – Ronald Welch
I read this historical children’s novel (the first in Welch’s Carey series, currently being reissued by Slightly Foxed) back in January and was so impressed I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Welch’s thoughtful character development and rich historical details compliment a rip roaring plot to delight readers of any age.
8. My History (2015) – Antonia Fraser
A breezy, charming memoir about Fraser’s early years.
7. Iris Origo (2000) – Caroline Moorehead
I adored this biography of Origo, famous for her wartime diary (War in Val d’Orcia – which I’ve yet to read) and her garden at La Foce (which I’ve yet to see). Moorehead does an incredible job of describing the richly complicated Florentine expat community Origio grew up in and her extraordinarily varied circle of acquaintances, as well as her personal achievements. There was nothing simple or straightforward about Origio and Moorehead does full justice to her subject’s complex life. When I visited the Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany in September, I was delighted to see for myself the landscapes Moorehead had described and which Origio knew so well.
6. Sofia Khan is Not Obliged (2015) – Ayisha Malik
An entirely unique comedy about the romantic and spiritual plights (often entwined) of a young British Muslim feminist. It remains the only book that kept me up reading long past my bedtime this year and had me giggling even more often than Bill Bryson’s The Road to Little Dribbling.
5. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (1992) – Marcella Hazan
An unusual choice for this list but this is easily the book I’ve spent the most time with this year. And what a book it is. Hazan’s precise recipes are a joy to read and a delight to recreate. Since buying this in Portland last February, I don’t think more than a week or two has gone by without me trying a new recipe from it. I am devoted to the soup chapter, in thrall to the pasta sauces, and had a revelation over brisket when I made the beef roast with braised onions. It has quickly become my most cherished cookbook.
4. A Desperate Fortune (2015) – Susanna Kearsley
A thrilling historical novel with two equally thoughtful, appealing heroines.
3. Anthony Trollope (1992) – Victoria Glendinning
Glendinning’s thorough, affectionate, and very readable biography of Trollope gave me a new appreciation for the books of his I’ve already read and more impetus to read the others. I was especially fascinated by her interest in his relationships with the women in his lives and how they influenced his female characters.
2. The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867) by Anthony Trollope
A funny, poignant, generous novel to end Trollope’s extraordinary Barsetshire series.
1. Sylvia Townsend Warner’s Letters (1982) edited by William Maxwell
An enchanting collection of letters spanning almost fifty years. STW was a wonderful correspondent, filling her letters with richly-detailed annecdotes, self-deprecating humour, and the most delightful flights of whimsy. I’ve yet to read a single one of her novels but, after reading this and the wonderful collection of her letters to William Maxwell (my favourite book of 2012), I can’t help but think of her as a close, dear friend.
The Captive Reader 
I am so sorry that I’ve missed all Natasha Solomon’s books on Netgalley. I’ve read just one and loved it. Happy new year!
Happy new year, Mystica! I hope you’re able to track down and enjoy her other books soon.
A very Happy New Year! I hope it brings all good things, including lots of books.
The Glendinnig biography of Trollope is such a delight to me. I’m constantly pulling it off the shelf to check something, or read a favorite bit.
I just added the Antonio Fraser book to my library list. I see Audrey has it on her end of the year list as well, so that’s two recommendations from favorite bloggers.
I am also very intrigued by your description of the Ayisha Malik book. I hope our libraries have or will get this one.
I think you will heartily enjoy the Antonia Fraser. She has flawless reading taste (Heyer and Trollope are both mentioned fondly).
Sofia Khan is Not Obliged was just released as an e-book in 2015; it is coming out in hardcopy in mid-January. Do keep an eye out for it!
I love that we all have so much in common, yet our lists are all different! If you’d like another book for your list, the letters between Eudora Welty and William Maxwell (What there is to say we have said is the book’s title) made me fall in love with both of them. Happy new year, Claire! Wishing you peace and lots of reading!
I love that too! I means our TBR lists can grow that much more than if we were perfectly aligned.
I just placed a library hold on the Maxwell-Welty letters and am really looking forward to them.
Thanks for your wonderful list. I have read NONE of your choices and heard of only several. I am thankful that in Michigan we have MetCat. An inter loan system to fill in gaps in our local collections. As a 78 year old retired academic librarian I still prefer to hold an actual book in my hand. Thanks again for your stimulating selection!
Inter-library loan is a godsend. I’m blessed with a well-stocked city library but still fall back on ILL for my more obscure choices and it is a wonder. Happy reading in 2016!
Caroline Moorehead seems like one talented non-fiction writer. Her A Train in Winter moved me deeply even though the subject matter was extremely difficult to read at times. I love the spirit of her writing – she really does manage to do justice to her subjects. I’m adding Sofia Khan is Not Impressed to my list right now! Pretty sure that thanks to you I will be reading some Trollope in 2016.
I hope that 2016 is a wonderful year for you! 2015 was a tough one for sure.
Hurrah for Trollope in 2016! Looking forward to your thoughts.
Now that I’ve finished The Barsetshire Chronicles, it’s time to concentrate on Glendinning’s Trollope biography. Happy New Year, Claire!
It certainly is – and what a delightful thing to concentrate on! Enjoy and all the best for 2016.
They all look quite good.
I like the looks of Iris Origo and Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.
Thanks for sharing, and enjoy your reading in 2016!!
I can’t believe it is the last day of 2015!!
Happy New Year!!
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Blog
Thanks, Elizabeth. The Origo biography and the Hazan cookbook compliment each other quite well – you can eat wonderful Italian food while reading about Origo’s life in Italy. A perfect imaginary vacation!
Sounds wonderful!!
I have been to Italy only once, and the country and the food are amazing.
Thanks for the info about both books.
I really need to get back to Susanna Kearsley’s books–I didn’t read any last year but I’ve loved each book by her I have read! I think publishers must like to change the titles on Natasha Solomon’s books–is this one the one being published here very soon, I wonder? But the title is different. And I just bought the Fraser memoir–I have been trying to decide on a new NF read for 2016–maybe that is the one I need to read now! All the very best to you Claire! Happy New Year!
Yes, The Song Collector is being published under a different name in the US (The Song of Harkgrove Hall). I’m not sure why they keep doing that for her books (here in Canada they seem to be published under the original title and at the same time as the UK release). I hope you enjoy the Fraser memoir as much as I did!
Lovely list, unsurprisingly Claire – I can’t now remember if I’ve read the Letters of STW or just flicked through them, but I think it might be the latter, and you KNOW how much I adored her letters with William Maxwell. The more time I spend with STW in various forms, the more I’m sure that her letters were her strongest point. I love Lolly Willowes, but can’t get on with her other novels much at all (though have plenty, and all her short stories, unread).
So sorry that 2015 has been rough. I know the New Year is only a date, but it does feel like a symbolic line in the sand for things to improve. I remember 2012 (my own annus horribilis) ending and me determining that 2013 would be better – which, praise be, it was.
The collection of letters is lovely, though, obviously, not as wonderful as the STW-Maxwell collection. That book is perfection.
2016 is off to a good start so let’s hope it goes on that way! I had a lot of triumphs in 2015 but it was difficult to see so many people near me going through painful experiences – hopefully we all do better this year.
I’ll have to have a closer look at Trollope’s biography (love author biogs). Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, Alex!