Jambo, I'm Julia.

Here's a quick rundown of all the books I read in 2015. Books I particularly enjoyed and would recommend are in bold. Total books read: 37.

• When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman
  This is a story about childhood, family, friendships and perspectives. I really liked the story, but parts of the writing were a little confusing and unclear, requiring multiple reads.

• Insurgent by Veronica Roth
  Unfortunately not as good as Divergent. I felt that some of the characters were a little too flaky and I didn't like the erratic pacing of the story. Good ending though.

• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
  Bought it on a whim without knowing much about it. Enjoyed reading it, was good fun in parts.

• Stardust by Neil Gaiman
  My favourite Gaiman book to date. It was a simple, straight-forward, feel-good fantasy read for adults.

• This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein
  Everyone seriously needs to read this book to understand the state of our world today in terms of climate change and global warming. Please read and then pass it on to everyone you know.

• Big Brother by Lionel Shriver
  The theme of the book itself was interesting, but I thought the story was a bit bland, the characters extremely unlikeable and the ending, disappointing.

• Allegiant by Veronica Roth
  A disappointing end to the trilogy. The storyline was a little boring and the constant switches in narrative point of views between Tris and Tobias was annoying.

• How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
  A quick and funny read once I got past the initial few chapters when she talks about going through puberty (too much personal details IMO).

• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
  It's a children's book but a good one for adults too. A real feel-good read.

• Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition by T. Colin Campbell
  Interesting insights for sure, but I felt that there were a lot of circular, repetitive arguments. I enjoyed the first half of the book immensely, the second half, not so much.

• The Unbearable Lightness Of Being by Milan Kundera
  This book had been on my "to read" list for ages. I'm absolutely kicking myself now because this is a rare book, in that it was able to describe beautifully, many philosophies on love, life, struggle and family in a light way of writing that was easy to understand. I also found the setting of the book, during the communist rule of Czechoslovakia, extremely interesting.

• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
  Good amount of suspense, a host of characters to unravel and a good conclusion to the story. An enjoyable read.

• Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
  Entertaining thriller!

• The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
  I was looking for a good crime series to get into and this looked as good as any. The storyline was ok but a little predictable.

• Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
  A witty book in parts, but I just didn't take to the storyline and felt that it dragged on in parts. Maybe one to try again at another time.

• Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
  Nowhere near as fantasy-like as I expected for a typical Murakami, which I quite liked. It was a simple story about love, friendship, life and death which was fairly relatable.

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
  A good one which sucked me in quickly. All characters here were pretty unsavoury sorts which kept things interesting.

• Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward
  This was a winner of a cookbook for me as I've tried out so many of Ella's recipes now, with good success. The book is nicely arranged into various food type categories, with beautiful pictures and just enough detail on the nutrition of the food in question.

• The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
  Not sure what all the fuss is about. I'm clearly not the target audience.

• Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole
  The philosophies it preaches rings true. No fad diets, no calorie restrictions and a push to be happy with one's own self and body image.

• How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog by Chad Orzel
  After watching the movie Interstellar, my interest in physics was rekindled and I decided to revisit what I had learnt in A-Level physics by reading this gentle introduction to quantum physics. Well-written book, easy to understand and humorous.

• The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
  Funny and informative, the only downside is that I now find myself trying to figure whether any of my friends are psychopaths (especially because I used to work in finance where I suspect there were quite a few). 😅

• Skinnytaste Cookbook by Gina Homolka
  Lovely photos, broad range of dishes and well-categorised. I didn't particularly like the writing, but I found the recipes well laid out with the nutritional information being a plus.

• Mightier than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer
  The plots are feeling a little repetitive now, but I'm still feeling entertained and am loving following each of the characters as they age. Can't wait until the next one.

• The Starch Solution by John A. McDougall
  Well researched and informative, I learnt a lot from reading this. Not sure I really believe everything though.

• Second Life by S.J. Watson
  This was disappointing. The first half was slow going and I was close to giving up. Annoying ending too.

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
  I'm not saying this was bad, but I just couldn't get into it. To try again at some point in the future.

• Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
  Really well written piece of investigative financial journalism. Difficult to put down, despite the, at times, difficult to understand subject matter.

• The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
  A captivating read, with memorable characters.

• The Black Ice by Michael Connelly
  I just couldn't get into the storyline for this book. A shame, as I was looking forward to getting stuck into a good crime series.

• The Social Animal by David Brooks
  Examines psychological theories of how human beings behave and interact with one another, told from the point of view of 2 fictional characters. Interspersing heavy, scientific theories in the midst of developing fictional characters really helped me to digest these theories.

• Two Brothers by Ben Elton
  LOVED it! Read it in just 2 sittings (all 620 pages of it!).

• Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
  Great read, recommended.

• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
  Malcolm Gladwell has never disappointed me and this was another thought provoking read. Found the last few chapters particularly useful to be aware of.

• The Children Act by Ian McEwan
  It was well written, but I wasn't taken with the story.

• Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld
  Great little succinct summary on the most important aspects of negotiating VC financing. Highly recommended for entrepreneurs.

• Tétine Man by Christophe Nicolas
  I was learning French and this was a fun one to get to grips with.