From online dating and a father’s poignant letter to small town living and a punk rock queen, 2015 brought with it a delightfully diverse stack of “must reads.” We checked in with Nantucket Book Partners to see what their book sellers are touting as the best books of 2015. Take a read!
M Train by Patti Smith
Recommended by Dick
“This is a wonderful odyssey on which we accompany Patti Smith to her favorite New York café, and on trips further afield – to an annual meeting in Berlin of the Continental Drift Club, of which she’s a member, a trip to Mexico honoring Frida Kahlo, and a tribute to the Beats in Tangier. We are privy to conversations – a lovely, imaginary one with Nicola Tesla, and a bizarre, real one with Bobby Fisher – and views of the great romance and marriage of her life.”
Welcome to the Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
Recommended by Max
“Hilarious and unsettling, yet oddly comforting, this story of a small town makes you wonder about the things you consider “normal” and may even make you nostalgic for your own hometown. Laugh, cringe, look over your shoulder when reading at night, and “all hail the glow cloud.”
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Recommended by Tim & Cristina
“By far my favorite book of 2015, this intense portrait of one man’s pain and suffering left me, at times, emotionally raw. However, at its core it is truly a story of love and friendship. I can’t seem to move on from the experience of reading it. This story made me question how I read, how I live, and how I love. It was unlike anything I have ever read!” – Tim
“I can’t say enough about this amazing novel, and have already recommended it to a number of friends. I am constantly thinking about it and how beautifully crafted these characters are. It was absolutely inspiring to read about these men and their bonds of friendship through every phase of their lives. In some ways, I felt like a neighbor or friend of a friend looking in upon this tight-knit group of individuals and following their lives as friends, mentors, fathers, caretakers and ultimately, flawed humans who chose to inhabit their sorrows and successes.” – Cristina
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
Recommended by Bowen
“Between a stand up special filmed at Madison Square Garden, producing, writing and starring in a critically acclaimed semi-autobiographical television show (Netflix’s “Master of None”), and his swan song as Tom Haverford on NBC’s much-loved “Parks and Recreation,” it would be easy to say that Aziz Ansari had a good year. But the true highlight is Ansari’s first foray into publishing – an incredibly well researched and thought-out scientific meditation on dating and love entitled “Modern Romance.” Equal parts hilarious and poignant, Ansari tracks and discusses how romantic relationships have evolved over the last century. Everyone from a millennial trying to find their next fling on Tinder to someone who has been happily married for forty years will find this book relatable, charming and informative.”
Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates
Recommended by Justine
“In this widely acclaimed work, Ta-nehisi Coates weaves his own personal and intellectual journey with America’s historical – and present – legacy of the exploitation and destruction of black bodies. Written as a letter to his son, Coates is by turns tender and stern, sweeping and intimate. I felt my brain growing new wrinkles as I read: what a refreshing and challenging book.”
