So the time has come for the annual “distribution of elephants”. Last year, in contrast to, say, a couple of previous ones, there were certain innovations. Firstly, several very decent books by domestic authors have appeared that are able to compete on equal terms with foreign counterparts. Secondly, our publishers quite actively introduced the public to hitherto unknown works by foreign science fiction writers - those who had been waiting for translation for a very long time. And thirdly, the most-most fantastic novelties are increasingly coming out with us practically “off the wheel”. This means that competition in the fantastic market will increase even more.

Most Unusual Book of the Year

Maria Galina "Autochthons"

Applicants: Terry Pratchett "Trick", Max Barry "Lexicon", Sergey Nosov "Braces", Stanislav Lem "Black and White"

10 Every now and then, works appear that are quite difficult to attribute to any genre. And often these are very worthy books. And although they do not fit into the framework of pure "science fiction" or "fantasy", should they not be completely ignored? And so the nomination “the most unusual book” appeared, which this time included a philological thriller by Max Barry, a stylization of the Victorian adventure by Terry Pratchett, a collection of journalism and essays by Stanislav Lem, and magical realism by Sergei Nosov.

And another magical realism won in the nomination - Maria Galina's novel "Autochthonous". Galina is no stranger to near-fiction; her novels Malaya Glusha and Medvedki won several genre awards, and they were also noted by our magazine. "Autochthons" is a very atmospheric, superbly written, richly saturated with symbols and metaphors novel. The thing is wonderful, but quite elitist. Therefore, it wins only in a specific nomination.

The most anticipated book

Lord Dunsany. Collected works in three volumes

Applicants: Michael Moorcock "Byzantium Fights", Peter Watts "Betaghemoth", Diana Wynn Jones "Down the Great River"

9 In this nomination, we include books with a “statute of limitations” that came to us many years after they were published in their homeland, or works by eminent Russian authors that “got lost” on their way to the reader.

This time, the collected works of one of the founding fathers of fantasy, the Irishman Edward Plunkett, better known by his aristocratic title Lord Dunsany, turned out to be out of competition. His books have been published here before, but very rarely, on a case-by-case basis. But the three-volume edition of the Veche publishing house became the largest edition of Dunsany in Russian. This includes ten collections and one novel by the famous writer in its entirety. In addition, the three-volume book is illustrated with graphics by the brilliant English artist Sidney Syme. All in all, a very good edition.

Anthology of the Year

Applicants:"Shadow Theatre", "Swords and Gears", "Soul Collector", "Penny Dreadful"

8 For quite some time, publishers have been actively filling the book market with various anthologies. And for the last couple of years, domestic editions have increasingly been included in the company of translated collections. Not everyone is equally successful, of course. But still there were several bright books, the best of which, in our opinion, is the steampunk anthology "Swords and Gears". The collections compiled by foreign masters did not let us down either - the postmodern "Penny Dreadful", the tribute to Ray Bradbury "Shadow Theater" and the mythological "Soul Collector" stood out in particular.

And out of competition was an anthology compiled by the great editor Gardner Dozois and the outstanding master of fantasy George Martin. The collection "Scoundrels" is dedicated to literary bad guys. Antiheroes are never deprived of public attention - and the compilers of the anthology have assembled an extremely bright team of charming scoundrels for every taste.

Author's collection of the year

Philip K. Dick "Total Recall"

Applicants: Neil Gaiman "Beware of Triggers", Max Fry "On Love and Death", Jonathan Carroll "Married to a Cloud"

7 Nominees for the title of the best author's collection turned out to be a rather motley company. Among them - a recent book by Neil Gaiman and two Magrealistic collections from Max Fry and Jonathan Carroll.

And the winner was a huge, almost one and a half thousand pages, collection of stories by the great American science fiction writer Philip Dick. This omnibus, compiled by the Eksmo publishing house, included as many as four author's collections of the writer - almost all the works of the "small form" written by the American classic in thirty years of creativity. And a considerable number of texts came to the domestic reader for the first time. The collection, however, turned out to be somewhat uneven - it included both Dick's later stories, where his talent was fully manifested, and the earliest, still damp texts. But still, for true SF fans, this collection is an invaluable treasure.

Mystery and Horror of the Year

Applicants: Ellis Nir, Scary Stories for Wilde Girls, Ekaterina Couty, Saturday Bride, Vasily Schepetnev, Death Gambit, Edward Carey, The Chimera House Conjuring

6 According to the results of 2014, domestic authors dominated in the horror category. This time - parity. And multi-genre. All of our nominees belong to different types of mysticism and horror. Here you have Edward Carey's “fairy tale for the smart”, and the conspiracy theory of Vasily Shchepetnev, and the Victorian detective story of Ekaterina Couty, and the postmodern fantasy of Ellis Nir. And the winner was a hybrid of youthful fantasy, stylish detective and mystical horror.

Jonathan Stroud's novel The Screaming Stairs is the first volume in a series about young people from the Lockwood Agency, which operates in a world where ghosts intrude on the affairs of the living. Lucy Carlisle and her friends are actively helping people (albeit for a fee), constantly at risk of death. But skillfully shown battles with otherworldly forces are far from the main danger of this world. Flesh-and-blood people are far scarier than demonic ghosts. And this is to be seen both by the heroes and the readers.

Children's and Youth Fiction of the Year

Applicants: Joe Abercrombie "Half the King", Maria Semyonova "Brothers. The Secret Warrior, Brandon Sanderson, Heart of Steel, Diana Wynn Jones, Down the Great River

5 Modern youth fiction has firmly escaped from its "childhood" - it has long been accustomed to serious topics, an inventive plot and a tough style. And almost all of the nominees fully meet modern criteria: dark fantasy by Joe Abercrombie, superhero fiction by Brandon Sanderson, ethnographic fantasy by Maria Semyonova. Unless the novel by Diana Wynn Jones gravitates specifically towards children's classics - well, this book was written thirty years ago and just lingered on the way to our reader.

And the first place went to the novel by China Mieville, the leader of the "new strange", who is not the first time trying to write fiction for young people. But if his Non Lon Don was a specific children's story, Rails is a much more expressive postmodern fantasy, an original remake of Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick. The book by the British maestro deftly balances on the verge between teenage and adult adventurous fiction. And it can appeal to any audience.

Our review

Reader's Choice Award

4 The Witcher Geralt is still popular with us. And although almost a decade and a half has passed since the last novel about the White Wolf, the prequel-vokvel series about him “Season of Thunderstorms”, having appeared with us, easily won the hearts of readers. In any case, in our Vkontakte poll, the new novel by the Polish master turned out to be far ahead of the rest of the contenders. The people are bored!

It must be admitted that "Season of Thunderstorms", for all its merits, is far from the best book about Geralt. It looks secondary and loses in comparison with the final volumes of the witcher saga, primarily with the masterpiece "Lady of the Lake". But even the "secondary" Sapkowski is head and shoulders above the many adventurous fantasy books that came out with us last year. Action is plentiful, there are a lot of puzzling intrigues, the colorful surroundings of the witcher's world are available, the juicy language and proprietary humor have not gone away ... So the success of the "Season of Thunderstorms" among domestic fans of the genre is not surprising.

Our review

Artbook of the Year

"World of the Witcher"

Applicants:"Dishonored: Dunwall Archives", "The Last of Us Game World", "Game of Thrones. An Illustrated Guide to the World of the Series"

Last year, various colorful publications - artbooks on fantasy worlds, films and games, illustrated encyclopedias and reference books - have become commonplace from separate pleasant surprises. Of course, the majority continues to be in the categories of "fans goodies" and "best gift", but this is a big step forward. Although many well-designed albums have a drawback: low information content.

But you can’t exactly say the same about the guide “The World of the Witcher” from the publishing house “White Unicorn”. This is both a colorful art book and a detailed guide to the world of Andrzej Sapkowski. In addition, each part is written on behalf of one or another inhabitant of this world. So readers can not only get interesting information, but also enjoy playing with style.

Fantasy of the Year

Alexey Pekhov "Blue Flame"

Applicants: Andrzej Sapkowski "Season of Thunderstorms", Michael Sullivan "Theft of Swords", Elena Khaetskaya "Lake of Mists", Stella Gemmel "City"

3 Unlike last year, when fantasy nominations were occupied exclusively by foreign authors, this time domestic masters of the genre published several very worthy books. The new novel by Andrzej Sapkowski about the witcher Geralt, the fascinating adventure of Michael Sullivan and the epic debut of Stella Gemmel were accompanied by the mythological fantasy of Elena Khaetskaya and the colorful novel by Alexei Pekhov.

It was Pekhov's "Blue Flame" that we recognized as the winner - this is the second volume of the cycle of the same name, where the author, one might say, "fell to the roots" of his work. The result is a great quest for a team of likable and psychologically believable characters against the backdrop of a well-designed world. Already at the dawn of his career, Pekhov knew how to tell exciting stories. Over the years, he has honed his skills and once again demonstrates that it is not in vain that he is considered one of the leading authors of Russian fantasy.

Our review

Domestic Fiction of the Year

Henry Lyon Oldie "Jump Escape"

Applicants: Alexey Pekhov "Blue Flame", Maria Semyonova "Brothers. Secret Warrior", Max Frei "The Whole Truth About Us", Dmitry Glukhovsky "Metro 2035"

2 In recent years, our science fiction has had a lot of strong, but not very bright texts. However, this time a few of our contributors really shined. Alexey Pekhov composed a worthy fantasy adventure, Maria Semyonova reminded of herself with high-quality youthful fantasy, finally pleased her fans with the fascinating Echo detective Max Fry, Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of post-apocalyptic bestsellers, confirmed his reputation.

But especially worth noting is the writer "of two heads" Henry Lyon Oldie. His voluminous novel in three volumes, Escape to the Jerk, brought the space-opera series about the worlds of the Oikumene to a new level. In addition to a fascinating adventurous plot with elements of romance, the sci-fi concept of intelligent fluctuations has received an unexpected development, which should seriously affect the life of Oikoumene. This means that the civilization of the future and its demiurge received new opportunities for development.

Our review

Book of the Year

Applicants: Henry Lyon Oldie "Escape to the Jerk", Maria Galina "Autochthons", China Mieville "Rails", Lord Dunsany "Collected Works in Three Volumes"

Science Fiction of the Year

Applicants: Kim Stanley Robinson "2312", Henry Lyon Oldie "Dash Run", Michael Swanwick "Dances with Bears", William Gibson "Peripherals"

1 If for many years fantasy authors could boast of the most interesting and vivid works, now the time has come for science fiction. This time around, Kim Stanley Robinson's grand panorama of the future, Michael Swanwick's original post-apocalypse, Henry Lion Oldie's brilliant space-opera adventure, and William Gibson's post-cyberpunk thriller competed for victory.

And the champion was the novel by Ann Leckie "The Servants of Justice". Moreover, in determining the winner, "World of Science Fiction" was not at all original. This debut novel of the "new space opera", published in English in 2013, in a couple of years collected almost all the most prestigious genre awards: Hugo, Nebula, Locus, the British NF Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, even the British Award fantasy... Lecky combined various ideas in one novel, mixed them in a good proportion, diluted them with action and approached the stylistic component of the text in an original way. But especially Leki's talent was revealed in the world-building of the distant future. The universe of the Radcha empire in its exoticism and sophistication can compete with the worlds of Simmons' Hyperion and Herbert's Dune. And the characters that inhabit the world of Leki are drawn just fine. This is only the first book in a trilogy! In general, we have a non-standard text that can bring real pleasure to all fans of the genre.

Not surprisingly, this outstanding work was recognized not only as the best science fiction book, but also as the book of the year. By the way, this happened for the second time in a row - in the last "Results" the "Martian" by Andy Weier followed the same road. Go science fiction!

BEST BOOKS 2015

📖 Each dog has its own Purpose. And until the dog fulfills it, he will be born another puppy over and over again. It's such a touching story that it's hard to keep from crying. Toby, Bailey, Ellie, Baby are different dogs, but... It's the same dog! Different breeds, different destinies... And all for only one purpose: to help, save and love one truly dear person - his boy Ethan - all his life (no, several lives!) To all people who love animals.

📖 Wonderful, wonderful book! I read it all evening until morning!This is such a spring book when you need to wake up from hibernation and stop living a life that is not your own. If you feel that your life is like sitting in a swamp to please others, then this book will shake you up.A love story, irresistible and unpredictable.Paul publishes his first novel and leaves San Francisco for Paris. He composes, meets with readers - and feels immensely lonely. Mia flees London, leaving her husband who betrayed her, and finds refuge with a French friend. Mia accidentally enters a dating site and makes an appointment with Paul...

📖 Perhaps the best book not only of this year, but of the decade. Must read. Superbly written! Read in one breath! The novel, which Pulitzer Prize winner Donna Tartt has been writing for more than 10 years, is a huge epic canvas about the power of art and how it - sometimes not at all in the way we want it - can turn our whole life upside down. 13-year-old Theo Decker miraculously survived the explosion that killed his mother. Abandoned by his father, without a single soul in the whole world, he wanders through foster homes and other people's families - from New York to Las Vegas - and his only consolation, which, however, almost leads to his death, becomes stolen by him from museum masterpiece by a Dutch old master. This is an amazing book.
📖 The long-awaited novel from David Mitchell, each book of which becomes an event in world literature. On the pages of this work, Mitchell created a whole world, plunging into which the reader, trusting the imagination and the will of the author, will seem to pass through a labyrinth where a lot of interesting things await him: unexpected discoveries, unpredictable plot twists, acquaintance with the most colorful characters, many of whom Mitchell's fans know from previous novels. The plot of the story is an everyday situation: in 1984, the main character, Holly Sykes, runs away from home, having quarreled with her mother. But this is where the realistic component of the story ends. Further events will happen to Holly that cannot happen to mere mortals.
📖 An interesting novel. I liked. Well written, lots to think about.From the first pages you are carried away by the style of the author. The book is written in a pseudo-neutral style and riddled with irony. If you can't read between the lines, you will be outraged by such political fiction. If you can see deeper, you will understand that humility can lead to nothing like this.I think that here the emphasis is not so much on politics as on inner experiences. The outside world becomes absurd, controlled by the powers that be, the media, it changes instantly and the only thing left for an ordinary person is to take everything that happens for granted. And since everyone becomes such a passive acceptor, that very humility is born.
This book really deserves an award. There are such books or films - there are very few of them - after reading or watching which - you have a lump in your throat and you simply cannot say anything. Because words are too simple to convey the full power of the work. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2015. Honorary first places in the list of the best books of recent years according to various publications. Dazzlingly magnificent, epic scope novel. Rich, bittersweet storytelling. Captivating story, beautifully written. Each minor episode adds new, significant details to the main plot, so that in the end the puzzle is formed and we see how great the picture is as a whole.

📖 "What kind of a fucking life is this..."This is a book about how we live the lives of our parents, trying to correct their mistakes or fulfill hidden destiny. It is a cry of pain that lives in the soul of everyone who does not have the courage to live their own lives. And when, at the end of your life, you realize that you are about to lose your mind, you want to rewatch all the events of your life, no matter what they are. Survive and bitterly realize that everything could have turned out differently. After all, as you know, this is the biggest regret in his declining years.Fear of being bold, fear of following your real desires. He is the cause of all our troubles. You can read this book to see it again.
📖 The novel begins in the winter of 1930 in a remote Tatar village. The peasant woman Zuleikha, along with hundreds of other settlers, is sent in a heating wagon along the eternal hard labor route to Siberia. Dense peasants and Leningrad intellectuals, the declassed element and criminals, Muslims and Christians, pagans and atheists, Russians, Tatars, Germans, Chuvashs - all will meet on the banks of the Angara, daily defending their right to life from the taiga and the ruthless state.Dedicated to all the dispossessed and displaced. Awards: 2015 "Big Book",2015 Yasnaya Polyana.

📖 This is not only the love story of the famous writer Jerome Salinger for Una O'Neill, or Una for Charlie Chaplin, but more - the love of Begbeder himself for his wife Lara Micheli (married since 2014). He speaks through his characters and we see that there is no trace left of the cynic who wrote "99 francs" or "Ideal". Love changes. Love opened Begbeder's heart. Only on the last pages of the novel do you understand that this book was actually born due to the fact that Frederic finally met Love. Because books written with a happy heart are different. Warmer. Real. To be honest, when I started reading, I expected, as always, a sea of ​​cynicism and negativity. But instead - moments of awe and tenderness.
📖 Cornwall, 1933. Alice Edewijn lives in a beautiful estate with her family. Days flow in the usual sequence, and nothing threatens the ideal world, devoid of worries. But one day the irreparable happens - Theo, Alice's younger brother, mysteriously disappears. Shortly thereafter, the lifeless body of a family friend is found. What is it - suicide or a crime? And if it was suicide, could Theo's disappearance be the cause? In 2003, Detective Sadie Sparrow ends up in Cornwall. Walking through the forest, she accidentally discovers an abandoned house - the same one in which the tragedy occurred...
📖 Of all the variety of modern literature, Tolstaya stands out for her Reality. Either this is a special Russian Spirit, which is close to us and which we can smell everywhere, or she simply writes piercingly about painful things, but this is the book that makes you want to think after reading it. And this is one of the factors of quality literature. In this collection you will find reflections on life, films watched, books read by Tatyana Tolstaya. I think there is even an emphasis here on getting the reader interested in the Great. For example, re-read Chekhov or watch films of really worthwhile directors - Sokurov, German, and not those that are in mass demand.
📖 You will never meet a French woman who does not love life in all its manifestations. Croissant and aromatic coffee in an exquisite cup for breakfast; a drop of perfume that evokes so many memories; a mysterious look in the direction of a stranger at the crossroads ... Every day is special for a French woman, because she knows how to find charm in everything. For the first time, the most charming women in the world will share the secrets of a beautiful life: how to find your source of joy and inspiration; how to buy less, but with much more sense; how to look like a million for a few euros; how to flirt in French (with intention and just like that) and how to enjoy life every day.
📖 Sensual. Frankly. Exciting. Attractive. Brightly. Beautiful. A banal story, but an incredibly exciting style of the author. Anna Todd is very easy to read. This book will make your breathing quicker. Excites. Inspiring. Your chest will rise and fall more and more often) While reading, get ready for goosebumps in all parts of your body ... Descriptions of scenes with kisses are beyond calling ... A love story that will make you feel alive.
📖 The old dilapidated mansion is located on the lake in a picturesque place near London. And around this mansion, which the locals call the Spanish House, passions flare up.For Isabella Delancey, a young widow with two children, this is a refuge from the storms and hardships of life that hit her after the unexpected death of her beloved husband. For Matt McCarthy, who is renovating the house while trying to keep Isabella alive by insanely high prices, this is his chance to own the Spanish House. For Nicholas Trent, a real estate developer, this is an opportunity to create a luxurious village for the elite on the site of an old house. And Byron Firth is trying to at least temporarily find a roof over his head.
📖 In the life of Emily Wilson, once the most successful girl in New York, a dark streak begins. A creative crisis, cool relations with relatives, and then her husband's betrayal force Emily to leave the metropolis and go to Bainbridge Island to her great-aunt Bee, to a house next to which wild violets grow, and the ocean foams right at the porch.Emily soon finds a diary dated 1943 by a certain Esther Johnson, whose entries shed light on the strange behavior of the locals and change Emily's view of the island, which she adored since childhood.
📖 This amazing book made its author one of the greatest spiritual teachers of mankind in the 20th century. In it, the philosopher and psychologist Viktor Frankl, who went through the Nazi death camps, opened the way for millions of people around the world to comprehend the meaning of life. In the terrible, murderous conditions of concentration camps, he showed the extraordinary strength of the human spirit. The spirit is stubborn, despite the weakness of the body and the discord of the soul. Man has something to live for! An additional gift for the reader of this publication is the play "Synchronization in Birkenwald", where an outstanding scientist reveals his philosophy through artistic means.
📖 There is no more joyful holiday than Christmas, when any person expects a miracle to happen in his life too, the most incredible dreams will come true! A holiday that gave people hope and salvation! The theme of Christmas did not go unnoticed in Russian literature, and a whole tradition of Christmas and Christmas stories has developed. These are stories that are good to read on a January winter evening, covered with a warm blanket and brewing a cup of hot chocolate. Perfectly inspires before Christmas and sets in a Special Christmas Spirit. Heartfelt stories :)
📖 The book contains stories and love stories of the great masters of Russian prose: A. Pushkin, I. Turgenev, A. Chekhov, A. Kuprin, I. Bunin. What is love? One of the highest values, a force that creates a personality, gathering the best qualities of a person into a single whole, a reward, regardless of the suffering that accompanies this feeling? Or a fatal force, an unattainable peak, to which any person strives, trying to find unity with another person, which invariably turns into a loss, a tragedy that destroys the harmony of the world? Different stories and different perspectives will help the reader answer this difficult question...

📖 By monitoring the virtual space, we do not become happier or more self-confident, and quickly swallowing the next "10 ways to become better" does not increase the level of our development in any way. Wasting resources on communication with the "piece of iron", we lose the quality of communication with living people, we do not have enough time to read real literature, to study the real world around us.From gadgets and social media to video games, this book contains a plan to help you reduce your use of technology in the hope of becoming healthier, happier, and more wholesome in the 21st century. How to get rid of Internet addiction and spend less time online? The answer is in this book.
📖 Collection of sermons of the famous Ukrainian Orthodox theologian, church figure and pastor, Archimandrite Ambrose (Makar), delivered in 2014. The sermons cover the most important period in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church - from the preparatory weeks for Great Lent to the day of the Holy Spirit. The content of the sermons reflects the broad pastoral practice and the richest spiritual experience of their author, touches upon important problems of the spiritual life of an Orthodox Christian - the fight against sin and repentance, inner work, growth in spiritual life, keeping the heart from the temptations of the world.

THE WORST BOOKS OF 2015

📖 "And this, bitch, hurts so much that you have to drink for weeks to drown it out." Here is a summary of Minaev's books. Consumer society. Fashion trends. And the mental anguish of the protagonist, who has lost the meaning of life. It makes no sense. Nobody. There is only I. Illusion of me. Selfie. A self-portrait that we draw in the Internet space, which is as illusory as everything that happens. The absurdity of office brainstorming, new fashion trends, drinking parties, etc.

📖 Turing is called the first theorist of modern programming, the world's first hacker. He is one of the founders of computer science and, in particular, the theory of artificial intelligence.An ordinary English mathematician with atheistic views and a homosexual orientation. Very chaotic and boring story about life cryptographer, released very quickly after the film's release. No pleasure in reading.

📖 I don't understand why this book is a bestseller? The main character is 60 years old. She realizes that she no longer loves her husband. And suddenly she meets a stranger in the park... The author's style does not inspire. Such works used to be in bookstores with a sticker of -50% ... The story is boring, they constantly drink wine, there are no special experiences, philosophical reflections ...Although, if you have a "fake marriage", you will like this book. If you have been married for a long time and have not had sex with your husband for 10 years, like the main character. If you are afraid to leave and start a new life. If you think you are too old. This is a book about how life is just beginning at 60... But if the author had been a little more talented, she could have made a masterpiece out of this story, since there are very few such stories.

📖 The Bookstore is a book that I can't rank as one of the best or worst books of this year. Rather, it is a work for relaxation, train travel or just to kill time. If it weren't for the fact that a bookstore is featured in the novel, then this book would be on my list of the worst...The novel is about nothing ... No humor, no worries. No, sometimes the author still jokes. But somehow... It was a bit annoying to constantly compare different situations with events from the movies. Apparently, Craig loves movies more than books. And he constantly boasts of his cinematic awareness from the words of the protagonist. If he compared the situations with the situations of the heroes of literary works, it would be much better. This would be more justified, given the theme of the work.

📖 Honestly, I did not want to add this book to the list of the worst, but it really is a complete disappointment.The first book is much stronger.. Much. MUCH. Me Before You made Jojo Moyes a very popular author and the book a real bestseller. Then other works followed, but that First Book is truly a masterpiece. I sobbed and couldn't stop after reading it. And here comes the continuation of this sensational story "Me Before You". I already lost the gift of speech. I was eager to plunge into the experiences of the main character again, I wanted to read again about the further fate of the heroes. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. No, you can read it, of course ... But the second part will be a bestseller only because everyone who read the first book, of course, wants to know - what's next ... Personally, I'm not enthusiastic. While reading the first book, I sobbed, while reading the sequel, I didn’t feel anything. I read and waited all the time - come on, something so emotional must already happen. No. Somehow overly sentimental and with a touch of American Happy End.And was it even necessary to write this sequel? It seems to me that no.
📖 Cassandra Brooks' life seemed like a dream come true: wonderful parents, a glorious brother, studying at the prestigious Queen's University, mutual love. But a spinal fracture changed her world: her lover left Cas when he found out that she was disabled, and her friends could not continue communication due to constant feelings of guilt and embarrassment. Existence has become hell for Cassandra. But the hope for happiness, willpower and the desire to overcome the disease help the girl cope with difficulties. Will she be able to smell the sweet scent of life again?
📖

Today we will tell you about the best books that came out in 2015. Our favorite authors never cease to please us and create new masterpieces, and besides this, books that were not in demand before or were simply not understood are being republished. So, we present to you, our dear readers, the 15 best books of 2015. We hope these books add to your 2015 reading list.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years - Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami, one of the most famous authors of our time, presented a new book that immediately became popular among readers.

The main character enters the metropolis. He is still young and amazed at the grandeur of Tokyo. He is scared and delighted, and most importantly, he has a home where he can return at any moment. He had a support in life, until one fine summer day he finds out that his familiar world has collapsed. His stronghold of friendship and harmony has disappeared. It's just wiped off the face of the earth. This news completely changes the life of Tsukuru and he has a difficult future ahead of him and many trials.

Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This book is published in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. The detective novel "Marina" was written in 1997. For almost a decade, the author struggled to get the book published, as many counterfeit editions came out, sometimes even with completely different text. But, nevertheless, the book found its readers of all ages.

The action of the novel takes place in the 70s of the last century in Barcelona. Spring is on the street. The main character, Oscar, disappeared for a whole week. All this time, relatives, friends, acquaintances, teachers and the police were looking for him. Where has he been all that time? To this question, Oscar simply replies that every person has a secret. Then he begins to tell an amazing story about a meeting with a mysterious girl Marina.

"All the way to the ends" - Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk once again pleases his fans with an incredible story. The apocalyptic novel of the king of the counterculture will tell, and most importantly, will clearly demonstrate hundreds of new opportunities for achieving female pleasure. On this book, however, as on all other books of the author, there is an age mark of 18+.

Penny Harigan is an ordinary secretary who, by chance, attracted the attention of mega-billionaire Linus Maxwell.

Linus in very narrow circles is known under the nickname "Boy for menopause" and he loves rich, sophisticated ladies very much. But he invites Penny to dinner and after dinner drags her to a hotel room, where he gives her pleasures for several days in a row that she had never dreamed of before. Everything would be fine if Penny did not accidentally find out that she was part of an experiment to develop a new line of sex toys for ladies. These toys will be sold all over the world, and women will satisfy their base sexual desires every free minute. Penny decides to stop Linus and prevent him from gaining world erotic domination over all women.

Una and Salinger - Frederic Begbeder

And again a book with an age limit of 18+. The author himself defined the genre of this book as “faction”: from the English “fact” (“fact”) plus “fiction” (“fiction”). In New York City in 1940, young author Jerry Salinger meets Una O'Neill, the daughter of a famous playwright. He is 21 and she is only 15 years old. Love, passion and an idyll that lasted only a few days until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, after which the United States enters World War II. Jerry goes to war, and Oona auditions for a Charlie Chaplin film.

Una becomes the wife of a famous comedian.

Salinger went through the war. He pushed his publications into the big world of literature and wrote the main novel of his life, The Catcher in the Rye.

But, the most interesting thing is that the book is not about that. The author tells a beautiful story about the meeting of Una and Jerry, which turned into a separation for life. About the meeting that defined the lives of these people.

“Third humanity. Voice of the Earth - Bernard Werber

Bernard Werber continues his social-fiction cycle "The Third Humanity" with a new book "Voice of the Earth".

The action of the book takes place against the backdrop of an imminent apocalypse. While all mankind is preparing for the third World War, Gaia - Mother Earth is going to destroy people. But humans and microhumans pay no heed to her warnings.

Ecologists are not able to speak on behalf of the Earth. They can only see the near future. To understand what is happening to the planet, environmentalists decide to ask the Mother herself what she thinks about people and everything that happens.

The answer of Mother Earth will help people to evolve again, to make a huge leap in development. After all, the desire to survive, and most importantly to live, is the best motivation for evolution.

"Planet Water" - Boris Akunin

The collection of Boris Akunin has been republished again and contains a large number of illustrations. The collection contains three detective stories.

"Planet Water" was written in 1903 and has the subtitle "technocratic detective".

Erast Fandorin leaves the search for a sunken galleon with gold to help catch a maniac who is hiding on one of the islands of the Atlantic Ocean.

The nostalgic detective story "The Lonely Sail" saw the light of day in 1906. Erast Petrovich is investigating the murder of his former lover.

The last detective in this collection is called "Where do we go?" and is idiotic. Fandorin investigates a train robbery. A trace that stretches to the revolutionaries themselves.

"Castle of Glass" Jeannette Walls

This is an autobiographical novel where the writer talks about her past.

Jeannette talks about her difficult childhood in a large family, where very, very shocking and cruel methods of raising children were practiced. For many years, the author hid her past, until she realized that as soon as she freed herself from the burden of the past and terrible secrets, shame and hatred, she could move on and live in peace.

The sea is my brother. The Lone Wanderer - Jack Kerouac

This year, Jack Kerouac's collection was released, which contains two novels, The Sea Is My Brother and The Lonely Wanderer.

The Sea is My Brother is the first novel of the writer, which was considered lost for half a century. It was only published in 2011. "The Lonely Wanderer" gained popularity during the life of the writer. "The Lonely Wanderer" is a travelogue. And "The Sea is My Brother" is based on the writer's experience when he worked on a merchant ship. These two works reflect the style of the writer and, most importantly, betray the amazing atmosphere of the life of past years. This year, the writer's work is increasingly in demand by readers.

"Half Code" - Sally Green

This book has become the most anticipated in 2015. It is somewhat reminiscent of the story of Harry Potter, but in some ways this book is new and unique. One fact cannot be argued - this book opens up a fantastic world of adventure and magic.

In England these days magicians live side by side with Fanes and common people. The latter do not even realize the existence of magic. In the world of magicians, the council of White Witches controls the power, which hates half-breeds and monitors the purity of magical blood.

The main character is the half-breed Nathan. Mother is a white witch and father is a black sorcerer. A real hunt begins for Nathan and he has no choice but to run. He wants to find his father and receive three gifts that should help him find his Gift. But can Nathan hide his plans from the Council when he is constantly being watched and his entire family is in mortal danger?

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

Surely, you have already seen this novel on the shelves of bookstores. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize, and the Amazon online store named this work "Book of the Year".

Donna Tartt has been working on this book for over 10 years.

A book about art and how it affects our lives. At the center of the action is 13-year-old Theo Decker. He alone remained alive after a terrible explosion that claimed the lives of his relatives. Theo gets into the system and is now destined to wander around foster families and shelters. His only consolation and meaning of life was the masterpiece of the Dutch old master, which he stole from the museum. This work of art can lead to the death of a lonely child.

"All the Light We Cannot See" - Anthony Dorr

The novel “All the Light We Cannot See” was released quite recently and only a couple of weeks ago appeared on the shelves of bookstores in Russian. The author did an incredible job of creating a book that lasted ten years.

A novel about two children who, unknowingly, follow different paths, but go towards each other. A blind French woman and a timid German boy. They are trying to survive in a world where World War II is raging. They are trying to survive and not lose their human face, feelings and emotions, they are trying to save their soul. A book about death and love. The book is about war and what it does to ordinary people, how it cripples not only physically and morally. A book about how invisible light can defeat even darkness.

Luminaries - Eleanor Catton

The 2013 Booker Prize-winning novel has been published for the first time in Russian. This book broke two records of this award at once. The Luminaries is not only the most ambitious work of the award, but the author has also become the youngest laureate.

The novel is set in New Zealand at the height of the gold rush. 12 people got together to discuss some rather strange events that happened to them. A young guy who owns a huge share of the plots has gone missing. The prospector died and a treasure was found in his hut, and the "night moth" embarked on the path of correction. The conspirators tell everything to a stranger who happened to be among them. At the same time, rather strange stories are told, among which there is blackmail and revenge, and even a seance. The whole book is built according to the astrological structure and the more interesting it is to read this detective novel full of mysticism and mysterious events.

“Three apples fell from the sky” - Narine Abgaryan

Narine Abgaryan is an Armenian writer who writes about her country and its people. One of the most famous books of this writer is Manyunya.

And in the year of the centenary of the Armenian genocide, the author published a new book that tells about a small village lost somewhere in the mountains and the people who live there. This is a wonderful book about Armenia, traditions, love, death and the intertwining of human destinies. And most importantly, this is a book about incredible fortitude and treasures of the soul.

"September Roses" - André Maurois

André Maurois is considered a classic of French literature of the 20th century. Author of famous biographies of Hugo, Balz, Dumas and others.

"I Confess" - Jaume Cabre

The book was written in 2011, but was published in Russian and in 19 other languages ​​only in 2015.

Antique shop in Barcelona, ​​where among the many valuable things there is an old violin. Adria, secretly from her father, replaces the violin with her own, after which his father is killed. Adria feels guilty. Many years later, he becomes a scientist and collector, but the mystery of his father's murder has not been solved, and may soon disappear forever. In addition, Adria is afraid that the love of his life, Sarah, will also disappear. He writes a diary, his confession, because he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

There was a time when Russia was called one of the most reading countries. What exactly do the inhabitants of the Russian Federation read, what books do they like and buy? Answering this question, RBC experts studied the sales statistics of the largest publishing houses in the country. As a result, they chose best books of 2015, reader ratings ensured they hit the top bestsellers of the year.

10. Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch

65,285 books sold

Tartt won the Pulitzer Prize for best book in 2014. The story of a thirteen-year-old teenager begins under tragic circumstances - because of an explosion in the New York Museum of Art, his mother dies, and he himself, in a state of shock, grabs a picture of one of Rembrandt's students from the wall and runs out of the building. The traditional "novel about education" in the new conditions, where crime and devotion to art coexist.

9. James Dashner, The Maze Runner

69,483 books

One of the representatives of the popular "with them" direction of young adult - new books in 2015 for a youth audience. Imagine an ever-changing labyrinth where monsters live in the dark, and in the center of it, a high-walled valley where memoryless teenagers awaken and live. Interesting? That's it.

8. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

74,142 books

An eternally beautiful and eternally young classic that everyone should read. Perhaps the surge in popularity was due to the discovery of the second book of the 2015 bestseller Go Set a Watchman, which was released in the middle of the year.

7. George Orwell, "1984"

85,000 books

A gloomy dystopia about a totalitarian future, where poverty coexists with hypocrisy, and thoughts can be imprisoned.

6. Jojo Moyes, Me Before You

87,913 books

After losing her job at the cafe, Louise is looking for a new livelihood - after all, the whole family depends on her ability to earn money. After applying to the local employment center, she is offered to take care of a completely paralyzed person ... A story about finding oneself with a romantic touch.

5. Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro 2035

97,459 books

Sequel to Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 (it's safe to say what the fourth book will be called). A grim story about the Moscow metro, which became inhabited after a nuclear war, where the surviving humanity took refuge. Muscovites can now look after themselves a cozy corner.

4. John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

103,321 books

This popular book broke the sales record in America in 2012 and appeared on movie screens in 2014. A touching story about young people suffering from cancer who found each other on the verge of death. Along the way, there is a drunken misanthrope writer who, against the background of death and childish feelings, realizes and repents.

3. Andy Weier, The Martian

107,000 books

A mixture of good old sci-fi and survival literature, now anyone caught in a sandstorm on Mars will know what to do. Certainly the recently released blockbuster of the same name by Ridley Scott had an impact on sales.

2. Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram

118,445 books

The writer himself lived a long and turbulent life - he was a heroin addict, robbed banks, threatening with a toy gun, was caught, received 19 years in prison, escaped two years later and flew to India, where he lived for ten years. Contacted the criminal world, was a drug courier, was again caught and served six years. In the end, he returned to India again, where he became president of a charitable foundation. Shantaram is an autobiographical work, partly written during the author's stay in an Australian prison. Although the best book came out five years ago, it continues to enjoy steady popularity in the Russian market.

1. Boris Akunin, Planet Water

168000 books

Tops the 2015 book reader rating. 56-year-old, but still cheerful Erast Petrovich Fandorin descends to the bottom of the sea, looking for a maniac on the tropical islands of the Atlantic, wanders around the Zavolzhsky province, and investigates a train robbery against the backdrop of the specter of communism walking across Europe. Fantasy about Russia-which-we-lost is still popularly loved.

16.08.2015

People who love to read are in constant search of interesting literature. Sometimes a book can be read on the advice of friends. A favorite classic is also a win-win option. But literature, like any art, does not stand still. It is all the more interesting to read writer's novelties, which, having barely seen the light, have already attracted everyone's attention. This list contains just such books.

10. Chris Hadfield - "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What 4,000 Hours in Orbit Taught Me"

The famous Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is incredibly popular in his homeland. But thanks to the informative videos that Hadfield filmed while in space, he became known all over the world. In his short clips, the astronaut spoke in an accessible way about the features of life on the orbital station. Thanks to Hadfield, you can watch astronauts shave, brush their teeth and sleep in zero gravity. More than 20 million people have watched his videos. Perhaps this interest prompted Chris Hadfield to write the book The Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. In it, the astronaut talks about how he dreamed of flying from an early age, and did not change his plans with age. In addition, he recalls how he temporarily lost his sight in outer space, and his training in Russian for a flight aboard the Soyuz. The book contains many interesting stories from the life of Chris Halfield. But the main thing that the reader should understand is that success accompanies only those who do not succumb to difficulties. Buy

9. Boris Akunin - "Planet Water"

Fans of the most famous character in the works of Boris Akunin have the opportunity to meet Erast Fandorin again. The reader is expected by a fascinating plot, and corporate style of the writer. The story of Fandorin is coming to an end, and the book "Planet Water" is the penultimate one in the cycle of stories about the famous detective. This best-seller combines three stories. Thus, the author continues bold experiments with genres. There is a technocratic, nostalgic and even idiotic detective here. In one of the stories, Fandorin, by the will of fate, will be on board a submarine, in another, he will plunge into romantic memories, and in the third, the reputation of a successful detective will be in doubt. Buy

8. Carlos Ruiz Zafon - "Marina"

Fans of the mystical detective and Carlos Ruiz Safon himself are intrigued by the fact that the author called Marina his best creation. The main character, Oscar, has to unravel many mysteries and secrets of Barcelona in the 70s of the last century. Those who have already been lucky enough to read Safon's new book say in unison that it is the most accessible way to get to know and fall in love with Barcelona. The author incredibly subtly and lovingly described this wonderful city. Surprisingly, the descriptions do not distract from the plot, but only add color. The book may be of interest to both teens and older readers. Buy

7. Jaume Cabre - "I confess"

The book "I Confess" by the Spanish writer Jaume Cabre has been translated into a dozen languages. In just 4 years since the publication of the book, its circulation around the world has grown to half a million. In 2015 it became available in Russian. The hero of the book, Adria Ardevol, in his 60s, learns that he is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, and his illness is progressing. That is why Adria decides to set out in detail on paper the whole story of her life. He starts from early childhood, describing his difficult relationship with his father. He was an enthusiastic antiquarian, but an inattentive parent. One of his favorite things in his shop was an old violin. As it turned out, this instrument has a confusing history, and, perhaps, carries evil fate. It so happened that blood has been a constant companion of the violin since the days when it was a young maple. It brings death to every new owner. One day, the father dies under very strange circumstances. Adria has reason to blame herself for her father's death. The reader will have to listen to the confession of the protagonist, and to the end to learn the history of the fatal violin. Buy

6. Anthony Dorr - "All the Light We Cannot See"

In 2015, the Pulitzer Prize went to American Anthony Dorr. The idea of ​​the book “All the Light We Cannot See” was hatched by the writer for almost 10 years. His historical novel tells about the horrors of World War II. But the book is not only and not so much about the war itself, but about people trying to survive in the conditions offered by fate. The main characters of the book are a blind young French woman and a shy German youth. This book is about the power of love and the value of human relationships. She, as it were, calls to believe in the best, and to see a ray of hope even where others cannot see it. Buy

5. Eleanor Catton - The Luminaries

It sounds incredible, but at the age of 28, Eleanor Catton not only won the iconic 2013 Booker Prize, but also twice the record holder. Her best-seller The Luminaries was noted as the largest work ever to receive this award. Elinor herself was the youngest winner of the award. This year the book was also published in Russian. The book "The Luminaries" was written in the best traditions of the classic detective story, however, an unexpected author's move was the interweaving of astrology into the detective story. The action takes place in New Zealand during the gold rush. Under confusing circumstances, Crosby Wells is killed. It would seem that writers have been playing with the theme of murders in the gold mines since the time of Jack London. But the author managed to embody a very unusual move, enhancing the intrigue of the story. In the novel, there are conditionally two groups of heroes. The first, there are 12 of them, are associated with the zodiac circle, the second group consists of 7 "planetary" heroes. Both revolve around the murder victim. The reader has as many as 800 pages to unravel the mystery of the crime, or simply enjoy the fascinating story. Buy

4. Sally Green - "Half Code"

With her fantastic story "Half Code" Sally Green landed in the famous book of records. The rights to publish her debut book were sold to 36 countries before publication. The plot is based on the struggle between dark and light forces. Ordinary people do not even suspect that wizards live next to them. In the world of wizards, the Council of White Witches is in charge of everything, one of whose tasks is to fight half-breeds. And this becomes Nathan Byrne's main problem. This 16-year-old guy is the fruit of the love of the Black Sorcerer and the White Witch, and in this regard, many trials await him. Someone will say that the story of teenage wizards has already taken place in literature, transparently hinting at the brainchild of JK Rowling. But judging by the success of Half Code, readers are not at all bored by this topic. On top of that, the book has every chance to overshadow the famous "Twilight" in popularity, because these adaptations have the same producer - Karen Rosenfelt.

3. Frederic Beigbeder - Una & Salinger

Outrageous French writer took a long time out. The writer's pause of five years made Begbeder's fans worried. It seemed that Frederick was bored with writing, and he put an end to it. Perhaps that is why the release of his new book, Una & Salinger, has become a real sensation. This story is about the innocent love of two young creatures. It would seem a rather banal plot, but the main intrigue is that the characters are absolutely real. Begbeder, who loves to share his personal experience with readers in his works, describes his own passions with gusto. This time he remained true to himself, deciding to describe an excerpt from the biography of his favorite writer, Jerome Salinger. The book is about his romantic relationship with young Una O'Neill, an aspiring actress and daughter of a brilliant playwright. But the world knows this woman also as the wife of the legendary Charlie Chaplin, as the mother of his eight children. Obviously, the story of Una and Salinger ended sadly, as usually happens with first love. But long awaited best-seller not about this, the author does not claim biographical accuracy. On the contrary, Begbeder manages to skillfully intertwine fact and fiction in order to convey the magic of feelings. Buy

2. Jeannette Walls - Castle of Glass

The book by American journalist Jeannette Walls is an autobiographical book. The Glass Castle managed to stay in the authoritative ranking of the best-selling books according to The New York Times for two whole years. Usually memoirs are incapable of holding everyone's attention for so long. But Jeannette Walls's book is brutally honest about what many people choose to hide, perhaps the secret to her success. This year, the Russian-speaking audience also has the opportunity to find out what it is, the “Castle of Glass”. Jeannette describes her nomadic childhood, difficult relationships with her parents, and domestic difficulties. Her drinking father often dreams of creating an engineering miracle in the form of a crystal palace, and does not think at all about how to feed four children. Mother seeks herself in creativity, creating paintings and writing novels. Home improvement and childcare do not go well with the pangs of creativity. The family has been moving from one place to another for many years, running away from numerous debts and troubles. Children become hostages of parental whim, and it seems that their future is not happy with the prospects. But after many years, three of them made a brilliant career, and fully realized in life. It seems that successful Jeannette Walls, in order to be in complete harmony with herself, needed to tell what she was silent about for many years. Buy

1. Donna Tartt - Goldfinch

It took Donna Tartt over 10 years to write this novel. Its name - "Goldfinch" coincides with the name of the painting by the Dutch master, artist Karel Fabricius. And this is no coincidence, because the picture in the novel is destined for a difficult role. The main character is a 13-year-old boy, in front of whom his mother dies from an explosion in a museum. In the same place, an unfamiliar old man, dying, gives the boy a small picture, which is destined to become the boy's constant companion. The book received rave reviews from critics and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. It is sometimes compared with the works of Dickens and Bradbury, and the legendary Stephen King enthusiastically noted that over the past 10 years he could name no more than 5 books of such a high level. Warner Bros. hastened to buy the rights to the film adaptation, which means that you need to have time to read the book before the movie is released. So, each reader can mentally shoot his own unique movie, and then compare it with what the director will get. Buy

This collection is very diverse both in style and genre. And this means that any reader will pick up something to his taste. Who knows, perhaps in this ranking there is a work that will become a literary classic, or simply someone's favorite book.

What recent books do you like?