My Top Ten Books of 2015

I try to go back over the books I read each year to pick my "Top Ten," so even though it's already January 2 (of 2016!), I'm going to share my top ten books from 2015.  I think this year I'll try to categorize the 76 books I read and choose a favorite (or two) from each category.  I'll also try to link to the reviews I wrote of each book.

• For homeschool encouragement, I would pick Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie.  I loved it so much that I read it, coerced a bunch of friends to read it, and then read it again and hosted not one but TWO evenings in my home to discuss the book.  It has revolutionized and breathed new life and enjoyment into our days.  I'm also going to have to include Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto as it really made me think and validated my decision to continue this homeschooling journey, even though it's not an easy choice.
• Biography would be A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer by Dorsett.  I also read The Pursuit of God by Tozer himself this year, but actually enjoyed reading about him even more.
• My favorite book for spiritual encouragement would probably be The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.  You are correct, there is no link to a review of this book because I simply couldn't review it.  This is another book that I read, gathered a group of friends to read it with me, and then hosted book discussions of the book for a few weeks.  This book caused me to look at the parable of "the prodigal son" more closely than I ever had before, and especially to consider how lost the older brother was.  It also challenged me to truly examine what sin is--not just a list of moral failings, but the root principles of sin.
• My favorite memoir would be The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.  This book was a fascinating 'case study' of two men with the same name, same age, same race, who grew up in the same area during the same time in very similar circumstances. . .but who had two very different fates.  Fascinating.  I also have to include Jaiya John's Black Baby, White Hands as a close second favorite memoir.  It was not an easy read for me, especially as a White mama to Black children, but it was very thought-provoking and well-written.
• The best historical book I read was Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.  It makes one think of Unbroken, although it is not quite that good (Hillenbrand is a master of her craft!).  It tells the story of the young men who won the gold medal rowing in the 1936 Olympics and what I enjoyed most was the way the author illustrated the effect their character had on their lives.
• Hands down, the best fiction novel I read this year was Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova.  I have enjoyed all of her books so far (her background as a neuroscientist really adds to her stories), but this story of a man affected by Huntington's disease was especially well-done.
• Classics--I have to pick two.  I couldn't decide between Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  They were both well-written in different ways, but both provided much to discuss regarding character.

For next year, I have set a Goodreads goal of reading 85 books, and a friend and I are trying to choose books from the guidelines set out by Tim Challies in his 2016 Reading Challenge.  It's going to stretch me, but that's a good thing.  (We've made a spreadsheet on google docs to record our readings because we are just big dorks like that!)

I'd love to hear your recommendations and favorites from the last year (my want-to-read list needs to continue growing, right?).