I hope everyone’s 2015 ended with some great reading, family, friends, and fantastic food.
Of those I read in the year 2015 — those published in 2015 and before — these are the best in these categories:
Best Series:
Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue)
Best Children’s Book: (TIE)
- I Want to Eat Your Books by Karin Lefranc, illustrated by Tyler Parker
- Firefly July by Paul Janeczko
Best Memoir:
Displacement by Lucy Knisley
Best Nonfiction:
LOVE: A Philadelphia Affair by Beth Kephart
Best Short Story Collection:
The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War
Best Young Adult Fiction:
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Best Reference:
How to Entertain, Distract, and Unplug Your Kids by Matthew Jervis
Best Women’s Fiction:
French Coast by Anita Hughes
Best Historical Fiction: (TIE)
- Miss Emily by Nuala O’Connor
- The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton
- The House of Hawthorne by Erika Robuck
Best Fiction:
- The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
Best Poetry: (TIE)
- Wet Silence by Sweta Vikram
- Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
Here is the list of BEST BOOKS PUBLISHED in 2015:
- Wet Silence by Sweta Vikram
- The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton
- Vessel by Parneshia Jones
- LOVE: A Philadelphia Affair by Beth Kephart
- The House of Hawthorne by Erika Robuck
- The Mapmaker’s Children by Sarah McCoy
- Miss Emily by Nuala O’Connor
- One Thing Stolen by Beth Kephart
- The Secret of Magic by Deborah Johnson
- The Sound of Glass by Karen White
- Mistaking Her Character by Maria Grace
- Earth Joy Writing by Cassie Premo Steele, PhD
What were your favorites in 2015?
Great list! The only one I’ve read is Displacement and I loved it too!
You must read House of Hawthorne and Mapmaker’s Children!
I will try, but things get in the way. 🙂
Glad to know they are good….I thought they would be.
The Raven series was soo good.
Glad to see The Mapmaker’s Children and The Race for Paris on your list!
How could they not be?!
Happy New Year, Serena! Enjoyed reading your best of list. I read Wintergirls years ago and it was a fabulous read. Here’s wishing you a great reading year in 2016!
Thanks, Iliana. Same to you!
Such a good list! I loved “Vessel” too. Happy New Year!
I’m so glad you loved it, Beth. It was such a great collection.
I love this list. It shows your great depth and breadth as a reader/writer. And of course I’m so honored to be listed here. Thank you.
Thanks, Beth. Happy New Year!
I love the way your broke this down. I tried The Story of Beautiful Girl on audio and it didn’t work for me that way. It sounds like I need to get the print version.
I think you’ll love it in print
Interesting re Stiefvater. I think I would have picked the Shiver series. But it’s pretty hard to pick with her! Happy New Year!!!
I didn’t pick Shiver series because the Raven Cycle was a little more poetic in language, which I loved!
Lists like this make me want to add more books. I already found an Anita Hughes book! Now to track a few more.
Happy New Year
Have fun! Happy New Year!