2015 Favorites | General Fiction and Non-Fiction

I read a lot in 2015 so, obviously, I read a lot of good things. Which I think I was actual pretty luck in, considering everything. So I've decided to separate the favorite posts a bit just to make it a little more manageable - honestly, mostly for me.

I'm going to go fiction first and then go onto non-fiction. "General Fiction" is hopefully including all the book-y things I read this year, novels - fiction, SciFi/Fantasy, Middle Grade anything, same for Young Adult. Just a whole bunch of good stuff. They're also in no particular order because that would of been way too hard.

(All of the tops I gave five stars, the honorable mentions were possibly also 5, because I am someone who rates on the high side and likes, apparently, too many things. Also there will be no rereads included in these lists, because I only reread favorites).

Fiction

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark
This is one I read really early in the year, and kind of already want to reread it. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and just so damn good, in all. It's written in verse and just - I cried for a good part of it.

The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1) by Brent Weeks
I'd never read anything by Brent Weeks before and I, for some reason, haven't continued onto something else yet. However - adored this one. High fantasy with some fantastic characters and a super interesting world.

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
I had never read an A.S. King book before this year, and now I've read two and they were both just fantastic, gave both 5 stars. They're contemporary YA but with a very specific magical realism twist, that I ended up just adoring. I read them almost back to back, because I just wanted more. And I definitely want to read more of her books. The other one I read was Ask the Passengers, also fantastic.

Redeployment by Phil Klay
I picked this up because I'd been hearing good things, it was a National Book Award winner, and I'd never read anything related to the Afghanistan war, really any contemporary war anything. (going to mention another related one in the misc category, which might be where I put things that, while were kind of not straight and narrow anything, was also a way to mention more books).

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
I bought this when it first came out and just didn't get to it until this year. And it was heartbreaking and breathtaking and gorgeous. The writing, and how everything was described, it was just incredible. And I honestly can't recommend this one enough. So damn good.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Steivater
I'm pretty sure I've sang my praises of the The Raven Cycle series enough that you guys might have realized I kind of like it. It's amazing, though, freaking incredible. And I'm sure it isn't for some people, but for some reason this series click with me and is just so damn gorgeous, and I love the characters.

The Marvels by Brian Selznick
I've loved both his other novels - love how they're illustrated and written, so well mixed - and this one, I was not expecting to cry for like the last 100 pages of or so, but I did. And it was so good. And I 100% recommend going in not knowing anything.

The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
I don't think I'll go a year now without reading and loving a Sanderson. Also not for everyone, I'm well aware of that, so I will try not to spew at you guys too much. But I'm such a sucker for the interlinked kind of world thing, and references to people in the past. And I just love his writing, somehow it feels so easy to read and I love his characters. Also love the style in this series, the flintlock fantasy, kind of steampunk but western thing. Also the magic systems. Sanderson's magic systems in everything.

Tiffany Reisz - not a book, but an author. And I read 6 books by her this year. 6. And they were incredible. Also not for everything. They're dark - really dark, at points - BDSM stories with fantastic characters. I'm so damn attached to these characters, and I really hope she's going to continue in some series after the last one that came out. The whole series is called the Original Sinners, but the two separate series are the White Years and then the Red Years. I will probably sing her praises continuously, hoping the read the last one in January.

Honorable Mentions(no order): Whistling in the Dark. The Enchanted, The Curious Tale of the In-Between, The Rest of Us Just Live Here

Non-Fiction

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
I can't speak enough praise for this book. I read it early in the year and kept thinking about it for months after it. It's more poems then prose, and it's just damn incredible.

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day
I'm a huge fan of Felicia, have been since the Guild (and Eureka, listen, I love Eureka and still slightly salty five years later). She's an incredible person and I just love so much of what she does. This is kind of her memoir, starting from her early years to now, and it's so interesting. Super interesting to see what she went through more recently. If you love her, read it, and if you don't - read it anyway.

March: Book One and Book Two by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell
I don't know if I can say anything about this one. It's by John Lewis about the civil rights movement, and it's hard to read. It's painful to see what was happening then, and also related to what is happening right now. It's hard, but I can't recommend it enough.

Showa: A History of Japan, 1926 - 1939 by Shigeru Mizuki
I picked this up on a whim at an indie bookstore. And holy shit, it was so good. It's history, which I really enjoy, but it's just just plain history - a mixture of his person history, Mizuki's, but also the history of what was happening political, with a little bit of a twist at parts. So damn good, I can't wait to keep reading more, but I think I have to reread this one because I think my brain has mixed up some dates. Either way - highly, highly recommended. (Graphic novel)

Spook by Mary Roach
I need to read more of her, because this one was so damn good. I really enjoy her writing and how there's so much packed in to a book that isn't that long, or that hard to read. Can't wait to read more.

Honorable Mention: Quiet

I'd like to add that this is a tad bit late and, while I had company, I also could of written it up early. Only a few days late, at least, and with the fact I have two more of these posts to get up - that isn't that bad. (I'll have one with miscellaneous things and graphic novels/tradcs, and then another with single issues/basically my favorite currently running series.

Let me know if you did a best of 2015 post - book related, comics, or whatever - or just let me know your favorites in the comments. Also let me know if you've read any of these or are planning on it.

Happy New Year! And happy reading.