My Reading List for 2015

As is now a yearly tradition, I share my reading list for the year. Last year I surpassed my goal of thirty books with thirty-seven. This year I had a goal for thirty-five and ended up with exactly that. (I’m not the fastest of readers.)

Since this list is so long, I tend not to fill it with reviews, but you’re welcome to follow me on Goodreads where I do review books I read from time to time. At the end of the list, I will call out some of my favorite books of the year. As before, all links will go to Amazon as a default, but if one of these books sound interesting to you then I would encourage you to visit your local independent bookstore and purchase through them.

Novels:

1. The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga #1)
   by Kameron Hurley
2. Blightborn (The Heartland Trilogy #2)
   by Chuck Wendig
3. Dune (Dune Chronicles #1)
   by Frank Herbert
4. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
   by Erik Larson
5. The Hour of the Oxrun Dead (Oxrun Station)
   by Charles L. Grant
6. The Martian
   by Andy Weir
7. The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle #2.5)
   by Patrick Rothfuss
8. The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard #1)
   by Scott Lynch
9. Something Wicked This Way Comes
   by Ray Bradbury
10. Annihilation: A Novel (Southern Reach #1)
    by Jeff VanderMeer
11. NOS4A2
    by Joe Hill
12. The City of Ember (Book of Ember #1)
    by Jeanne DuPrau
13. Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2)
    by Gail Carriger
14. The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5)
    by Stephen King
15. The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)
    by Brandon Sanderson
16. Karen Memory
    by Elizabeth Bear
17. The Flight of the Silvers (Silvers #1)
    by Daniel Price
18. Southern Gods
    by John Hornor Jacobs
19. Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances
    by Neil Gaiman
20. Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2)
    by Brandon Sanderson
21. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland #1)
    by Catherynne M. Valente
22. Black Chalk
    by Christopher J. Yates
23. Redwall (Redwall #1)
    by Brian Jacques
24. Chapelwood (The Borden Dispatches #2)
    by Cherie Priest
25. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4)
    by Brandon Sanderson
26. The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Cycle #2)
    by Ursula K. Le Guin
27. The Dunwich Horror
    by H.P. Lovecraft
28. The Harvest (The Heartland Trilogy #3)
    by Chuck Wendig
29. A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1)
    by V.E. Schwab
30. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)
    by Brandon Sanderson
31. Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
    by David Bayles, Ted Orland
32. The Spirit Machine
    by Robert Hazelton
33. A Witch’s Feast (The Memento Mori Series #2)
    by C.N. Crawford
34. The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story (Gap #1)
    by Stephen R. Donaldson
35. The Deep
    by Nick Cutter

If there is one takeaway I have, it’s that I read way to much Sanderson. He’s on the list four times. While I’m not discounting him as a writer (his books are a lot of fun), that’s way too much for me. So next year I vow to be Sanderson free (even if the next Stormlight book comes out.)

Favorite Novel of 2015:

The Flight of the Silvers (Silvers #1)
by Daniel Price

It would have been easy for me to select Dune or Something Wicked, both classics and both books I love. However, I wanted to pick something that was a new favorite, something that stuck with me after I put it down. Flight of the Silvers was that book. Daniel Price wrote an amazing world with incredible characters all struggling together and against one another. A fresh new sci-fi series and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Favorite Novel Runners-up of 2015:

Chapelwood (The Borden Dispatches #2)
by Cherie Priest

The sequel to last year’s runner-up, Maplecroft. This book exceeded its predecessor and was easily one of the best books I read all year. Priest’s take on new mythos is both fresh and familiar, it’s dark but is still heartfelt and incredibly engaging. I loved every minute of it.

The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard #1)
by Scott Lynch

I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down to read this book and even a few chapters in I was dubious. I’m glad I stuck with it. I loved this book. The world is familiar but feels fresh and fully realized, its characters are well-crafted and real, and the plot was amazingly complex. I found it impossible to anticipate and quite difficult to put down.

Graphic Novels:

Unlike last year, in 2015 I read a whole swath of great graphic novels and a handful of some pretty terrible ones. As with the previous list, at the end I’ll pick my favorite graphic novel from 2015. (I’m not going to pick Saga… I’m not going to pick Saga… I’m not going to pick Saga.)

1. The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act
   by Kieron Gillen (Author), Jamie McKelvie (Author, Illustrator)
2. Prophet, Vol. 1: Remission
   by Simon Roy (Author), Farel Dalrymple (Author), Giannis Milogiannis (Author), Brandon Graham (Author, Illustrator)
3. East of West Volume 1: The Promise
   by Jonathan Hickman (Author), Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)
4. Moon Knight Volume 1: From the Dead
   by Warren Ellis (Author), Declan Shalvey (Illustrator)
5. Southern Bastards Volume 1: Here Was a Man
   by Jason Aaron (Author), Jason LaTour (Illustrator)
6. Trees, Vol. 1: In Shadows
   by Warren Ellis (Author), Jason Howard (Author, Illustrator)
7. Saga, Vol. 5
   by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
8. Catbeard the Pirate, Book 1: Keelhauling & Kitty Litter
   by Matt Nelson (Author & Illustrator)
9. Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop
   by Matt Fraction (Author), Chip Zdarsky (Illustrator)
10. The Manhattan Projects, Vol. 1: Science Bad
    by Jonathan Hickman (Author), Nick Pitarra (Artist)
11. Neonomicon
    by Alan Moore (Author), Jacen Burrows (Artist)

Favorite Graphic Novel of 2015:

Prophet, Vol. 1: Remission
by Simon Roy (Author), Farel Dalrymple (Author), Giannis Milogiannis (Author), Brandon Graham (Author, Illustrator)

I didn’t pick Saga! But seriously, there was something so engaging about this reboot of Prophet (a former, and awful, Image character from the 90s) that I loved. It’s Conan in space, the artwork is beautiful, the stories bizarre. Prophet, Vol. 2: Brothers is already on my list for next year.

Favorite Graphic Novel Runners-up of 2015:

Catbeard the Pirate, Book 1: Keelhauling & Kitty Litter
by Matt Nelson (Author & Illustrator)

As you can tell from my list, when it comes to comics, I usually am not drawn to comedy. However after a recommendation from a friend, I picked up Matt Nelson’s fantastic book. Catbeard is charming, witty, and was a delight to read. What else would you expect from a book with cat-beard voodoo curses, dinosaur riding heroes, and strange pirate adventures? It was the perfect respite between some of the darker graphic novels I was reading. Ready for the next one.

Trees, Vol. 1: In Shadows
by Warren Ellis (Author), Jason Howard (Author, Illustrator)

Trees is one of those books I wish I thought of, the setting is simple, but the ramifications of its simplicity are complex. What would society do if strange and enormous aliens arrived on Earth? Ten years after that event, Trees seeks to explore that idea, with what appears to be terrible ramifications, I can’t wait for more.

So that’s my list for 2015. A lot of really great stuff, and I’m looking forward to new books in 2016. I was also given a new challenge! If you recall, in 2014, I was challenged to read more women authors, and I ended up doing just that. Well, my friend Steve Toutonghi, author of the upcoming sci-fi novel Join, challenged me to read more classics in 2016. So that’s my plan. First on my plate (after I read my advanced reader copy of Join) is to dive into Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges and then it’ll move onto Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain.

How about you? How does your reading list compare this year? Did anything stick out? Did you find a new favorite book or favorite author? What are your plans for 2016? Is there any new book you’re excited to read? Are there any classics I should visit in my 2016? Leave a comment and let me know!