I’m just going to go ahead and say it: 2015 was an underwhelming year in books for me. Even though I read 101 books this year (a good number for me, these days!), my own reading choices left a lot to be desired. I think this is because I didn’t push myself to read outside my comfort zone as much as I have in years past. It’s been a crazy and hectic year in my non-blogging life (grad school…WHYYYY?) and as a result I primarily sought out comfort reads. As enjoyable as those were at the time, those nice little fluff balls didn’t leave much of an impression.

But despite all that, I read some real gems in 2015. I reviewed all these titles save the October Daye books. To see my reviews, just click on the image!

October Daye Banner
Heartstrikers Banner
The Others Banner
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book_covers_stranger

 

So clearly some conclusions can be drawn from this list. Numero uno is that books written by women were uhh, numero uno this year. The only books on my list written by male authors are THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE and THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA. The fact that I preferred books by women isn’t surprising to me, but I am surprised by how few books by dudes made it onto my list. The second thing that jumped out at me was how many of these books feature queer characters, either as protagonists or crucially-important secondary character. *triumphant fist-pump* And finally, Juliet Marillier has officially been crowned Queen of My Heart! She makes an appearance on this list with not one, but two separate series! How does she do it???

Things that I would like to see more of on my “best of” list in 2016: more queer representation, more POC representation, more science fiction (any science fiction…). The best way to make that happen is, of course, to read more books that feature these things. I plan to do so in 2016. #ReadingGoals

Well there it is, folks! The best of the best of 2015, as read and determined by me. *grins*