The Best Books of 2015!

I did a lot of reading during 2015, and about half of that reading was purposely aimed at books published this year. So, in true end-of-the-year fashion, here is a list of those books that I read and loved, narrowed down to my very very favorites. If you know me, you know how hard it is for me to pick favorites. To create this list, I avoided overthinking and just chose the two books in each category that stood out to me the most. If you haven't read these books yet, I hope you'll add them to your reading pile soon!

Picture Books

It was a great year for picture books, if you ask me. And that is only partly because of the release of WHAT ABOUT MOOSE? in June (teehee). There were so many other wonderful picture books, many of them in rhyme! Here are two of my favorites, which both happen to be fairy-tale-ish.

LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD by Tara Lazar and illustrated by Troy Cummings is simply an adorable book inside and out. I mean, just look at that cover! The illustrations are charming, the story is sweet and funny, the language is clever and fun. An all-around great picture book! 

THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT is a rhyming book patterned after the familiar rhyme "There was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly." The illustrations are colorful and fun, the rhyme is as close to perfect as it gets, and the story is clever and chuckle-inducing. Love it!


Middle Grade

I tried to catch up on some of my middle grade reading this year too, and I read several excellent books (including a few verse novels). Here are the two that stand out as the best. Both of these happen to be debuts! And they have yellow covers...not sure what the significance of that is, but I noticed it.

THE SOUND OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING by Kristy Van Dolzer has a fascinating premise, a voice that grabs you, and a likable, believable main character. 

RED BUTTERFLY by A.L. Sonnichsen is a verse novel that will draw you in and make you cry, and you may be thinking about this story for days or weeks afterward.

Young Adult

Young adult books, especially fantasy and speculative fiction, are one of my favorite things to read (right up there with middle grade verse novels). The books I read in 2015 did not disappoint!

FIREFIGHT by Brandon Sanderson is epic and brilliant. I read the first book in The Reckoners series,  STEELHEART when it first came out, and enjoyed it immensely (stories about average people battling super villains aren't exactly what I'm drawn to...but it's Brandon Sanderson). This book is even better than the first, and I can't wait for the next one!

It was no surprise to me that I loved WINTER, the last book in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, as much as I did. This series is partly credited for my recently acquired appreciation for science fiction. Of course, the fact that this series is based on several different fairy tales that are woven together into an epic, romantic, adventure of awesomeness is a definite plus!

What are your favorite books from 2015?