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:
- The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga #1)
by Kameron Hurley - Blightborn (The Heartland Trilogy #2)
by Chuck Wendig - Dune (Dune Chronicles #1)
by Frank Herbert - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
by Erik Larson - The Hour of the Oxrun Dead (Oxrun Station)
by Charles L. Grant - The Martian
by Andy Weir - The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle #2.5)
by Patrick Rothfuss - The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard #1)
by Scott Lynch - Something Wicked This Way Comes
by Ray Bradbury - Annihilation: A Novel (Southern Reach #1)
by Jeff VanderMeer - NOS4A2
by Joe Hill - The City of Ember (Book of Ember #1)
by Jeanne DuPrau - Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2)
by Gail Carriger - The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5)
by Stephen King - The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)
by Brandon Sanderson - Karen Memory
by Elizabeth Bear - The Flight of the Silvers (Silvers #1)
by Daniel Price - Southern Gods
by John Hornor Jacobs - Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances
by Neil Gaiman - Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2)
by Brandon Sanderson - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland #1)
by Catherynne M. Valente - Black Chalk
by Christopher J. Yates - Redwall (Redwall #1)
by Brian Jacques - Chapelwood (The Borden Dispatches #2)
by Cherie Priest - The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4)
by Brandon Sanderson - The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Cycle #2)
by Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dunwich Horror
by H.P. Lovecraft - The Harvest (The Heartland Trilogy #3)
by Chuck Wendig - A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1)
by V.E. Schwab - The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)
by Brandon Sanderson - Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
by David Bayles, Ted Orland - The Spirit Machine
by Robert Hazelton - A Witch’s Feast (The Memento Mori Series #2)
by C.N. Crawford - The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story (Gap #1)
by Stephen R. Donaldson - 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.)
- The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act
by Kieron Gillen (Author), Jamie McKelvie (Author, Illustrator) - Prophet, Vol. 1: Remission
by Simon Roy (Author), Farel Dalrymple (Author), Giannis Milogiannis (Author), Brandon Graham (Author, Illustrator) - East of West Volume 1: The Promise
by Jonathan Hickman (Author), Nick Dragotta (Illustrator) - Moon Knight Volume 1: From the Dead
by Warren Ellis (Author), Declan Shalvey (Illustrator) - Southern Bastards Volume 1: Here Was a Man
by Jason Aaron (Author), Jason LaTour (Illustrator) - Trees, Vol. 1: In Shadows
by Warren Ellis (Author), Jason Howard (Author, Illustrator) - Saga, Vol. 5
by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Fiona Staples (Illustrator) - Catbeard the Pirate, Book 1: Keelhauling & Kitty Litter
by Matt Nelson (Author & Illustrator) - Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop
by Matt Fraction (Author), Chip Zdarsky (Illustrator) - The Manhattan Projects, Vol. 1: Science Bad
by Jonathan Hickman (Author), Nick Pitarra (Artist) - 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!
Like every year, 
In February, I put 
Kari-Lise and I went down to San Diego for the opening of her show 
In March, I went to 
After Norwescon, I hit up 
In the summer, I was asked to be a best man at the wedding of 
Sadly, this summer 
At the end of the summer, Kari-Lise and I went to Iceland. It was a quick trip (only a week) but we saw a lot of the country and we’re plotting a return. Getting out into the world with Kari-Lise has had a fundamental impact on both our lives and my writing. I’m glad that we’re able to do it together. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive, and there are many ways to explore this beautiful world. Do it. You’ll thank me later.
In September, we traveled to San Francisco for the opening of Kari-Lise’s second solo show of the year, 
In October, we returned to Lovat when I launched The Bell Forging Cycle, Book III: 
K. M. Alexander 
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