Best Books Read in 2015

Some years I make several best-of lists, separating out audiobooks from print and fiction from nonfiction. This year I'm making only one list, combing media and genres.

I know there are still a few weeks left in the year, and, yes, I may read my new favorite book tomorrow. Nevertheless, I'm posting today.

Note: I read the books in this list during 2015; the books were not necessarily published in 2015. Note too that these are the books I still remember and still think about, regardless of my overall review. Thus this is not simply a list of my most positive reviews. (Books listed in alphabetical order; links are to my review.)

• Blackout by Sarah Hepola (nonfiction): "This can't-stop-reading memoir gives alcoholism a context within Gen X sociocultural pressures and post-feminism expectations."
• Descent by Tim Johnston (fiction): "a complex psychological novel, studded with precisely balanced action."
• Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick (poetry): "The power of Kuderick's words hit me hard, and I felt the truth of Kenna's story and the hope between the lines."
• The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (fiction): "It's different, fresh, horrifying, and mesmerizing."
• Like Family by Paolo Giordano (fiction)" "A beautifully written slip of a book with an emotional depth that will capture your attention from beginning to end."
• Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (fiction): "a look at the everyday life of two people trying to find a way out of loneliness while preserving their dignity and independence and honoring their pasts."
• Rywka's Diary by Anita Friedman & Rywka Lipszyc (nonfiction): "Beautifully and sensitively translated, Rywka Lipszyc's diary provides an eloquent and surprising perspective on life, hope, and faith in one of the worst of the Jewish ghettos."
• The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton (fiction): "Whether writing about the typical, goofy antics of teenage boys or the horrors carried out in the name of greed and intolerance, Scotton perfectly captures each scene."
• A Series of Small Maneuvers by Eliot Treichel (fiction): "This is less a survival in the wilderness story and more about a girl finding her way after her world is forever altered."
• A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern (fiction): A respectful, realistic, and sensitive examination of ethical dilemmas and what it means to be disabled. (Review will appear here and on the AudioFile website.)
• Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (fiction): "Just read the damn book. Seriously. And if you haven't read it since it first came out, consider a reread."
• Where Women Are Kings by Christie Watson (fiction): "a powerful, stunningly real novel. Put Christie Watson on your permanent must-read list."