This a new hat form I got months ago. I really like the way it turned out. 

I read 114 books in 2015. 78% were books by women and 43% were books by authors I hadn't read before. I read slightly more books than last year in the categories of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Disability Rep, and books in translation. I still would like to read more in these categories going forward. I primarily read physical books (60%) and 19% of the books were rereads. Below is a chart of the different genres/category of books I read. 

Since I read so much fantasy (again), I started parsing out the different fantasy sections and landed on eight categories: comedy, contemporary/urban, cozy, folk tale/fairytale, historical, 
portal/alt world, romance, sword/sorcery/epic. Those sections are portioned out about equally except for portal/alt world and sword/sorcery/epic which are about 20% each of fantasy I read.

Favorite books in no particular order: 

Jane Austen's Bookshelf
Lolly Willowes
The Ghostwriter
Bat Eater and Other Names
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafy
Dead Silence
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti series​

​Time and Time Again, by Chatham Greenfield
A fat teenager with a chronic illness is caught in a time loop alone, until something changes and her former best friend/long-time crush joins her in repeating August 6. Cute story. Has so much representation (gay, disability, fat) but none of it feels crammed in. Nice, cozy read.
 
The Fox Wife, by Yangsze Choo
Gorgeous tale of a fox spirit of Chinese mythology navigating the human world as she is out for revenge for the death of her child. She gets wrapped up in drama created by another fox spirit and must come to terms with whether or not revenge is worth her future. Loved this story. Smart, well-executed, and with just the right amount of tension. Plus a satisfying ending.
 
The Forest of a Thousand Eyes, by Frances Hardinge
This is another short illustrated tale from Hardinge and I loved it. Haunting tale of a world overtaken a quick-growing forest with large dangerous fauna. Humans live in the wreckage of a giant fortress wall created to keep the forest at bay, and are isolated from one another by the forest floor. Feather gets duped by a wanderer and is stranded outside her community. She makes her way on the broken bits of the wall finding other communities and her way home. I don’t know what it is about this story that I love so much. Read it and find out for yourself.
 
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, P. Djèlí Clark
I’ve really gotten into this author. I love his world-building. The assassins in this story are, indeed, dead. When they die, they are resurrected to serve their goddess as killers for hire, but with no memory of who they were. Eveen is one of the best. So when she is assigned the task of killing someone who may or may not be her younger self, she has to go against the assassin’s code to find out who wants her dead. Steampunk at its best.
 
Snuff, by Terry Pratchett
The last book in The Watch subseries of Discworld novels, finishing off my year-long reread of the six books in the series. (Only five really as I didn’t reread Men At Arms having reread that one recently.) This book is such a satisfying story with all my favorite characters. Sam Vimes is one of the most complex heroes of literature.
 
Lady Eve’s Last Con, by Rebecca Fraimow
A take on the well-known Barbara Stanwyck/Henry Fonda film, The Lady Eve, this story is set in the future on a space station where the Haves and Have-nots are becoming more and more separated. Instead of the con artist going directly after the man who wronged her, the sister, Ruth, goes after the man who hurt her sister, Esteban. Complications arise when Ruth finds herself attracted to Estaban’s sister. Really enjoyed this fast-paced rom-com. Looking forward to more from this author.
 
The Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett
I didn’t mean to reread another Sir Terry book this month, but what is Roundworld’s Christmas without Discworld’s Hogwatch? Beautiful tale of what belief is and what it means to humans.
 
Everyone in my Family Has Killed Somone, by Benjamin Stevenson
Another relisten. December was crazy busy for me and I needed something that wouldn’t stress me out. Such a great premise, such a funny narrator, and a darned good mystery.
 
The Cabin at the End of the World, by Paul Tremblay
This has long been on my TBR list and I’m glad I finally got to it. Disturbing, but ultimately thoughtful. (TW: child death) Eric and Andrew take their young daughter, Wen, to rural New Hampshire for an internet-free vacation. A few days in four strangers arrive telling the family that they have to kill one of the three in order to stop the apocalypse. I zipped right through this one as it was so compelling. Excellent horror. 

The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
This is the sleeper hit of the year, and it is great. It is about a woman, Sybil, who prefers to write letters rather than talk to people. It’s an epistolary that includes emails and memos and follows Sybil during the last years of her life as she makes peace with an old tragedy. Sybil seems like a fussy old woman, and she is, but there is substance within her that needs some human connection to bring out the best in her.
 
Polaris Rising, by Jessie Mihalik
Reread, or relisten, really. I listened to the other two books in the series last month, so thought I should round it out. Not my favorite in the series, but still great.
 
The Ghostwriter, by Julie Clark
This was a really fun and twisty mystery with elements of horror. Olivia takes a job to ghostwrite for her long-estranged father, famous horror novelist Vincent, to save her derailed career. He’s suffering from a type of dementia and wants her to write his biography which leads her to investigate the mystery of who murdered his brother and sister in 1976—a crime that many think he committed. Just when I thought I had guessed what happened, there was another turn. Loved it.
 
Hunchback, by Saou Ichikawa (transl by Polly Barton)
A short, rough, but beautiful novel. Shaka was born with a congenital muscle disorder and spends her time in her room in a care home. While her physical life is confined, her mind is full of life—taking online courses, writing erotica, among other things. When a young orderly begins working at her care facility, things change for her. Shaka is a wonderful character—not necessarily likable, but you still want to get to know her.
 
The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands, Sarah Brooks
I don’t know what I was expecting when I started listening to this book, but it blew me away. Alternative history, Annihilation-type wasteland, Snowpiercer-type train that goes between Beijing and Moscow. I don’t want to say too much because there are a lot of surprises. Let’s just say I really enjoyed it and I thought about it a lot once I finished.
 
Queen Demon, by Martha Wells
The sequel to Witch King picks up right where it leaves off. Kai and his entourage embark on a journey to find the center of the Hierarch’s power. The flash backs cover the war that Kai and the Rising World coalition wage against the Hierarchs. I enjoyed this world that Wells created, but the format of one chapter in the present and one in the past sometimes gets confusing. Before the third one comes out (if there is a third one), I’m going to read all the past chapters and then all the present chapters.
 
A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters
A medieval monk travels with some of his order to Wales to claim the bones of a saint in order to enrich their own abbey. Brother Cadfael, a world-weary native of Wales, works as both interpreter and foil to the senior priest’s greed. There is a murder and the monks are accused, so Cadfael steps in to solve the crime. Read this for book club and really enjoyed it, we all did. Might try to read more of the series.
 
Anishinabe Songs for a New Millenium, by Marcie R. Rendon
Poetry by an indigenous poet. I didn’t really connect with much of it. As the titles says, the poet created new songs for her people. Rendon’s words and phrasing are beautiful, though. So I must recommend it.
 
Titan of the Stars, by E.K. Johnston
Ship engineer, Celeste, is excited to be a part of the maiden voyage of the Titan—the most luxurious of space liners. Dominic is on the cruise to please his parents. When the unthinkable happens, alien remains reanimate, these two different people have to work to save their friends and family and still make it to Mars. It was okay for what it was trying to do, but I’ve read similar books that did it better.
 
The DallerGut Dream Department Store, by Lee Mi-ye (transl by Sandy Joosun Lee)
A charming story about where dreams come from. Very much in the same style as the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” books. Penny gets hired into the DallerGut Dream Dept store, one of the most eminent dream stores and soon becomes the right-hand assistant to Dallergut himself. People’s dreams are not from the subconscious, but purchased through this alternate reality. There are dream designers and dream sellers and we even get to see the dreams—and outcomes—of several dreamers. Fun and fluffy, it’s a guilt-free read.

Thud! by Terry Pratchett
Read as part of my reread of the Watch subseries. The Sam Vines books only get better as they go along. This time Sam prevents a war between dwarves and trolls and it is so so satifying.
 
Infinite Archive, by Mur Lafferty
This series is so much fun. Even on a space station surrounded only by aliens, humans find a way to get murdered when Mallory is near. This time a data ship is bringing all of the internet (physically embodied) and a mystery convention to Station Eternity. Usual cast of out-of-control characters and an endless room that has physically recreated all cat videos, this is a bonkers mystery. This series is as if Douglas Adams and Agatha Christie wrote books together.
 
Murder at Gull's Nest, by Jess Kidd
The start of a new mystery series where a recently retired nun goes to live in a seaside town to find out what happened to a friend. I really like Jess Kidd’s writing and Nora, the nun, has the savviness of someone who has spent many years observing, even if she doesn’t have the street smarts. I’m looking forward to the series.
 
Sleeping Giants, by Sylvain Neuvel
This was my choice for book club. We gave it a 3/5. It was interesting and had an unusual narrative. It was entirely written in interview transcripts, email, and letters. A giant robot hand is found in Idaho, then a scientist figures out there are more parts of the body placed all around the world. The story follows the pilots who will operate the robot when it’s completed, the scientist in charge of the program, and the unnamed secret operative who is doing the interviews.
 
Natsume’s Book of Friends, vol 30-31
I was behind on this manga that I’ve been reading for close to 15 years now. Still a treasure to catch up with these friends.
 
Sylvester, or The Wicked Uncle, by Georgette Heyer
Another reread (and first time listen). I love this book so much. I think it must be a tie between this and Cotilion for my favorite of her books.
 
What Stalks the Deep, T. Kingfisher
The third book in the Sworn Soldier series. This time MC Alex goes to America to visit their old friend Dr. Denton (from the first book). Denton’s cousin is missing and was last seen exploring a cave system in West Virginia. Alex really dislikes caves, especially when something imitating a human begins to stalk their party. Always fun to read a Kingfisher book.
 
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, by R. A. Dick
A young widow rents a cottage by the sea for her family. There, already, is the ghost of the sea captain who built the house and died in it. They become friends and he helps guide her as she learns how to do things on her own. Many years later, when she needs money, the captain dictates his memoirs to her and she publishes it as her own work. This book is absolutely charming. Just an easy, entertaining read all the way through.
 
32 Days in May, by Betty Corrello
Romance about a woman who is relearning to live after a diagnosis of Lupus and the down-on-his-luck TV star who needs a second chance. After being set up on a blind date, the two decide to date-for-fun, with no strings attached, for the month of May. Nadia is a relatable character with my kind of snark. Enjoyed it.
 
Platform Decay, Martha Wells
I got to read the DRC of the next Murderbot book! [Dancing in my chair] (Full disclosure: I’ve read it twice already.) Loved it, of course, the more SecUnit the better. Some fans aren’t really a fan of the last book and I think won’t like this one as much, but that’s on them. I will probably be reading it again before too long.
 
The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society, by C.M. Waggoner
If Jessica Fletcher were a librarian and the body count per capita was even higher. It was cute and a cozy read.
 
Aurora Blazing, by Jessie Mihalik
I wasn’t going to count this one as I’ve read it 3 or 4 times, but then I checked and I haven’t read it in four years, so I guess it has been long enough. I don’t know why this book checks so many boxes for me. I guess I just really need books about a space princess who kicks butt with lots of romance.
 
Chaos Reigning, by Jessie Mihalik
Well, I relistened to the second book in the series then realized I needed to listen to them all. This is the third one. More space princesses kicking butt. Less romance in this one, but definitely there.