My Favorite Books of 2015 (and those I regret not reading...yet)
2015 was a terrific year for fiction by women. I say that based on my own reading, along with reviews and word of mouth among people whose judgment I trust. There were more books on my TBR list this year than ever before, but I didn't make nearly as much progress as I'd hoped because I returned to teaching English full-time (five classes, 125 students) after a year on a temporary administrative assignment. So my time available for reading and blogging plummeted starting in August.
This is a very idiosyncratic list, based on what I managed to read. That's why the title is "My Favorite Books," not "The Best Books" of 2015. Most of the books were published in 2015, but a few are from 2014 that I read this year and which also came out in paperback this year, giving them a second (and usually better) chance to find an audience.
Reviews are in alphabetical order by author.
Click on the link to see my review.
The Enchanted -- Rene Denfeld (Harper Perennial)
Louisa Meets Bear -- Lisa Gornick (Sarah Crichton Books)
Black River -- S.M. Hulse (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) -- review to come next week
The Tusk That Did the Damage -- Tania James (Knopf)
Charmed Particles -- Chrissy Kolaya (Dzanc Books) -- review to come next week
The Frangipani Hotel: Stories -- Violet Kupersmith (Spiegel & Grau)
The Other Language: Stories -- Francesca Marciano (Pantheon)
Of Things Gone Astray -- Janina Mathewson (The Friday Project)
Cowboys and East Indians -- Nina McConigley (Curtis Brown Unlimited)
Girl at War -- Sara Novic (Random House)
The Unraveling of Mercy Louis -- Keija Parssinen (Harper)
Happy are the Happy -- Yasmina Reza (Other Press)
On a special note, I would like to add that the writing of Violet Kupersmith and Nina McConigley made me say "wow" repeatedly.
Honorable Mention
My Life as a Mermaid -- Jen Grow (Dzanc Books)
Orhan's Inheritance -- Aline Ohanesian (Algonquin Books)
Baby's On Fire -- Liz Prato (Press 53)
Dreams of the Red Phoenix -- Virginia Pye (Unbridled Books)
Landfall -- Ellen Urbani (Forest Avenue Books)
Books I Wish I'd Read Because I Think Some of Them Would Be on My Favorites List
After Birth -- Elisa Albert
In the Country: Stories -- Mia Alvar
The Lower Quarter -- Elise Blackwell
Juventud -- Vanessa Blakeslee
Washing the Dead -- Michelle Brafman
Gutenberg's Apprentice -- Alix Christie
The Story of the Lost Child -- Elena Ferrante
The Mare -- Mary Gaitskill
Fates and Furies -- Lauren Groff
Speak -- Louisa Hall
Safekeeping -- Jessamyn Hope
The Moor's Account -- Laila Lalami
The Half Brother -- Holly LeCraw
H is for Hawk -- Helen McDonald
Church of Marvels -- Leslie Parry
Honeydew: Stories -- Edith Pearlman
A Night at the Fiestas: Stories -- Kirstin Valdez Quade
Find Me -- Laura van den Berg
Gold Fame Citrus -- Claire Vaye Watkins
The Visiting Privilege: Collected Stories -- Joy Williams
A Little Life -- Hanya Yanagihara