2015 was a great year for books. All the books below received my Paradise rating, meaning I wanted to give them more than 5 stars. Some were the first books in a new series, while others were from series I have loved for years. This year a short story even makes the list.
I read almost 200 books again this year. So many received 5 star reviews. The authors continue to impress me with their fantastic stories.
2015 was also a year of shock and sadness. My son passed away in March and my friend, author Joyce Lavene, passed away in October. Both are hardly ever out of my thoughts. I have found some comfort escaping into good books like these.
My Top 13 Books of 2015
Dead to the Last Drop: A Coffeehouse Mystery
My Review
Move Your Blooming Corpse: An Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery
My Review
Looking for Mr. Good Witch (Retired Witches Mysteries)
My Review
The Reckoning Stones: A Novel of Suspense
My Review
A Fatal Chapter: A Booktown Mystery
My Review
Death & the Redheaded Woman (An Auction Block Mystery)
Suspendered Sentence (An Amish Mystery)
My Review
One Garish Ghost & Blueberry Peach Jam (Dead by the Numbers Mysteries Book 1)
My Review
The Glassblower’s Wife
Short Story
My Review
The Paris Key
My Review
Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything: A Mystery (Miss Ruffles Mysteries)
My Review
Murder Fir Christmas (Christmas Tree Valley Mysteries) (Volume 1)
My Review
Bridges Burned (Zoe Chambers Mystery Series Book 3)
My Review
What were your favorite books this year? Please share them in the comment section below so we can all see them and add them to our wish lists!
Looking ahead to 2016 I see so many wonderful books in our future. New stories from our favorite authors and new authors bringing us their stories. Sadly some of my favorite series have ended or we will see the last books in 2016. The publishing world continues to evolve. I used to think I would only read print books, but this year I read more than 70 books on my Kindle and some of them made this list.
I hope you have enjoyed my reviews, recommendations, and giveaways. It has been a pleasure being your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent this year. I am excited for the new year as I start my 7th year blogging! I hope to book many more literary escapes for you all to enjoy!
Julia MacDonnell – Mimi Malloy at last; Naiomi Wood – Mrs. Hemingway; I enjoyed all others that I read, but these two were standouts.
Three outstanding books for me this year were:
The Martian by Andy Weir
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I couldn’t even begin to narrow down the mysteries.
Too many great ones. I moderated mystery panels at both Malice Domestic and Bouchercon this year and read books by the the authors on the panels: Sandra Parshall,Sheila Connolly, Kylie Logan,Barbara Ross, Kendel Lynn, Ellen Crosby, Mollie Cox Bryan, and Tracy Kiely, and loved them. Also just finished Unidentified Woman #15 by David Housewright–another winner.
Thanks for all that you do! I’ve found many new books to read because of your generous work.
And I’m so sorry to hear about your son and your friend. Deepest condolences.
Marc and I want to thank you for including us in such great company. Congratulations to our fellow authors and continued cheers to you, Lori, for the work you do connecting readers and writers. May the New Year bring you peace and joy.
~ Cleo Coyle
D.E. Ireland is thrilled to be on this list, and thanks so much, Lori! Congrats to many other authors on this list and off – who doesn’t love a great mystery? May 2016 bring you blessings.