Last week our reviewers shared their favorite movies and music of the year with us. This week they’ve tackled their favorite books of 2015, with the same result: it’s hard to narrow it to just five, to a list of titles, and even to one year. What were your favorite books of 2015?
From Dave Baker, diversity officer at Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Leadership Resources
- by Dru Joyce II (Zondervan). Joyce was LaBron’s high school coach; this is for anyone interested in coaching as leadership.
- by Samuel Chand (Thomas Nelson). Insights on organizational leadership; Chand is part of the.
- . This longstanding business magazine is an excellent resource for women in leadership. The September 2015 issue is noteworthy.
- . This website is run by Duke Divinity School with a focus on reconciliation and transformational leadership. Their e-newsletter goes out free to subscribers.
- by Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith (Scribner). For those interested in parenting and educational leadership.
From Philip Christman, who teaches English at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor:
- by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). So much truth between two covers.
- by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Spiegel & Grau). See item (1) above.
- by Fran Ross (New Directions). A great humorist's lone, lost novel, from 1974, rescued from oblivion by the good souls at New Directions. It's a pun-filled, stylistically dazzling (and extremely bawdy) recreation of the myth of Theseus.
- by John Keene (New Directions). I already called this the best book of short fiction in years in , so . . .
- by G. Willow Wilson (Marvel). In an era of anti-Islamic xenophobia (note: that's a different thing from merely choosing, where it differs from Islam, to commit to Christian doctrine and ideas), it's an odd comfort that the best ongoing superhero comic is about a totally rad and lovable shapeshifting Muslim teenager.
From Jenny deGroot, a teacher/librarian in Langley, British Columbia:
- by Kent Haruf (Knopf)
- by Will Schwalbe (Knopf)
- by Richard Flanagan (Vintage)
- by Charles Belfoure (Sourcebooks)
- by Alexandra Fuller (Penguin)
- by Shauna Niequist (Zondervan)
- by Atul Gwande (Metropolitan)
From Adele Gallogly, a communications writer for World Renew and creative writer in Hamilton, Ont.:
- by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf)
- by Chris Hoke (HarperOne)
- by M.O. Walsh (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
- by Nathan Poole (Sarabande Books)
- by Laura Rose Wagner (Harry N. Abrams)
From Francene Lewis, head of Collection Department Management at Hekman Library, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Upper Middle School and Young Adult Fantasy
- by Zen Cho (Ace)
- by E.K. Johnston (Carolrhoda Books)
- by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
- by Kate Elliott (Little, Brown)
- by Erin Bow (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Graphic Novels for Middle Schoolers
- written by Noelle Stevenson and illustrated by Brooke A. Allen (BOOM! Box)
- written by G. Willow Wilson and illustrated by Adrian Alphona (Marvel)
- written and illustrated by Noelle Stevenson (HarperTeen)
- written by Ryan North and illustrated by Erica Henderson (Marvel)
- written and illustrated by Thomas Siddell (Archaia)
From Kristy Quist, Tuned In editor of The Banner:
- by Kent Haruf (Knopf)
- by Aline Ohanesian (Algonquin)
- by Barry Moser (Algonquin)
- by Kara Tippetts (David C. Cook)
- by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion)
- by Angela Flournoy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
From Jim Romahn, a freelance journalist in Kitchener, Ont.:
- by Timothy Geithner (Broadway Books)
- by Robert B. Reich (Knopf)
- by Nadia Bolz-Weber (Jericho Books)
- by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Harper)
- by Glenn Greenwald (Metropolitan Books)
From Otto Selles, who teaches French at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.:
- by Kent Haruf (Knopf)
- by David Brooks (Random House)
- by Nadia Bolz-Weber (Convergent)
- by Kamel Daoud (Other Press)
- by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
From Sandy Swartzentruber, a freelance writer and editor in Grand Rapids, Mich.:
- written and illustrated by Emily Hughes (Flying Eye Books)
- written by Muon Van and illustrated by April Chu (Creston Books)
- written and illustrated by Jenni Desmond (Enchanted Lion Books)
- ​ written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach. (Knopf)
​ written by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien (Candlewick)