JANUARY 2, 2016

I debated even posting something like this, because frankly I don’t read enough material to give any sort of comprehensive spectrum to what I’ve read versus what anyone else has read. Annually, I absorb around 80 books, much of it genre (primarily for the stories themselves), much of it non-fiction (for generating new ideas), and a dozen or so literary books or poetry (to keep the literary style in my head fresh). Then, sadly, there’s another – oh – thirty or so books that I’m still getting through, all marked and stacked and ready for me when I have the time and inclination.

One of the best things about the past year has been the ability to befriend so many wonderful writers and editors, and I’ve been lucky enough to pick up many, many titles from authors whose work I was previously unaware of. I’m looking forward to reading many of those books in 2016. They wait for me, stoic and poised, and I can’t wait to release them. Soon…

That said, today I’d like to offer the books that stuck with me the most in 2015 from a story perspective. If for no other reason so that folks who have NOT read these books might be inspired to pick them up. Overall, it was a great year for reading, and I wished I had more time to digest some of the wonderful books on my shelves. But I’ll get there.

Anyway, here’s my somewhat belated list of my favorite genre novels and collections from 2015, in no particular order. If you haven’t read these, I highly recommend you add them to your short-list for the new year:

The Deep – Nick Cutter

Cold Skin – Albert Sanchez Pinol

Bird Box – Josh Malerman

The Silence – Tim Lebbon

After the People Lights Have Gone Off – Stephen Graham Jones

The Nameless Dark – T.E. Grau

A Head Full of Ghosts – Paul Tremblay

North American Lake Monsters – Nathan Ballingrud

House of Small Shadows – Adam Nevill

The Border – Robert McCammon

Penpal – Dathan Auerbach

X’s For Eyes – Laird Barron