The Book Riot podcast has been “power ranking” the books of 10, 20, and 30 years ago, and though I have zero interest in power ranking books, I was curious about the books from those years I’d read, and how they’d held up (assuming I read them as front list and not back list).

I decided to note whether I reread the book, how many rereads, and if any of were audiobook listens.

Whether a book is part of a series is important, as is how far into the series it is; Books in a long, ongoing series, are less likely to be rereads, and I tend to judge them against the rest of the series, rather than books by other authors. I also wondered how many series I’ve abandoned–or at least not finished.

Couple things of note:

In my year-end round-ups (where I’ve been looking for end-of-the-year favs) I’d stopped noting older back-list books. This was mostly due to how much I read during the pandemic (a lot) as a way to shorten the lists a bit. But as my reading (especially new-to-me books) has been slow the past couple years, I should probably make note of back-list books again.

Books that can stand alone are ones I’m more likely to reread over and over. And audio books where I like the narrator are ones I’ll listen to repeatedly. That will become apparent in the next post.

Interestingly, there is only a single romance here–everything is fantasy or mystery.

These are the books published in 2015 that made my year-end favorites lists.

2015 Favorites

Half-Resurrection Blues (2015) Daniel José Older (Bone Street Rumba #1/3-complete) Urban Fantasy (reread+ audio 4x) (2015 favorite)

The Dragon Conspiracy (2015) Lisa Shearin (SPI Files #2/8) Supernatural Mystery (reread+ audio 3x) (2015 favorite)

–No new additions to this series in the past couple years, however, individual books could be read as stand-alones.

Who Buries the Dead (2015) C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr # 10/21-ongoing) Historical Mystery  (+audio) (2015 favorite)

–I am not quite current with this series, but did do an audio re-read earlier this year to get mostly caught up.

Tales from the Nightside (2015) Simon R. Green (Nightside-complete) Supernatural Mystery (2015 favorite)

–I still have not read the final book in this series. I own it–preordered it likely–but haven’t read it. And I’ll want to do a full reread before I finish the last book.

2016 Favorites

Newford Stories: Crow Girls (2015) Charles de Lint  Urban Fantasy (reread) (2016 favorite)

A Soupçon of Poison (2015) Ashley Gardener (Kat Holloway #0.5/8-ongoing) Historical Mystery (2016 favorite)

–This series is a pre-order for me.

A Study in Death (2015) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby #4/13-ongoing) Historical Mystery (2016 favorite)

–This series is a pre-order for me.

Once Upon a Marquess (2015) Courtney Milan (Worth series#1/3) Historical Romance (reread) (2016 favorite)

Shadowshaper (2015) Daniel José Older (Shadowshaper #1/3-complete) YA Urban Fantasy (2016 favorite)

–I didn’t finish this series, because I wasn’t in the mood for YA, and now I’ll need to reread the first book before I continue on.

Witches of Lychford (2015) Paul Cornell (Witches of Lychford #1/6) Urban Fantasy (2016 favorite)

–I fell behind on this series, and really should get back to it.

The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories (2015) Ian Rankin (Inspector Rebus) Police Mystery (2016 favorite)

–I finished this series up to Rebus’s retirement, but haven’t read any of the post-retirement stories. I regularly consider a reread of the series, but I’ve had trouble with thrillers and darker stories in recent years. At the very least I should reread this anthology, as Rankin is good with short stories.

2017 Favorites

A Curious Beginning (2015) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell #1/10-ongoing)  Historical Mystery (+audio) (2017 favorite)

–The last book I read (#9) annoyed me, so I’m not current on this series and haven’t decided if I want to continue.

2018 Favorites

Undeath & Taxes (2015) Drew Hayes (Fred, the Vampire Accountant #2/8-ongoing) Urban Fantasy (reread+ audio 5x) (2018 favorite)

–According to the author this series isn’t complete yet, but there are no cliffhangers so you can read without fear. Which is one of the reasons I’ve reread it so many times, since I can start and stop without difficulty.

Voyage of the Basilisk (2015) Marie Brennan (Memoirs of Lady Trent #3/5-complete) Fantasy (+audio) (2018 favorite)

–I love this series and the audio books. Now I want to reread it.

2024 Favorites

Shady Hollow (2015) Juneau Black (A Shady Hollow Mystery #1/6-ongoing) Fantasy Mystery (+audio) (2024 favorite)

–This was recently picked up by a publisher and reissued. It is delightful and I eagerly await a new book.