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Total number of books and scripts read in 2015: 178

This year, as with last year, I wrote nearly as much as I read, if not more. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities I had to bring new characters to life, to speak and sing the words of others on stage, on film, and in the studio - and, in turn, to see and hear things that I wrote brought to life by others. Thank you to everyone who gave me the chance to do what I love, to everyone who wrote the stories and songs that I got lost (and found) in this year.

Here is my list of the best books of 2015, containing titles released and read in that calendar year. Please note that a title's placement within a category is not an indication of rank of any sort; titles are typically listed in the order I read them. Click on a title to read my review.

Juvenile Fiction
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord

Young Adult Fiction
Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman (published in the USA in 2015; originally published in Australia in 2013)
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Edgewater by Courtney Sheinmel
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten (published in the USA in 2015; originally published in Canada in 2013)

Adult Fiction
Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden
Tin Men by Christopher Golden
A Deafening Silence in Heaven by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Notable New Series
Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins (juvenile fiction)

Notable Conclusions to Series
Beyond the Parallel, the fourth and final book in the Parallelogram sequence by Robin Brande (YA Fiction)

Non-Fiction
Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) in Song by Sara Bareilles
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
The Wise Girl's Guide to Life: 100 Tips for Increasing Your Confidence and Happiness TODAY! by Robin Brande

Graphic Novels
Cemetery Girl, Book Two: Inheritance by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden

Best of the Backlist - Notable books and publications that I read in 2015 which were published in 2014 and earlier
The Apartment screenplay by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond (I've always loved this film and was quite happy to find the script)
I and You by Lauren Gunderson (stage play)
Yes Please by Amy Poehler (non-fiction)