I can hardly believe it, but 2015 meets its end this Thursday night, giving way to the new empire of 2016. (Much more epic to say it that way, don’t you think?)

I hope your year has been as fun and entertaining as mine. Especially on the geeky side of life, which brings me to some of the best from this past year.

Favorite Reads of 2015

I didn’t have the chance to read as many books as I wanted this year, but the ones I did read were fantastic.

Here are my favorites, in no particular order:

1. A Cast of Stones, by fellow fantasy author Patrick W. Carr. An entertaining first book in the Staff and Sword Trilogy, and one worth reading for any fantasy fan.
2. A Time to Speak, by my cool writing friend Nadine Brandes. I reviewed it here, so I won’t say much except that this book needs to be in your life. And the ending…OH. MY. WORD.
3. Steelheart, by the mind-blowing Brandon Sanderson, this time venturing into the world of superpowers and a dystopian future dominated by villains. I couldn’t put the book down. Fair warning to Brandon Sanderson…I’m going to steal your creative powers!
4. Firefight—the sequel to Steelheart. Perhaps even better than its predecessor, it set up what should be a dazzling conclusion to the series when book three, Calamity, releases next year.
5. Darkness Reigns, by the talented Jill Williamson. This is only the first piece of the story, and a captivating first piece at that.

Favorite Movies of 2015

This year was like an amusement park for kids when it came to spec-fic movies. So many good ones, but these made the top of my list:

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron. Not a perfect movie, but still a blast to watch.
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past. I know, I know. It didn’t come out this year, but I didn’t see it until this year. It provided a thrilling ride that kept me glued to the screen.
3. Inception. (See above explanation.) In short, this movie blew my mind on every level imaginable. I need to watch it again so I can pick up on all the details I missed the first time—and so I can relive the brilliance.
4. Star Wars. Because yes, even though I’m not a fanatic, it was an excellent movie and a solid first installment in the new trilogy.
5. Ant–Man. Once again, Marvel exceeded my expectations. I thought Ant-Man was a perfect addition to their lineup of superhero films, mainly because it stays away from the well-worn path blazed by its big brothers Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. Though some people I know aren’t of the same opinion, to me it was a quirky, fun, entertaining movie.

Favorite Geek Experiences of 2015

In May, my sister and I went to the Denver Comic Con, and we had a blast.

I also had the opportunity to attend a fabulous spec-fic writer’s conference in August. The entire weekend was amazing, but costume dinner was especially fun.

What were some of your favorite books, movies, and geeky moments from 2015? I’d love to hear what your year held.