Okay, okay, enough of these "favorites of 2015" lists. Yes, that's exactly Monica's sentiment. But allow me just one more: my favorite films of 2015. These movies did not necessarily come out in 2015 but it's when I watched them. I saw these at big screen theaters, at the dollar (or $1.50) theater, on airplanes, and at home. I divide my favorite 10 Films into three categories: Action/Blockbusters, Drama/History, and Disturbing/Thought-provoking.
Action/Blockbusters
Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I agree with the critique that this film seems to be a recycled version of previous Star Wars films. It is and that's a big part of the reason I enjoyed it. The plot moves along nicely, the characters are both new and old, the John Williams score is great, and Millennium Falcon is resurrected!
The Martian. Matt Damon's character is stranded on Mars and must survive there until NASA can rescue him. Farming on Mars, harrowing storms, a dramatic rescue: Ridley Scott hits a home run in adapting Andy Weir's book.
Avengers: Age of Ultron. C'mon, admit it: You liked watching the Hulk and Iron-man destroy a city as they fought each other. This movie is on my list largely because my boys enjoyed it so much.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Our kids have neither read The Hunger Games series nor watched the movies. But we have, and enjoyed them. Mockingjay Part 2 followed the book well and was a satisfying close to the series, with a wonderful surprise at the end.

Drama/History
Selma. Though not totally accurate historically (what film is?), this film follows Martin Luther King, Jr.'s (well played by David Oyelowo) quest for voting rights for African-Americans. A moving look at an important leader and the marches in Selma, Alabama, in 1964.
Bridge of Spies. Tom Hanks plays a lawyer in New York City who represents a Russian spy and then ends up in Berlin to negotiate a major release. Suspense-filled.
McFarland, USA. Kevin Costner plays a cross-country coach in the poor Southern California town of McFarland.  Great casts of athletes that you will cheer for.

Disturbing/Thought-Provoking. A big caveat to these films: they are all rated R and filled with some very disturbing themes and images. I watched these on airplanes (since they often filter out raunchy content) or at dollar cinemas. Monica has not watched these and does not want to. (Life with five kids is tiring so movies need to entertain a busy mom, right?)
Mad Max: Fury Road. My brother and I saw this film at a Dollar Cinema outside Vancouver. I wasn't expecting much but, man, was I surprised. Fury Road paints the picture of brutal, dystopian world where war-lords enslave others and fight over water and oil. This rendition of Mad Max begs questions of a broken world broken by a lust for power. [Rotten Tomatoes ranked it the #1 Film of 2015 but be warned, this is a disturbing movie.]
Birdman. Michael Keaton plays an actor who has had one big hit (a superhero film called Birdman) and is now trying to produce a play on Broadway. The film raises profound existential questions of brokenness and the human struggle for meaning.
Whiplash. This film depicts the relationship of an ambitious, gifted jazz student and abusive, demanding teacher. With sublime performances by Miles Teller and JK Simmons, Whiplash provokes deep questions of identity and our drive to please others.

Earlier this week I (Chris) wrote about my favorite books of 2015; now, time to share my three favorite albums of the year. 
1. Brother by The Brilliance. David Gungor and John Arndt hit a home run with this mellow, beautiful album. Musically, it's my favorite of the year. Deep lyrics accompany the rich, layered music. My favorite tracks are: "Brother," "Prayers of the People," "Dust We Are and Shall Return," and "May You Find a Light." Our son in fifth grade choir commented on the harmony here. [Thanks to Jeff S for the suggestion.]
2. The Burning Edge of Dawn by Andrew Peterson. Peterson's depth and creative genius shines in this album. Lyrically, it's my favorite album of the year. I was, and still am, transfixed by the words in "My One Safe Place" (about his wife) and "Be Kind to Yourself" (for his daughter). Get this album and listen to these songs on repeat. "The Sower's Song" has a Biblical profundity that is hard to miss.
3. Every Open Eye by Chvrches. The second album of the alternative band from Glasgow is a hit. The energy of tracks like "Bury It," "Never Ending Circles," and "Clearest Blue" will make you want to dance. My kids often request listening to this album. [Thanks to Tim C for the recommendation.]
Just for fun, I will throw in three runner-ups.
RUNNER-UP.
1. Home by Josh Garrels. I listen to a lot of Garrels while I read or write emails. With its mellow sound and nice lyrics, his music is so enjoyable. "Heavens Knife" tells a beautiful tale about marriage and "Morning Light" reminds us that the morning light is coming and all will be made well.
2. Wilder Mind by Mumford and Sons. I realize that many critics didn't like the rocky sound from the London folk-band. No this album isn't as good as Sigh No More or Babel but I still love Mumford's energy and sound. And some of the lyrics retain their deep sense of angst, such as "You have been weighed; you have been found wanting" in "The Wolf."
3. Campfire Christmas (Vol. 1) by Rend Collective. This Irish band is one of our family favorites; we wish we had found this album before Christmas (instead of after it!). In this album they apply their unique sound to classic Christmas songs. They even make "Ding Dong Merrily on High" fun.

Each December Christianity Today releases a list of favorite books for the year in a variety of categories. I (Chris) eagerly wait for the January edition which publishes their Book Awards; I'm now looking forward to reading many of the winners or runners up in their list. Copying CT, and scaling down their number of categories, I want to list my top reads of 2015. My favorites for last year are limited to the four areas I read most: Theology, Fiction, Leadership, and Young Adult/Children. (I'm tempted to add history, especially Chinese history, but more on that later.)

THEOLOGY.  Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves (IV Press, 2012). Reeves addresses a vital topic in a clear and engaging way. In fact, I enjoyed his exploration of the Trinity so much that I am not using it to teach my Sunday school class. Reeves writes: "“If the Trinity were something we could shave off God, we would not be relieving him of some irksome weight; we would be shearing him of precisely what is so delightful about him. For God is triune, and it is as triune that he is so good and desirable" (9). See a full review here. [Thanks to Kevin M for the suggestion.]
Runner-up: God with Us: Exploring God's Personal Interactions with His People Throughout the Bible by Glenn R. Kreider (P & R Publishing, 2014). I was thrilled to read this book by one of my favorite seminary professors. Kreider explores how the God of the Bible condescends to interact with and save His people.

FICTION. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Scribner, 2014). No surprise that Doerr's novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015. Beautifully written, Doerr traces the story of a blind girl in France and an orphan boy turned radio genius in Germany. There stories intersect at the end of World War 2 in the French beach town of Saint-Malo. A priceless diamond, the cursed "Sea of Flames", plays a significant role in the plot too. Compelling characters, real history, a suspense-filled plot, joy and sadness--this novel has it all wrapped in beautiful language that becomes poetry in places.
Runner-up: The English Spy by Daniel Silva (HarperCollins, 2015). Silva follows the adventures of the Israeli assassin, spy, and art restorer, Gabriel Allon. This book reached the top of the New York Times best seller list for good reason. I have read all 15 books in the Allon series, gobbling them up as soon as they are released. In Allon's lastest adventure, he works with British intelligence to find the killer and bomb-maker who murdered a member of the British royal family abroad her yacht. As with most of Silva's books, I ended up learning something in this novel, in this case more about the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

LEADERSHIP. Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives our Success by Adam Grant (Penguin, 2014). Grant, the youngest tenured professor at Wharton Business School, makes a wonderfully radical claim. People who are most successful in life are givers, not takers. Based on his extensive research and filled with anecdotes from various fields, Give and Take argues that serving others (helping them) drives our own success. [Thanks to Dave B. for the recommendation.]
Runner-up: Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes by Tom Rath (Missionday, 2013). Over 30 short chapters Rath offers simple advice on diet, exercise, and sleep. This book isn't as life changing as some of its reviewers suggested but there are practical tips here than can improve anyone's productivity.

YOUNG ADULT/CHILDREN. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan (Puffin Books, 2012). Our family has loved Flanagan's Ranger Apprentice series. In the tenth book of the series, Will, Alyss, and Evalyn sail to the eastern land of Nihon-Ja where Horace has disappeared. Kids 7-14 will be mesmerized by this series; and this one will probably be their favorite. [Thanks to Dave E. for recommending the series!]
Runner-up. The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung, illustrated by Don Clark (Crossway, 2015). Clark's sumptuous images and DeYoung's clever phrases make this book a wonderful read with your family. Buy this book and read with your kids after dinner or before bed.

Laurie R. King's Mary Russell books make for a wonderful read.

After her parents die in a car accident in California, a teen-aged Mary Russell moves to a family home in Sussex, southern England.  Brilliant and troubled, Mary does everything she can to get out of her house.  Her walks on the South Downs Way (one of our favorite places in the world for a walk/hike) bring her into contact with a reclusive but famous neighbor: Sherlock Holmes.  Sherlock is intrigued with his feisty and precocious neighbor. 

Mary become Sherlock's friend then his apprentice. Eventually (spoiler alert), they marry.  Laurie King has written a dozen Mary Russell books.  See the list here: http://www.laurierking.com/books/mary-russell

Our TOP 5 Mary Russell books in King's series are:

1. The Beekeeper's Apprentice (1994).  We meet Mary Russell and she meets her bee-keeping neighbor, Sherlock Holmes.
2. O Jerusalem (1999).  Mary and Sherlock find themselves in 1919 Palestine, guided by a pair of mysterious Bedouin brothers.
3.  The Game (2004).  After a dangerous boat journey, Mary and Sherlock end up in a secluded kingdom in India.
4. Locked Rooms (2005). Mary confronts her mind's locked rooms in San Francisco. The journey reveals much about what happened  to Mary's family during the terrible San Francisco earthquake/fire and the car accident that killed them.
5. Garment of Shadows (2012). Mary wakes up confused and lost; Sherlock can't find her. The two try to unravel things hidden in the shadows in Morocco.

We look forward to Laurie King's new Mary Russell book, Dreaming Spies, next year.

Roald Dahl once said: “So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall.”  We have not thrown our TV away but our TV is surrounded by bookshelves.  One of our favorite set of children's books on those shelves is Dahl's collected works which are all illustrated by the whimsical Quentin Blake.

When we lived in London, we trained to Dahl's hometown on a cold, misty day.  We followed a map from the Roald Dahl museum on a  hike in the forest around Great Missenden.  As we walked, we imagined Dahl dreaming up some memorable characters.   Cold and muddy after an hour, we found a warm pub where we discussed our Top 5 Roald Dahl books.  All six of us voted on our 5 favorite books. Then we tallied the scores. Here is our list (#1 was the top vote getter):
1. Danny, The Champion of the World.  We love the tender relationship between Danny and his dad and the mischief they get into together.
2. The BFG.  What's not to like about the Big Friendly Giant who sneaks Sophie into Buckingham Palace.
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox.  Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the farmers he terrorizes, makes for an hilarious character. [It's hard to get George Clooney's voice out of your head as you read this one; the 2009 movie is good one.]
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie finds a golden ticket and gets into Willy Wonka's (wacky) Chocolate Factory. 
[It's hard to forget Johnny Depp's energy in the 2005 movie.]
5. Matilda. A very smart girl uses her powers to help others.  [We are sad we never got to see the West End musical in London.]

If you are in London and love Dahl's books, be sure to visit Great Missenden. You can walk through the woods featured in Danny, The Champion of the World, sit in the chair where Dahl wrote most of his books, and see a replica of the BFG's sandal.