Wednesday, January 11, 2017

books of 2016

Inspired by Kylie and my Goodreads yearly summary, I present to you a list of all the books I read in 2016. Looking over these titles makes me so happy; there are a lot of winners here. (It took some serious self-control not to add a little note about each book and what I liked about it and now I'm realizing I should probably just write reviews on Goodreads after I read books like a normal person.)

Non-Fiction:
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Camon
Death on Earth: Adventures in Evolution and Mortality by Jules Howard
You May Also Like: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice by Tom Vanderbilt
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

General Fiction:
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner (re-read for book club)
Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom

I Couldn't Stop Thinking About:
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Maus II by Art Spiegelman

Technically for Kids But I Still Read Them:
Wonder by R. J. Palacio 
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (re-read for book club)
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (re-read on New Year's Eve so I could make my 30 book goal)

Two Fantasy/Sci-Fi Series You Must Read:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
Morning Star by Pierce Brown

Were You Wondering Am I Still Obsessed With Brandon Sanderson? Yes I Am:
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Secret History by Brandon Sanderson
The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

The Worst Book I Read This Year/Do Not Read:
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Out of all of those books, my favorite by far was The Name of the Wind, followed closely by the second book in the series The Wise Man's Fear. They're beautifully written and extremely entertaining. I also have to say that Wonder is a delightful gem of a book, and I would highly recommend it, too.

BONUS Favorite Movie of 2016:
"Arrival"
YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE. It is incredible. It's thought-provoking and life-affirming and it made me cry like 3 times because life is so beautiful, you guys. I can't stop thinking about it.

Back to books. I made a goal to read 36 books this year, which means 3 books per month. I'm going to need a lot more book ideas to make that happen. What was the best thing you read in 2016?

2 comments:

kyliebrooke|s said...

what a FANTASTIC list. I'd love to read your reviews of all of these! I'm going to reference this list all through 2017 as I'm choosing what to read next. Also, thank you for including a DO NOT READ section haha. Very helpful.

kyliebrooke|s said...

Ok hi I'm back with another comment because I finally saw "Arrival" last night. Amazing, haunting, gorgeous, affirming. I'm going to be thinking about it for a while.

Would you like to host the book club discussions about the short story and the film here on your blog or be a "guest post" on my blog or neither? :)