Book Lists
Every year I challenge myself to read as many books as possible. According to my Goodreads challenge, I was supposed to read 90 books in 2016. Instead, I read 185, which is what happens when you neglect your homework in order to read books for fun. Without further ado, I present my favorite books that I read in 2016. (And, yes, these are in order beginning with my favorite.)
1. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson This book came into my life at the exact right time. It helped me realize that I don’t have to let my anxiety and depression define me, and that it’s more than okay to use humor to combat the dark corners in my life. 2. The Diviners by Libba Bray I love everything Libba Bray writes, but this is easily my favorite of hers. It freaked me out beyond all belief, yet also made me want to live in 1920’s New York. It’s also the first in a series, so I don’t have to let go of these amazing characters yet. 3. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer This is one of the most important books I’ve ever read and I firmly believe that absolutely everyone should read it. Sexual assault is too often ignored in today’s society because people find it difficult to discuss, and most would prefer to sweep it under the rug. That’s exactly why we need to talk about it, especially with people getting ready to leave for college. So if you take nothing else from this list, at least keep an eye out for this one. 4. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara I read this months ago and I still haven’t recovered. If you want a book to absolutely beat the crap out of your emotions for about 800 pages, this is definitely the book for you. But don’t read it if you’re looking for an uplifting, feel-good novel, because this in no way fits that bill. 5. Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King Have you ever read a book and realized a character seems to be living your life? That’s how I felt about Glory O’Brien. The way she interacts with her best friend is so similar to my relationship with one of my high school friends that it almost hurt to read this book. Also, it’s super weird, just like everything A.S. King writes, but it’s also beautifully written, heartbreaking, and pretty funny. 6. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin I thought this was a true story for about half of the book, because Adele Griffin includes clips from magazine articles, photos, and artwork, all of which are part of Addison Stone’s portfolio. It was a little disappointing when I realized it was fiction, but it didn’t make the story any less interesting. If you’re interested in art at all, check out this book. 7. The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler A family of circus mermaids, fortune tellers, wild boys, librarians, seaside landscapes, and houses in danger of falling apart combine to tell the history of a family whose women are cursed to drown themselves in their late twenties. I love novels that cover multiple generations, especially ones that have hints of fantasy or magic in them, so this book fit right into my wheelhouse. 8. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult I mean, it’s Jodi Picoult, so obviously it’s going to be great. But it also deals with racism in today’s world, alternating perspectives between an African-American nurse and a white supremacist man who refuses to allow her to care for his newborn. In true Picoult fashion, there are several twists throughout the book, and you’re probably going to cry at least a few times. 9. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon This is another one that creeped me out, especially since I decided to read it late at night, sitting next to an open window that looks out on a bunch of trees. I don’t recommend doing this, unless you enjoy being freaked out by a book. 10. The Girls by Emma Cline I’m slightly obsessed with reading about cults and the people who join them, so I read this book in the span of a couple hours. I loved everything about it, but it’s also caused me to now look at my friends and try to determine which ones have personalities that would probably result in them being drawn in by a cult leader. 11. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova If you’re going to read this book, you have to really like the history behind the story of Dracula. I liked this book, but I’m also a fan of really long books that span a huge chunk of history and take place throughout most of Europe. 12. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson This book broke my heart in so many ways. It made me want to be a twin. It made me want to learn how to sculpt things out of giant slabs of stone, or at least draw more than stick figures. But mostly it made me want to sit down with all of the characters and force them to work out their issues and just learn to love each other. 13. 11/22/63 by Stephen King It’s an alternate history about what could have happened if someone prevented JFK’s assassination. It’s super long and super detailed. So really, what more could you want? 14. Bird Box by Josh Malerman I listened to this as an audiobook, which I think made it creepier. The characters in the book have to keep their eyes covered because seeing the creatures outside causes them to commit suicide, so listening to the words instead of reading them made everything seem tenser. 15. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena If you like unreliable narrators and twists both predictable and shocking, read this book. It’s definitely trying to fill the Gone Girl void, which nothing can, but it does put up a valiant effort. 16. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens I read this because a friend recommended it after my 2015 “best of” list, and I ended up staying up all night to finish it. The antagonist creeped me out, I physically hurt for the main character, and I was genuinely shocked by some of the twists. If you like mysteries even a little bit, check this out. 17. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven This book caused me to cry for at least the last 100 pages. It’s beautifully written and the characters are in so much pain. The ending wasn’t a surprise, but I don’t think it was supposed to come as a shock since she hints at it frequently throughout the book. That being said, knowing how it’s going to end doesn’t make it any easier to handle. 18. A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess If you wish the Shadowhunters series was more like Harry Potter, this is the book for you. Obviously it’s not going to be the new Harry Potter, but it’s still well-written and Jessica Cluess doesn’t skimp on creating the background mythology for the creatures in this series. 19. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely This book alternates perspectives between an African-American teenager who is the victim of police brutality and the white teenager who witnesses the beating. Considering our current political climate, this book couldn’t have come out at a better time. Regardless of your feelings about the Black Lives Matter movement, read this book. Trust me on this one. 20. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers Another Courtney Summers’s book was my #1 last year, and this book is also amazing. It shows just how cruel teenage girls can be to each other and how willing adults are to turn their backs on bullying. 21. Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke Other people might disagree with me on this one, but I’m going to go ahead and call this book the young adult version of Gone Girl. 22. The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White This middle-grade novel might actually be the closest thing to Harry Potter levels of fantasy and adventure that I’ve found. I don’t read a lot of middle-grade fiction, but if there are more like this one, I’ll have to start. 23. The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi I didn’t realize I was into books about computer hackers acting as vigilantes seeking justice until I read this book. Actually, I read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, so I guess I knew that I like this genre. Anyway, Paolo Bacigalupi is great at manipulating the reader to like and dislike certain characters at exactly the right moments. 24. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie I’m going to assume that the main character in this novel is modeled after the author, because they’re both insanely smart and their writing is unapologetically honest and intense. She describes every aspect of the immigrant experience, even the parts that aren’t so pretty, and she does so beautifully. Some people might find her honesty offensive or abrasive, but I thought it was refreshing. 25. The Stand by Stephen King It’s a giant book about people walking across the United States as they try to escape a plague that’s killing everyone. And when I say a giant book, I’m talking 1000+ pages. If you’re going to take this on, which I highly recommend, make sure you’ve got plenty of time. The rest of these are books I also loved this year, but I’m not going to write blurbs about. If you want to know more about any of them, just ask. 26. Cemetery Girl by David Bell 27. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld 28. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater 29. Monstress, Volume 1, Awakening by Marjorie Liu 30. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 31. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes 32. Wither by Lauren DeStefano 33. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva 34. Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley 35. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood 36. Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova 37. Patient H.M. by Luke Dittrich 38. Silent Alarm by Jennifer Banash 39. Infinite in Between by Carolyn Mackler 40. Somebody Else’s Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage 41. Skink No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen 42. This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp 43. I Crawl Through It by A.S. King 44. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin 45. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti 46. Looking for Alaska by John Green 47. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen 48. Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson 49. Room by Emma Donoghue 50. In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault 51. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander 52. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 53. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez 54. Vango by Timothee de Fombelle 55. Jackaby by William Ritter 56. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld 57. Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa 58. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 59. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 60. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon 61. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson 62. Luna by Julie Anne Peters 63. Wildwood by Drusilla Campbell 64. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 65. On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta 66. Envy by Sandra Brown
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December 2018
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