I softly croon to my favorite books from 2016. And I will: Always love you. I will carry you, dear favorite books, as lovingly as Kevin Costner carried the late, great Whitney Houston from danger. And to those who have no idea what I’m talking about … it’s called The Bodyguard. Rent it. And shut up. 😀 Not only is December special because Santa comes to visit, but we also have two Show Us Your Books Link-ups!
The Best Books I Read in 2016
I initially struggled with how to put this post together. Did I just list my favorites? How was I going to choose? Did I have any weird, Tanya-like criteria? These were the questions that haunted my dreams. Okay, that’s a lie. Taylor Kitsch haunts my dreams. But still, I did ponder how to set-up this post and finally decided to break it down by categories versus a list.
Best YA Books
I am a big fan of YA and these were my favorites.
Red Rising Series by Pierce Brown
My thoughts: I devoured this trilogy. Lots of great world-building with memorable characters. It reminded of Games of Thrones because you worried every time you fell in love with a character that you inadvertently signed their death warrant. Darrow was a great main character and I loved that he evolved and grew without also losing his core goodness. This is dystopian YA with — hallelujah — no love triangle.
Honorable YA Mentions:
Winter and Stars Above by Marissa Meyer — Winter was a great conclusion to the Lunar Chronicles. I don’t always love short stories but Stars Above was the exception with a lovely Jacin and Winter story and a fun story after the events of Winter. An absolute must for Lunar Chronicles fans.
Harry Potter: The Cursed Child — I feel a bit awkward that this isn’t first as a ride and die HP fan. As much as I overall enjoyed this book, because the format is a play versus a true novel, it doesn’t quite reach the highs of the other HP books. Yet I also laughed and cried and hugged the book afterwards.
Best Thriller/Mystery Books
These books had me on the edge of my seat.
I Let You Go by Clare Macintosh
My Thoughts: Right or wrong, whenever I read a mystery/thriller, I always try to guess who the “bad guy” is or the twist … and this book surprised me, which made me clap my hands in delight. This is a slower-paced book, very atmospheric and haunting and really, really good. It is not scary or graphically violent, for those who avoid those kind of books. It’s more quietly intense and filled with dread.
Honorable Thriller/Mystery Mentions:
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens — I loved this book for just being a straight forward mystery and not a misguided copy of the Gone Girl formula with crazy twists or unlikable characters. In fact, I loved that Joe was truly a good guy, just trying to do the right thing. And Max was a policeman who truly wanted to serve and protect.
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter — This book was featured in many Show Us Your Books link-ups and lived up to the hype for me. It is a graphically violent book with particularly hideous crimes, so beware if you’re sensitive.
Best Romance Books
This books made my heart go pitter patter.
9 Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen
My Thoughts: I read this at a time when fluff rated very low to me. It turned out to be exactly what I needed. The stories are interconnected by one dress and gave me much needed hope. Plus, it served as an important reminder of the power of love, which we need more than ever today. Again, for those who watch Love Actually every Christmas, this is your book. It’s got a similar vibe (but it’s not a Christmas story).
Honorable Romance Mentions
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan — I really don’t follow the royal family so I wasn’t sure if that would hinder my enjoyment of this book. And it didn’t. While you can certainly see shades of William, Kate and Harry within the story, the characters and story stand on their own. It’s maybe a little longer than necessary but still a lot of fun.
The Obsession by Nora Roberts — This is more of a romance/mystery book, but I’m putting it here because my blog. 😀 I’m a diehard J.D. Robb fan (aka Nora Roberts) but I don’t faithfully read the books under her real name. This one caught my attention and I loved it. Naomi was a really great character and I loved seeing her grow and trust again after everything she endured as a child.
Best Horror Books
These books made me wish I had put on Depends first. Kidding. Sort of.
Night Film by Marisa Pessl
My Thoughts: This book always kept me guessing. I still don’t know which parts are real and I love that. There were times where I was seriously scared and prepared to hide underneath my bed. If I recall correctly, I read this is one sitting and when finished I was like WTF. And then I laughed like a loon.
Honorable Horror Mentions
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill — Aging rocker Judas and his groupie girlfriend Georgia are fantastic characters. Unlike most horror characters, they are not the stupidest people on the planet. They actually do smart things and are so damn likeable and you root for them to succeed. I also had to stop reading this book because it freaked me out. This happened to me only once before and that was book was The Shining by Stephen King. Whom Joe calls “Dad”.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah — This is not a horror book; I know. And yet … is there anything more horrifying than Nazis and war? Because you know … real. What Vivanne and Isabelle endured is worse than anything Freddie or Jason could inflict. Plus, I didn’t have a place for this book and it deserves recognition!
Best Non-Fiction
These books made me think, grow and be my best self.
The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
My Thoughts: I have long adored Shonda Rhimes for her talent, even though I really don’t watch any of her shows. But I knew that she was the real deal, so I expected her book to be good but WOW! It blew me away. It surprised me how much I related to her and she made me take a hard look at my life and how frequently I said “no” when I needed to be say “yes”. I also took deeply to heart her thoughts on how women apologize for being a badass (hand raised) and how I’m no longer giving away my power. Or talent.
Honorable Non-Fiction Mentions
Rising Strong by Brene Brown — My favorite take-away from Brene was that we all fall. Every single one of us. It’s not weird. Or wrong. Or bad. It just is. And how we choose to rise from a fall is what really matters. She dropped a lot of truth bombs on me and honestly, I need to reread this book.
Best Surprise
These are the books that surprised me with their awesomeness.
All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker
My Thoughts: I expect/want every book I read to be great but some books unexpectedly slap you with their goodness. This was one of those books. I expected a tale about the aftermath of rape. What I got was a jerk narrator whom I regularly wanted to punch and yet was also in awe of his manipulation of those around him. But even more so of what motivated him to take those actions because when we have high moral ground it is easy to be all righteous, but what about when a loved one is threatened? I found this book morally complex, which are the type of books I love, but beware that you will regularly want to punch the narrator in the face. Repeatedly.
The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis — I love the journey of both Darby and Rose. Darby’s story broke my heart a bit. Just as she was coming into her power and recognizing her worth, tragedy struck. And Rose reminded me how people sometimes get lost in a relationship, rather than found. And how we, as women, need to find the strength within ourselves, not expect others to find it for us.
The Martian by Andrew Weir — I avoided this book for the longest time because math and science are not my favorite subjects and this book just reeked of it. But I was wrong. And right. It is chock full of math and science and those parts did drag at times. But it is also a fantastic story with a wonderfully sarcastic and all-around great protagonist in Mark Watley.
The Best 2 Books I Read in 2016
Drum roll, please ….
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
My Thoughts: I cannot express how much I loved this book. I laughed. I cried. And it also made me think, which is why this is one special book. The characters are fantastic. They feel real and you can’t help but fall in love with them. It’s a fast read because you won’t be able to put it down. It also made me rethink about wealth and re-evaluate some of my perceptions, especially around the working poor. She made you walk a bit in their shoes which was eye-opening. Moyes is a new to me author and I cannot wait to read more of her in 2017. Read this book!! It’s truly delightful!
What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera
My Thoughts: A great book lingers with you long after you’ve read it. I read this book in April and still think about it regularly. The crime committed is atrocious and she does not ask for forgiveness (this is not a spoiler as she tells us this on page 3). She takes us through her childhood where tragedy strikes and we see her thrive and fall in love as an adult. To become a mother who deeply loves her child but also suffers silently from postpartum depression. How events snowball and lead to the unthinkable. It made me think about how in our giddiness over a newborn, we often neglect to truly see how the mom is doing and to give her a safe place to say I’m struggling and to be given help without reproach in our “how does she do it” world. I will no longer make this mistake. This is my favorite book from 2016.
To More Great Reads in 2017
First, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Jana and Steph for hosting this awesome monthly link-up. Not only has my TBR grown expontentially, but I have also made so many new friends who love books just as much as I do. This is a great community and I love being part of it. Second, thanks to everyone who participates and shares such awesome books. You’ve helped me read some fantastic books in 2016 and I hope that I have returned the favor. Here’s to more fabulous books that make us laugh, cry and think in 2017.
What were your favorite books from 2016?
Tanya
Wow, you’ve read so many great books this year! As I’m reading your list I’m thinking to myself, “yes, read that, really good!” I need to get back into and finish the Lunar Chronicles series. And the Clare Macintosh has been on my to read list for awhile. Also already on my list is One Plus One and What Lies Between Us. I loved Shonda Rhimes Year of Yes. This year I plan to read Brene Brown.
I did the same thing with so many lists too! I loved the Lunar Chronicles and definitely encourage you to finish the series. It ends well! Let It Go was one of my favorite books from last year. Very well written. I absolutely loved Year of Yes and was surprised by how much it made me think. I want to read more Brene Brown too!
I love the way that you set this post up with your favorite by category and then some honorable mentions as well! I’ve heard nothing but great things about Red Rising, so I can’t wait to actually get around to reading it! And I think that you’re 100% right that The Nightingale does contain a lot of horror in it. It still amazes me how cruel people can actually be!
Thanks, Ashley! Red Rising was fantastic! And it’s nice that the series is complete so you can binge it, if you so choose. Or at least don’t have to wait a year to find out the resolution to the book 2 cliffhanger. 😀 People get scared of the “monsters” from horror books but real people can be so much scarier in my mind.
I Let You Go and The Life We Bury are on my list already, can’t wait to read them.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
I’m a big fan of how you broke this up. We have different reading preferences, but there are still a TON of good ones here (for me) that I’m going to add to my must-read list!
Thanks!
Thanks! There are always so many good books and so little time!
I adored One Plus One. I buy it for non-readers as a gift once in awhile because I think anyone can enjoy it.
I just bought my husband Red Rising for Christmas because he, initially, got me into The Hunger Games years ago and I’m hoping he’ll like it. I’ll read it soon!
And now I’m putting I Let You Go on my short list…I’ve heard about it for awhile now.
I agree that anyone can enjoy One Plus One. It’s such a great read and may even convert a few non-readers to read a bit more! 😀 I think your husband will enjoy Red Rising. The first books has a little Hunger Games DNA in it. Let It Go is fantastic.
Pretty Girls is sitting on my Nook! I keep hearing its fantastic.
It’s really good. Hopefully you’ll like it as much as I did!
Many of these are already on my list and I added Nine Women, One Dress. I felt exactly the same about The Martian!
Nine Women, One Dress is just such a fun, light read. It’s a really good palate cleanser after a particularly difficult book. It would also make a great beach read too. I loved Mark Whatley from The Martian but the science/math stuff got skimmed. 😀
All Is Not Forgotten really surprised me too. I have I Let You Go on my Kindle and need to read it ASAP!
It really made me think and I really, really, REALLY wanted to punch the narrator in the nose. Repeatedly! Definitely give Let It Go a read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
One Plus One and Year of Yes are both on my list this year! I would like to get into a YA series but not sure where to start. Pam 🙂
They are such great books. I was surprised that I loved them as much as I did. Well, depending on your tastes, Lunar Chronicles is a great YA series, especially for those who love a bit of romance in their stories. They are a play on classic fairy tales with a sci-fi edge. Red Rising is also great but more violent.
Nine Women One Dress sounds totally up my ally.
I had One Plus One high up on my list too – I LOVED the story – I always said I liked it more than Me Before You which is kind of blasphemy to Jojo Moyes fans.
I definitely think you’ll enjoy Nine Women, One Dress. It’s just a fun read and I really needed to be reminded of the goodness of people and the power of love when I read it. It wouldn’t shock me if I ended up liking One Plus One more than Me Before You too. 😀
I need to make I Let You Go and One Plus One a priority next year! Multiple people have included it in their best books for the year. And I added a few of your selections to my already unmanageable TBR list. 🙂 Ha!
Please do. They are terrific reads in my eyes and hopefully you’ll feel the same way! My TBR is a bit overwhelming at times (like I can’t always remember I put a particular book on there) but I’ll never run out of things to read!
All is Not Forgotten was amazing! I had to end my list somewhere and it didn’t make the cut, unfortunately.
One Plus One is my absolute favorite Jojo Moyes book.
I here you. There were so really good books that didn’t make the cut for me either. One Plus One is my favorite Jojo Moyes book. It is the only Jojo Moyes book I’ve read but still … so freaking good!
who DOESN’T know the bodyguard?! CRAZY PEOPLE.
although to up the weird-factor, i gotta admit, i am partial to dolly’s version in the best little.. er.. house in texas. haha.
I cannot wait to finish red rising!!!!
lol @ horror for nightingale. i should not be lol’ing. but i loved it too. and the royal we <3 <3
9 Women, One Dress is on my list!
so much yes to the year of yes!!! SO good. i had that in my post but i had way too many things so i might have deleted it (like best of this best of that book that made me think/feel/ whatever) and i am regretting that now.
One Plus One – SO GOOD. i think what lies between us is on my TBR.
Thank you! I writing The Bodyguard intro and realized that some people might not know what the heck I’m talking about! LOL! I do remember Dolly’s version being very good. But I’m not a big country music fan, so I was Whitney all the way. 😀 Red Rising is sooooo good and I’m glad you’re loving it as much as me. The Year Of Yes – I love that book so much. So much great take-aways for me. One Plus One just delighted me. It’s a book that would reread again.
I plan to read Year of Yes next year – it looks really good!!! Red Rising is also on my list ASAP in January 🙂
I hope you enjoy Red Rising as much as I did. The world-building was fantastic and it really did remind me of Games of Thrones in that I was scared to fall in love with characters! Year of Yes is most definitely a worthy read. It really made me realize how often I say “no” out of fear and give away my power.
Thanks for sharing. So many on here that I’ve read, and so many that I still NEED to read. I have Winter to read – loved the first three, and I need to get on it so I can finally get Stars Above. I also really loved Cursed Child! I was lucky to see the play though, but even before that, I loved it, and it’s great to see someone else that enjoyed it since it seems a bit hit or miss for people. haha
I read Night Film too this year. I was good, but I’m not sure about the ending for me…
-Lauren
OMG OMG OMG OMG! YOU HAVE SEEN THE PLAY!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!! You are so lucky and I am so insanely jealous of you!! I cannot wait until I can see the play because it will be AMAZING! Okay, I’m done with the ALL CAPS … as of now. 😀 Some people ding The Cursed Child because it’s a play but it was always a play. Sure, I would have preferred a novel but still … loved it. And yes, definitely read Winter. It’s ends the series well and Stars Above is full of fantastic short stories.
You’ve read so many great books this year! I have got to read something by Joe Hill. I can’t believe I haven’t yet.
I really loved Heart-Shape Box. His latest The Fireman has gotten solid reviews but I DNFed. Not because it was bad but there was an element that hit to close to what was going on politically at the moment and I just couldn’t deal with the jerk character. I’ll give it another try … maybe in 4 years. 😀
SOOOOO many books to add to my list now.
YAY! I hope you enjoy them!
Sounds like you had some pretty great reads this year! 🙂 I am not sure what my favorite books were this year.
I really did. There were a few duds, of course. But overall I can’t complain! It actually took me a bit to figure out which books I loved the most this year too. Too many choices!
Wow, such a great list. I love the variety, because I do the same thing. It all depends on my book mood. I haven’t read most of these and added some to my list, like Pretty Girls and Night Film.
YES! My book mood is always changing and really influences what I love in the moment. The worst part is when a book that I’ve had on hold forever comes in and my book mood is like “nope”. I hope you enjoy Pretty Girls and Night Film – I loved the both.
Red Rising may need to be my choice for the bonus round of books from a genre that I never/rarely read. It is NOT my typical choice of book, but I’ve heard so many great reviews, I’m intrigued.
And, The Life We (wee) Bury may be my homonym choice. That’s been on my tbr for a while. What Lies Between Us and One Plus One are on my radar as well. So many books, so little time…sigh….
I really loved Red Rising but it definitely the type of book I enjoy. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as I did. I really loved The Life We Bury because I loved, loved the characters. They didn’t have hidden agendas but were just good people trying to do the right thing and sometimes, especially these days, that is refreshing. I hear you – so many books and never enough time!