57
57, which is exactly one more book than 2015’s 56 books, accomplishing the one goal I’ve made every year since 2009. I had planned on doing a run down of my top books every year, but apparently I only did that for the Books I Read In 2012. I still highly recommend my top three from that year.
My top three book recommendations from 2016:
(in no particular order)
Bonus titles include: American Born Chinese, The Birchbark House, Black Wolves, & Dealing with Dragons.
Out of the 57 books read in 2016, 7 were electronic books, 4 audio books & the rest were a mix of hardback & paperback. I’m surprised to find myself having read 9 graphic novels since I was convinced they were something I didn’t enjoy.
When Aaron & I were dating we started reading books out loud to each other. *Nerd Alert* In 2016 we read 19 books together, making a lifetime total of 76 books read together. I have to endorse reading out loud together. The story becomes a shared experience, or adventure that spawns many entertaining conversations, discussions, arguments or insights.
Unlike my 2012 review of books I read I am including books I DO NOT RECOMMEND. I half hope someone else has read or attempted to read these & disliked them as much as I do. The books in 2016 I actually read all the way through & gave one star (because there is no option for negative stars) include: The Vanishing Year, A Wife of Noble Character, Station Breaker, Our Endless Numbered Days, & Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. I have (most of them brief) reviews on Goodreads.com as to why I DO NOT RECOMMEND these books, but if you insist I can muster a rant about any of these books here in the comments.
A couple of years ago I decided I absolutely had to have a Goodreads shelf specifically for books that were SO bad I couldn’t force (guilt, trick, or bribe) myself to finish them. For 2016 those two books are: A Walk in the Woods (sexist), & The Sword of Shannara (also sexist).
Tell me all about your recommendations from what you read in 2016 & I would love to hear about the books that you read or tried to read that are just a total disaster.
I love that three of the books on your list are ones that I recommended! I win at books! I have been wanting to read “Dealing with Dragons” and its sequels for a while, it just never makes it to the top of my stack of books to buy. Glad to hear it is so good.
There’s a book I read in 2016 called “The Natural Way of Things” by Charlotte Wood that I am interested to get your take on. I have a copy, and I have been meaning to just mail it to you. It’s Australian…and really weird, but also really interesting. Look it up on Goodreads and let me know if it is something you would be interested in checking out. It’s also only a couple hundred pages, so low investment.
I loved Station Breaker. It was a fun, action packed adventure detailing real challenges and solutions to modern spaceflight with a little bit of spy thriller mixed in. I’m reading the sequel right now!