Books read in 2016:
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)
- Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold Technically I read this book twice in 2016. I downloaded it to my phone as an audiobook from Library2Go (Oregon Digital Library Consortium) which I have access to through my Washington County Cooperative Library card & I enjoyed it as I was doing yard work for hours during the summer. I enjoyed it so much I immediately made Aaron read it out loud with me & he enjoyed it so much we’ve continued reading the series out loud to each other ever since. The author has strong female lead characters who have a sense of humor set in what feels like a near-future science fiction universe. The author remembers & values her supporting characters & gives them depth, learning experiences & even closure over the course of the series. I always learn a laundry list of new words in each of the books, which impresses me. A huge thanks to Cecily Keister, who recommended this series to me.
- Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson I am entertained to no end by the Lumberjanes & I wish there was a summer camp specifically for Hardcore Lady Types around when I was younger. Hilarious, intelligent & strong female leads doing challenging outdoorsy things & building friendships & having fun. The art style is awesome. All the credit for this series goes to my dear friend Laurie Evans for the recommendation.
- The King’s Flower by Mitsumaso Anno This is a children’s picture book that I remembered from my childhood, but could not remember the title or author for years. By some miracle my Mom still had it all this time & it finally made it’s way back to me. I love the illustrations. The book is about a king who wants the biggest of everything thinking biggest is best until he gets something that isn’t gigantic & learns a profound lesson. I’ll give recommendation credit to my Grandma Walker since she originally gave it to me in 1984 & my Mom gets the honorable mention.
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!