By the time the clock strikes midnight and marks the end of
2016, I will have read more than 240 titles in 2016, a number that sounds more
impressive than it truly is.
Some were short stories or novellas, others were children’s
books or titles published for the young adult market. And only a dozen of the
books were non-fiction. In years past, many of the books I read were titles
read for the second (or third or more) time. This year, only four books
qualified as a re-read.
Reading can be an expensive hobby if one does not take
advantage of an amazing community resource — the public library. Most of the
books I read in 2016 were titles checked out from libraries, and I checked out
more than 70 of those titles digitally. If you have an e-reader, download the
Overdrive app and start checking out e-books too.
This year, the majority of the books I devoured belonged to
a series, more than 150 titles. I discovered eight new series this year. I also
fell in love with a book translated from Spanish and continue to add titles to
my reading wish list on Goodreads.com. With more than 1,000 books on the list,
I long for a job that pays me to read.
2016 by the Numbers:
Total Books: 242
Mystery: 41
Romance: 85
Non-Fiction: 12
Sci Fi/Fantasy/Paranormal: 43
Young Adult/Children: 28
Novellas: 5
Re-reads: 4
Books in a series: 162
Authors Read the Most:
Jennifer Estep: 13
Kevin Hearne: 12
Lauren Willig: 11
William Kent Krueger: 9
Susan Albert Wittig: 6
Julia Keller: 5
Victoria Dahl: 5
Here are 12 of the books I read in 2016 that continue to
resonate with me.
“A Killing in the Hills” by Julia Keller
The first in Keller’s Bell Elkins mystery series, it
features an attorney who moved back to her hometown in West Virginia and
juggles single parenthood with serving as the district attorney. Keller is a
Pulitzer-prize winning writer and former journalist who grew up in West
Virginia. The books offer a dark tone and Keller’s love for her home state
shines through. I devoured every book in the series and now seek to get my
hands on the novellas that accompany the series.
“Everyone Brave is Forgiven” by Chris Cleave
An epic tale set in Great Britain during World War II, the
book features a heartbreaking love triangle centered around a young woman of
privilege who wishes to serve her country. I could not put it down.
“Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay
A collection of funny and insightful essays from a writer,
professor, editor and commentator. The essays include her take on Scrabble,
growing up as a woman of color, pop culture and more. I admit my bias with this
title, the author and I have friends in common as she also attended Michigan
Technological University as a graduate student.
“The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah
Another tale set during World War II, this time featuring
two sisters living in the Nazi-occupied French countryside. The war tests the
sisters’ relationship and finds them discovering new depths of bravery and
sacrifice. Tears streamed down my cheeks while I finished it.
“The Legend of Lyon Redmond” by Julie Anne Long
The 11th and final book in Long’s Pennyroyal Green series,
featuring two feuding families and their friends in a small community in the
English countryside. I devoured the first nine books in the series in 2015 and
could not wait to get my hands on the final two. If you like romance, I highly
recommend starting with the first book, “The Perils of Pleasure,” so you can
better appreciate the “legend” revealed in this title.
“Written in Red” by Anne Bishop
The first Bishop’s “Others” series set in an alternative
world that resembles our own, only in this one shapeshifters, vampires and
other creatures exist and are in charge of the resources. The series revolves
around a young woman who can see the future, and runs away from those who
exploit her gift. She finds a sanctuary among the “Others.” I enjoy books with
a paranormal twist, and look forward to March, when the fifth book in the
series should be released.
“Die for Me” by Amy Plum
I love books set in the City of Lights, and this paranormal
tale featuring a young woman who moves there after losing her parents hooked me
from the start. If you know someone who liked the “Twilight” series, suggest
this book to them. The writing and characters are superb.
“Iron Lake” by William Kent Krueger
I enjoy mysteries and really love these thrilling books set
in the Midwest. This is the first title in the “Cork O’Connor” series set in
Northern Minnesota. I am now halfway through the series, as book 16 will come
out in September 2017. The lead character is a former sheriff who is part Irish
and part Anishinaabe Indian. A father of three, he delves into the darker side
of his community in search of the truth.
“Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things” by
Jenny Lawson
The second book by the woman also known as “The Bloggess,”
it takes readers on a journey through her mental health struggles and triumphs.
I traveled to Milwaukee last year to meet Lawson during her book tour. I also
follow her on Twitter and Facebook and her blog posts both speak to my soul and
make me howl with laughter. I recommend listening to the audiobook version,
read by the author.
“The Paris Winter” by Imogen Robertson
A dark tale set in Belle Époque, Paris featuring a woman
struggling as an art student who takes on a job to help makes ends meet that
turns her life into a nightmare.
“Broken Harbor” by Tana French
The fourth book in French’s “Dublin Murder Squad” series,
this novel blends a police procedural with a psychological thriller as a
detective and his partner try to solve the murder of a father and two children
in a crime that left the mother in the hospital as a possible suspect. A
brilliantly written book that leaves the reader haunted.
“The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George
This book starts in Paris when a bookseller who calls
himself a “literary apothecary” finally opens a letter from his great love, the
only thing she left behind when she left him. He hauls anchor on his floating
bookstore on a barge and sets out for the south of France, prescribing just the
book a person needs to heal, but unable to heal himself.
“The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Translated from Zafon’s original Spanish, this book features
the son of an antiquarian book dealer. Set in Barcelona, a city still healing
from the Spanish Civil War, the boy finds solace in a book written by a
mysterious author. While seeking other titles by the author, the boy uncovers
dark secrets of murder, madness and love.
These books represent just a fraction of the titles I read
in 2016. My reading goals for 2017 include putting a bigger dent in the piles
of books on my own bookshelves or in my e-reader that wait for me to crack open
the cover. I plan to read more non-fiction in 2017 and continue to discover new
authors and books that pull me in and don’t let go.
What are you reading?
