I know it's kind of late for this, but here's my best books of 2016. This year, 13 books made my list, and no, I couldn't narrow it down to just 10. So, without further ado, here is The Best Books of 2016 (according to me, the only person whose opinions really matter here)!
WARNING: THERE WILL BE MINOR SPOILERS BELOW
This was hands down the funniest book I read all year. I wasn’t supposed to like this book. In fact, I was all set to hate it because I first heard about it in reference to The Fault in Our Stars, which I despised, so I didn’t think I would like this book. But when the first page had me dying of laughter, I knew this book and I would fall in love. And we did. I loved Greg’s teenage boy mind, I loved Earl, and I even loved Rachel. They felt like real teenagers to me, not like wordy and pretentious miniature adults. It was the realest portrayal of high school I had ever read in a YA novel, with the small friend groups and larger cliques and the imperfect teenagers that roamed the halls. This book did also make me tear up, especially when Greg and Earl “broke up”, but as a whole I was totally entertained. This is not an uplifting book. But it’s a damn good one, and one I will reread many, many times in the future. It reminded me of books like The Schwa Was Here, and Neal Shusterman’s other middle grade novels, which is a very, very good thing.
So, here’s the second mystery-thriller to make it on the list. This was the most action packed book of the year for me. While I wasn’t too crazy about Jace, since he didn’t have much personality, it was the other characters and the action of the mystery that kept me going. I freaking loved the Blackwell brothers to the point where this book might have made this list because of them. I loved how Koryta wasn’t afraid to kill off characters, since I feel like a common mistake in the thriller genre is to have too few deaths. In my opinion, a good thriller means that you are always unaware of who will die next. I was even able to look past a few glaring mistakes- such as the idea that an injured horse being able to haul two grown women around the mountains- and really got into the story. The Blackwell brothers were such great villains to really get into, and I loved them and their strange brotherly relationship. Everything felt so authentic, and it was obvious to me that Koryta did his research (again, with the exception of the horse thing). That whole mountain pressure (or whatever it was) was brilliant, freaking brilliant. My only complaint is that the ending seemed too tied up in a neat little bow. But other than that, I loved this book.
I don’t know what it is about thrillers last year, but it was a bad year for me. Almost every single thriller I read turned out to either suck or be mediocre. I think my average thriller rating was like a 5 or 6 out of 10. I mean, I guess some good did come out of it- I now know to stay away from YA mysteries and that I typically like police procedurals and crime novels. The Butterfly Garden blew me away. I ordered this back in May/June of 2016, but I put reading it off because I was a little scared that I would be really disappointed. So I ended up reading it in late July, and I couldn’t put it down. It was so addicting. It grabbed my attention in the way few books do, and I was so intrigued by the story and the lives of the Butterflies. I also loved that it was told from the perspective of an FBI agent, since, again, I love mysteries that focus on crime solvers like cops and FBI agents. And the disturbing bits, such as the resin encased Butterflies, that just made me want to read even more. I think there’s something wrong with me, since I really love when books go the extra mile to really try and freak me out. Stuff like that just doesn’t affect me much, which is why I was surprised to see this book was nominated for Goodreads Best Horror Book of 2016. The only thing I wasn’t thrilled by was the twist at the end- thought it was a little contrived, but even then I wasn’t so angry that my opinion changed completely, as it often does when stuff like that happens. Maya was a pretty awesome heroine, as well. When the next book comes out, I will sure as hell pick it up. You can count on it.
I love Neal Shusterman. He’s one of my all time favorite authors, and his Unwind series is one of my all time favorites, period. So, why is he so low on this list? Well, simply put it’s because I didn’t love this book as much as I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked it, but I didn’t feel that immediate connection that I felt when I picked up Unwind for the first time and knew I was going to love it. I felt weirdly distant from the characters and from the situation they were in, and I wasn’t in love with the “utopian” society because it probably would be my dystopian society. But I did find myself loving Citra Terranova and I really got on board with Citra and Rowan’s love story- but that’s probably because it reminded me of Nick the Chocolate Monster and Mary Hightower’s love subplot from the Skinjacker trilogy (another highly recommended Shusterman series), but I think the plot and the especially the villain got resolved too quickly. Also, this book was in bad need of a Hayden Upchurch, or some other form of comedic relief. With the exception of a few great one liners, this was probably Shusterman’s least funny book yet. Okay, so what did I love? There has to be something, otherwise this wouldn’t be on this list, right? Well, I love love loved the philosophical entries between the chapters- they reminded me of the notes in the Submachine point and click games (loved those games by the way- so sad that series is over). I liked the idea of Scythes, and I liked the characters, especially Citra Terranova, because honestly Neal Shusterman writes some of the best female characters I’ve ever read. I liked the violence and the disturbing qualities of the book, because it just wouldn’t be Neal Shusterman if he held back on that stuff. I liked the Thunderhead, and to me it seemed like it was a kind of God metaphor(?)- that’s how I read it as, anyway. I will definitely be continuing on in this duology- pretty sure it’s a duology, don’t really know with him, though- but I have to admit this got its place on the list mostly because I have a huge soft spot for Shusterman.
I read this book on a cold January Saturday in Connecticut and was instantly transported to summer. I felt like I’ve been reunited with a group of friends I’ve known from my childhood for one summer in Florida. Sadie was a great heroine, someone who I could really root for and whose path for forgiveness I emphasized with. The characters felt like real people I could know and become friends with in real life. I love character-driven novels, and while I wasn’t enthused by the plot, the take on grief was unique and interesting. Sadie’s relationship with Max particularly deserves mention. It’s a slow burning, not instalove-y relationship between two people who just want to help each other through a bad time. I wish I knew Trent in real life, but the thing is, I feel like I knew him. I feel like I knew Trent just as much as they did, and I am just as broken about his death as they are. But my absolute favorite part about this novel was the Pirates and Paintball game. That part, for some reason, hit me hard and right in the nostalgia. I have never even touched a paintball gun, and yet I felt like I had been right there with them playing that my entire life. Again, this novel brought me back to summer, running around outside with my bathing suit on and a water gun in my hand with my old friends, occasionally getting pelted by water balloons. I know this is kind of an unpopular opinion, but while I did like Faking Normal, it didn’t make a huge impression on me, and honestly, I think this book is Ms Steven’s best (so far at least). At a time where I’m seriously considering giving up on most YA contemporary (or contemporary in general), this book comes along and rescues me from that. An overall impressive sophomore effort.
Oh this book. Literary fiction disguised as science fiction is how I once heard this book referred to as and I couldn’t agree more. I really liked this book. I got it for my birthday after I overheard people talking about it, the premise seemed interesting and right up my alley, so I picked it up. There’s something about this book that just hit all the right notes with me, and I remember sitting in my Chicago hotel room, reading all about this twisted English boarding school and being absolutely glued to the page. This book was fascinating. I love books that focus on questions like what it means to be human, which this book focused overwhelmingly on. I like how that question was never answered, but instead shown, in a ways. It appeared that this book was saying that to be human was to love, and that if you loved something, that meant that, regardless of how you came onto this Earth, you were, in fact, human. And it does seem like the clones were human, evidenced by Kathy’s love of Tommy. Some say this is a horror novel, but I disagree. I think this book is so much more than one. It does have some gruesome elements, especially when you realize the fate of these unassuming children, but it’s more about humanity and morality than anything else. This novel made me think, even months after reading it. It’s not an uplifting novel, but it’s still an excellent one nonetheless.
Why are these books on the list? I mean, I hate space with a fiery passion. Well, when a fantasy duology becomes my 4th favorite book of the year, I guess anything could happen. I suppose these books being on here is a triumphant to those who preach the importance of stepping out of literary comfort zones and embracing genres you don’t usually embrace, like (for me at least) all types of speculative fiction. And these books are high sci-fi, not dystopian or anything like that. Still, I ate these books up right out of the metaphorical can with a big soup spoon. The action, the romance, the violence! I fell in love with the characters, including a certain AI, and I really found myself cheering for Kady and Ezra as they fought strange disease zombies and tried to get reunited. I was a bit more disappointed by Gemina. Though I still found it hard to put down, and I did love the action, I didn’t really like either of the new two main characters, and much preferred Kady and Ezra. That being said, I did love the whole Russian gang thing (russophile tendencies, here), and I did love Ella Malikova, who quickly became one of my favorite characters in the series. Travis Falk and his gang were fantastic, of course, and I will say this, but Gemina cracked my resolve and made me finally decide to ask for both books for Christmas so I could have my own copies and not feel guilty when I preordered the third book. This is one of the few series where I honestly hope there are more than three books, because Gemina did not feel like a middle book at all. In fact, the story seems to have only just begun.
All hail the Queen of Historical Fiction! (And I’m only a little bit kidding about that). I read this book in one sitting, which should say something about how well it held me. Ms Sepetys always seems to find the most interesting settings for her excellent novels, and The Salt to the Sea is no exception. I had never heard of Wilhelm Gustloff prior to this novel, but reading this book makes me interested to read more about it. I love reading historical fiction novels that have settings I know very little about, and the more well-researched the better honestly. And this book is so well done. I loved all the characters’ storylines, though I do wish Alfie wasn’t just dismissed as a villain, which I think would have been a really interesting spin on the usual WWII novel. But I did love Florian and Joana’s storyline, and I love that Joana was Lina’s cousin, especially since Between Shades of Gray is one of my absolute favorite WWII historical fiction novels, and what introduced me to Ruta Sepetys. This was an impressive historical fiction novel, and one of the best I read all year (which is saying something since this year was the year of historical fiction). I don’t really have much else to say about this book except that anything Sepetys writes, I will read. And I probably will love.
I’d like to preface this entry with the fact that I adore everything Zusak has ever written (I can’t wait for whenever Bridge of Clay comes out because Lord knows I’ve been waiting long enough). But with this entry I’d like to call attention to the little known Underdogs omnibus, consisting of three books, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and Getting the Girl. I know one of the complaints about this series is that they aren’t written exactly like the way I Am the Messenger or The Book Thief is written, but you can still see glimmers of his iconic writing style in the first book, The Underdog. It comes through a lot more in the second book Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and it is definitely present in the last book Getting the Girl (which I believe was originally published as When Dogs Cry). Getting the Girl is actually my favorite book in the omnibus by the way, and I don’t think I’m alone in that opinion. As one Goodreads reviewer writes, that book is when one sees Zusak turn from an amateur author into a brilliant one. I couldn’t agree more. I fell in love with this collection, I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t put it down. When I finished, I couldn’t believe that it was over, that I was never going to see Cameron and Ruben Wolfe again, that I was never going to cheer them on during their crazy stunts or see them hit on girls or watch them box again (and I don’t even really like boxing). I will say this, if you like plot driven fiction, this is are not for you. But if you like to follow characters and to get to know and love them, then this omnibus is for you. I believe that this collection exemplifies Zusak’s strongest asset as a writer and that is his ability to write people. Not hollow, two dimensional characters, but real people. I want to know Cameron and Ruben in real life. In fact, I feel like I already do. I care about them just as I cared about Liesel Meminger or Ed Kennedy. He knows how to write flaws without them taking over a character’s personality. He knows how to take unpleasant, messy traits like cowardice or playboy tendencies and yet they are still likeable. You still want to root for them even after they make mistake after mistake. Imagine that, most YA authors out there (especially you “strong female character” writers). This book is honest, sweet, and well worth the read (especially, especially Getting the Girl, though I highly recommend reading the whole thing so you can get attached to all the characters the same way I did). If you think YA and especially YA contemporary is all crap, then please read this book. This year, I was beginning to think that, but this is one of two books that became the reason I couldn’t completely write off the genre. The only reason this omnibus isn’t a solid 9 is because the first book was a bit rough around the edges. My only regret is that I will never be able to read this collection for the first time again. And one last thing- Zusak does have one hell of a gift for opening scenes, doesn’t he?
4. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (9/10 and 8.5/10)
These books are part of the same duology, so they go together on this list (by the way, I’m really liking this YA trend towards duologies; two books is far less intimidating than three, plus I don’t have to wait as long for the series to be over). I didn’t expect a fantasy novel to rank this high, just as I didn’t expect four (4!) science fiction-y books to make this list. But Six of Crows blew me away. I want to visit Ketterdam, I want to meet Kaz and Inej and all the characters that I fell in love with in this book. As you can see by most of the entries on this list, I love books that follow characters, because I love getting attached to characters and I sure as hell got attached to these. I think my three favorite characters were Jesper, Inej, and Kaz, and I hardcore cheered on Kaz and Inej’s love storyline. I really didn’t like Nina or Mattheus, though props to Bardugo for what she did in Crooked Kingdom- didn’t expect her to do that. I wasn’t as crazy about Crooked Kingdom as I was about Six of Crows, but I couldn’t put either book down. I hadn’t fallen this in love with a cast of characters since the Unwind series, and I am a little sad this duology is only a duology. Bardugo has a gift for world building, something I feel like few fantasy writers have. She knows how to balance it, with the perfect blend of exposition versus action. As a fan of the Grisha trilogy (mostly because of my aforementioned russophile tendencies) I did love the return of characters we all know and love such as Sturmhund and Genya. I also liked that she added Wylan’s point of view in Crooked Kingdom, since that was glaringly missing in Six of Crows. As a whole, I really loved both books. Finally, some fantasy books I actually like!
Damn, I loved this collection of short stories more than I can say. I’m so happy I finished it in time to make it on the list. I honestly believe that Anthony Marra is the absolute best new author I discovered this year, and has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This book hit me hard, and right in my sensitive spot. Each short story has its own way of connecting into an elaborate web, sometimes in multiple ways. My favorite character out of the overall amazing cast was probably Alexei (fun fact: Alexei also happens to be my favorite boy’s name), with Koyla being a close second. But the reason I liked Alexei so much probably had to do with him reading like a Zusak character (which is some of the highest praise I can give a character). I got an Ed Kennedy kinda vibe from him; he was just fantastic. While all the stories were magnificent, my favorite ones are probably Leopards, The Grozny Tourist Bureau, The Tsar of Love and Techno, and The End. Of course, I do have a least favorite story (singular actually, shocking), because they all can’t be winners, and that is Palace of the People. I’m not sure why, I think because it has kind of a YA feel for me, and I’m not crazy about Sergei (who is possibly my least favorite character) or his dad or the army vet. But the first story, Leopards, now that was fantastic. And The Grozny Tourist Bureau had me crying with laughter. The titular story reminded me of a Zusak novel, as I’ve mentioned early (mostly I Am the Messenger, with a bit of Underdogs thrown in, you know, with the main male character kind of a daydreamer with a very distinctive inner voice). Needless to say, I loved that too. But everything paled in comparison to The End. I was all set to give this book an 8.5/10, due to my not being as thrilled with Side B as I was with Side A (it still was great, though, don’t get me wrong- just not as good). But then I read The End and I almost started crying. The way this book ended was so perfect, and the gorgeous way that Marra wrote made me think he really pulled out all his writing chops for this one, beautiful story. Thank you, Mr Marra. You are my favorite discovery of this year. It’s a shame I didn’t find out about you until December.
I loved this book. It was depressing, yes, but it was also more beautiful than I could put into words. At this book’s core is a message about having hope even when it seems impossible, something I think everyone should believe. It’s about how you have to have something, you can’t just not believe in anything because that is what will break you. That is what causes the loss of your humanity. This book was so hard to read at times, so bleak and empty at times, and it’s hard to get to that inner message of hope. If there’s ever a book that could possibly drive someone to the rope, it would be this book. But at the same time, it has a message that I think humanity can really benefit from. It’s told in a series of vignettes, and occasionally the tense and point of view would shift. It’s very nonlinear, in that respect, though that doesn’t soften the impact of the prose. I don’t think I’d be able to reread this book a ton, but I do love it. There are many books on my best of list this year that have carried over to my best books of all time list and this is one.
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