My Favorite Books of 2016

For the past two years, I’ve made reading goals, and I still haven’t quite reached my goal. Last year, I was close. I wanted to read 45 books in the year 2016, and I read 34 published books, and 4 nonpublished. (Beta reads for other writers). Many of them were really fun reads, and I thought I’d let you know the top in my list!

Also, this is in no particular order.

Shades of Milk and Honey – Mary Robinette Kowal

I hadn’t heard of Mary Robinette Kowal. I knew of Writing Excuses, but I didn’t really listen to their podcast. Last year, I went to a writing conference with a friend, where Mary was on multiple panels. I thought she was hilarious, and I really wanted to read her book, especially since my friend highly recommended it. I loved the Austen feel with magic, and I’m pretty sure I read the whole thing in less than a day.

Ian Quicksilver – Alyson Peterson

Alyson was another writer I met at the writers’ conference. She hadn’t published Ian Quicksilver yet, but after meeting her, I was dying to read something she’d written. Let me just say, Alyson knows how to write teenage boys. Ian was a character who jumped off the page and kept me laughing through the entire book.

Healer’s Apprentice – Melanie Dickerson

I discovered Melanie Dickerson last year when one of my sisters recommended her books. Apparently, I was in the mood for a lot of historical type books last year. I actually read a lot of her books, but this was the first one that I read, and I loved her style of writing. I’m also a sucker for fairy tale retellings, so it was just the perfect balance for me.

Passenger – Alexandra Bracken

I love Alexandra Bracken. I devoured her Darkest Minds series, and when I found out that she had a new book, I just had to read it. This book was completely different, but I still loved it. She addresses so many issues in a way that made me want to keep reading. She addresses gender and race as her characters time travel to different times and different areas of the world.

The Originals – Cat Patrick

I have no idea how I discovered this book. I got a notice from the library that my reserved book was ready, and I couldn’t remember reserving it. It was definitely a happy accident though. Cat Patrick writes light science fiction, and I think she’s the reason why I tried writing science fiction last November. I read several of her books, and I loved that there was a slight mystery to everything. She’s the one who turned me on to contemporary science fiction.

Winner’s Kiss – Marie Rutkoski

This is the final book in the Winner’s Trilogy, and after several disappointing final books to series, I picked this one up with not very high expectations. But I shouldn’t have worried. Marie Rutkoski knows her characters, and she made me love them even more. It’s one of the best final books that I’ve read in a really long time.

Grave Mercy – Robin LaFevers

I had randomly downloaded this book before going on a writers’ retreat. I had spent the day writing – probably close to ten hours, and I wanted to relax before going to bed. This book wasn’t really what I would call relaxing, mostly because I had to find out what happens next! It’s such a unique idea, and I loved the execution. Plus, the romance was slow burning and just awesome.