I almost didn't share the books I read in 2016. I'm embarrassed. I only read 13 books in 2016, and 31% of them were those fluffy romance novels you buy at the grocery store. The kind of books that you would never review and probably not recommend either. Fun for you, but they are what they are- brain candy. The literary equivalent of a pint of ice cream. It goes down smooth and easy with no thought whatsoever. Ironically, I also read 31% of the years books in the last 2 weeks of the year, while I was on my Oregon vacation. It was a tough year. Dealing with my back injury for the entire year took its toll. Along with the injury, I also fought depression for most of the year. And when I'm depressed, my concentration is affected. My attention span is nil. It makes it tough and sometimes impossible to read. That being said, I did read some wonderful books that I'd definitely recommend. I hope next years list is more prolific but 2016 was what it was. In 2016, I read-
1. Dear Mr. You- Mary Louise Parker
I was really surprised by this book. I picked it up at the library as it was in the "New Book" section, one of my favorite sections to browse. I wasn't expecting much and was really surprised at how unique Parker's voice was. It was an easy read that didn't take me long but it really left me thinking. I'd definitely recommend this one.
2. Those Secrets We Keep- Emily Liebert
I picked this one up at the library too, in the same visit I picked up "Dear Mr. You". I thought it looked like a fluffy book, and it almost read like one too. While it was an easy read, the book did delve into deeper issues, which I liked. This left me thinking too, and I'm pretty sure I was in tears by the end. Happy tears. I'd recommend this one too.
3. The Man Without a Shadow- Joyce Carol Oates
Ugh. This was one of the worst books I read this year. I blame this book (kind of) for only reading 13 books last year because this one took me 2 months to read. I should have given up on it. It was dry. Boring. I never got into it. And yet, I stuck with it. I'm no quitter. At the end, I asked myself why I persevered. I would not recommend this book.
4. Cruelly Murdered- Kevin McQueen
This was another book I wouldn't recommend. I picked it up because the story of Mary Magdalene Pitts happened in the county where I currently live. And actually, the whole book was a collection of true crime stories from the area where I live. I'll say this- the author didn't capture the audience's attention as effectively as he could have. This was another dry book that took me way too long to get through. This one also does not get a recommendation from me.
5. Roxy's Story- VC Andrews*
6. Secret Pleasure- Lora Leigh*
7. Crooked River- Valerie Geary
Interestingly enough, this book was written by a girl that I went to school with. We're talking kindergarten through high school, so I thought it was completely awesome that someone I know wrote a book. Even better, the book was a stirring and engaging mystery. I had no trouble flying through this one. One of the main aspects of the book is about beekeeping so talk about the right book at the right time! I'd also recommend this one.
8. Wild Card- Lora Leigh*
9. Wicked Lies- Lora Leigh*
10. The Woman In Black- Susan Hill
I bought this one at a book sale at my library for $0.50. How can you argue with that price? I really love ghost stories and horror books even though I hate scary movies. Not sure how that works but it's true. This book was well-told and definitely gave me goose bumps. It was a short book too, my mom read it in like 2 days when she was staying here over the summer. A good book for ghost story lovers.
11. The Host- Stephanie Meyer
This one was my favorite of the year. I loved it. LOVED it. If you haven't read this one, it's about an alien invasion told from the point of view of one alien. I devoured the book, even though it's pretty long. I read it in 3 days. I could not put it down. I was reading this while in Oregon and I remember the hubby coming up to me at one point to tell me I should be visiting with everyone. LOL! I should have been, but I was obsessed with this story. It was right up my alley as the cruelty of humans was a major theme. The violent nature of life is something I've been mediating on for what seems like years. I loved that this book spoke to something that's very important in my life right now. This is one I'll definitely read again, and I can see myself reading it for years to come. A definite recommendation!
12. The Girl on the Train- Paula Hawkins
Did everyone read this one last year? Ha ha, I think so! Almost everyone I know read this book and after reading it, I can see why. It grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. The author's writing style is completely engaging. I didn't want to put the book down and I didn't even figure out the twist at the end until the end. I love when that happens. I'd recommend this one to all lovers of mystery.
13. Find Her- Lisa Gardner
Another book that really surprised me! I picked this one up at the grocery store to read on our flight out to Oregon. I ended up reading another fluffy romance novel on the plane, but I got to this one soon after arriving in Oregon. I think I finished this one in a couple of days too, because I couldn't put it down. My brother's girlfriend got this book for Christmas so we were reading them at the same time and I can't count how many times we looked at each other with wide eyes and said "Whoa!". I'm excited to read more books from this author now. This one is my sleeper hit of the year, I highly recommend it.
*Starred selections are romance novels picked up from the grocery store. They served their purpose but don't garner reviews or recommendations.
~There it is! My short little list 😃 My only goal is that I read more in 2017! Have a great weekend everyone!~
 |
| source: Amazon |
1. Dear Mr. You- Mary Louise Parker
I was really surprised by this book. I picked it up at the library as it was in the "New Book" section, one of my favorite sections to browse. I wasn't expecting much and was really surprised at how unique Parker's voice was. It was an easy read that didn't take me long but it really left me thinking. I'd definitely recommend this one.
 |
| source: Amazon |
I picked this one up at the library too, in the same visit I picked up "Dear Mr. You". I thought it looked like a fluffy book, and it almost read like one too. While it was an easy read, the book did delve into deeper issues, which I liked. This left me thinking too, and I'm pretty sure I was in tears by the end. Happy tears. I'd recommend this one too.
 |
| source: Amazon |
3. The Man Without a Shadow- Joyce Carol Oates
Ugh. This was one of the worst books I read this year. I blame this book (kind of) for only reading 13 books last year because this one took me 2 months to read. I should have given up on it. It was dry. Boring. I never got into it. And yet, I stuck with it. I'm no quitter. At the end, I asked myself why I persevered. I would not recommend this book.
 |
| source: Amazon |
This was another book I wouldn't recommend. I picked it up because the story of Mary Magdalene Pitts happened in the county where I currently live. And actually, the whole book was a collection of true crime stories from the area where I live. I'll say this- the author didn't capture the audience's attention as effectively as he could have. This was another dry book that took me way too long to get through. This one also does not get a recommendation from me.
5. Roxy's Story- VC Andrews*
6. Secret Pleasure- Lora Leigh*
 |
| image source: Amazon |
Interestingly enough, this book was written by a girl that I went to school with. We're talking kindergarten through high school, so I thought it was completely awesome that someone I know wrote a book. Even better, the book was a stirring and engaging mystery. I had no trouble flying through this one. One of the main aspects of the book is about beekeeping so talk about the right book at the right time! I'd also recommend this one.
8. Wild Card- Lora Leigh*
9. Wicked Lies- Lora Leigh*
 |
| image source: Amazon |
I bought this one at a book sale at my library for $0.50. How can you argue with that price? I really love ghost stories and horror books even though I hate scary movies. Not sure how that works but it's true. This book was well-told and definitely gave me goose bumps. It was a short book too, my mom read it in like 2 days when she was staying here over the summer. A good book for ghost story lovers.
 |
| image source: Amazon |
This one was my favorite of the year. I loved it. LOVED it. If you haven't read this one, it's about an alien invasion told from the point of view of one alien. I devoured the book, even though it's pretty long. I read it in 3 days. I could not put it down. I was reading this while in Oregon and I remember the hubby coming up to me at one point to tell me I should be visiting with everyone. LOL! I should have been, but I was obsessed with this story. It was right up my alley as the cruelty of humans was a major theme. The violent nature of life is something I've been mediating on for what seems like years. I loved that this book spoke to something that's very important in my life right now. This is one I'll definitely read again, and I can see myself reading it for years to come. A definite recommendation!
 |
| image source: Amazon |
Did everyone read this one last year? Ha ha, I think so! Almost everyone I know read this book and after reading it, I can see why. It grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. The author's writing style is completely engaging. I didn't want to put the book down and I didn't even figure out the twist at the end until the end. I love when that happens. I'd recommend this one to all lovers of mystery.
 |
| image source: Amazon |
Another book that really surprised me! I picked this one up at the grocery store to read on our flight out to Oregon. I ended up reading another fluffy romance novel on the plane, but I got to this one soon after arriving in Oregon. I think I finished this one in a couple of days too, because I couldn't put it down. My brother's girlfriend got this book for Christmas so we were reading them at the same time and I can't count how many times we looked at each other with wide eyes and said "Whoa!". I'm excited to read more books from this author now. This one is my sleeper hit of the year, I highly recommend it.
*Starred selections are romance novels picked up from the grocery store. They served their purpose but don't garner reviews or recommendations.
~There it is! My short little list 😃 My only goal is that I read more in 2017! Have a great weekend everyone!~
I read so little, it really is embarrassing. But, yes, even I read The Girl on the Train! I could not put it down!
ReplyDeleteI really want to do something to get myself picking up more books this year. Once I open them up, I am typically glued to them. Just have to sit down and open them up!
I'm the same way Kris! Once I open them up, I'm glued to them too. It's one of my goals this year to try and read more. I've already read 2 this month, so I think I'm off to a good start! 😁
Delete