Top Ten Reads of 2016 (part two)

Hey all, Dani here.

So, back in July I wrote up a post of my top ten reads in the first six months of the year…and since I’ve read so many amazing books this year, I’m just going to do another list, this time with books I read from July to December.

As with last time, these books are not in any sort of order of favoritism…but they might be in chronological order, so let’s get started.

Pop Sonnets by Erik Didriksen

So this is a fun little book to leave on a coffee table or have handy for a fun evening with friends. It takes popular songs, both current and classic, and turns them into Shakespearean sonnets, which is just highly amusing. I definitely enjoyed this book.

The ABCs of RPGs  by Ivan Van Norman

I love this book. I backed the Kickstarter, despite not having any children. It is obviously an ABC book designed for geeky families and has cute artwork and such. Inside you’ll find it going over the letters like A is for Adventure, L is for Loot, and Q is for Quest. I think it is perfect for any geek to have for the little nerdlings in their life.

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E Pearson

This is a book I had heard a lot about from BookTube and such, but hesitated a while before I actually started reading it. Why? I have no clue. I really enjoyed this. I like that there are two young men pursuing our main lady, and one guy is a prince and the other is an assassin, but you don’t actually find out which boy is which until near the end of the book. By the way, I thought I had them figured out and I was dead wrong. So I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy.

Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel Caine

I love stories about libraries and magic and such. This is such an interesting tale, following a group of young men and women who are training to work for the Great Library, because in this series the Library of Alexandria never burned and has now become the dominant power of the world. This second installment deals with complications and repercussions from events and revelations in the first book, and man, it was intense. Also, the way this ended made me really really excited for book #3 next year.

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Hmm…I think this is the only series/author to be included in both this list and my earlier one, but what can I say? Both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom were AMAZING. I was so in love with this world and the characters, in a way I wasn’t with the Grisha Trilogy. Honestly, I was sad that this was only a duology. I could have had so much more fun with this crew and their jobs and heists. Also, something I really wanted to happen after reading the first book actually happened and I was super excited about it. These books will definitely be favorites I reread again and again.

Dreamworld (Colorworld #5) by Rachel E Kelly

Speaking of favorites…I know I say that I don’t put an order of favorites on books I’ve read or authors, but I have to say that Dreamworld was my absolute favorite book of 2016. It was absolutely outstanding, and despite being the fifth book in the series, it is written to be accessible for fans old and new. So you can jump in at book five if you don’t want to read the others first…though reading this will probably make you want to read the rest of the series.

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

This book surprised me. I thought the concept was interesting and I had heard quite a few people talking about it but I was still nervous when I started reading. Instead, I found myself sucked in to all the political intrigue and machinations, and especially into the development of Nemesis as a character. I greatly enjoyed this book.

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick is hilarious and based on so many stories online, I figured she would be a cool and down to Earth person…and this book proves that she really is. Reading about her journey from childhood to present day fame was entertaining and relatable. Even when she was name dropping celebs like George Clooney it felt like I was hanging out with a friend who was gushing about running into someone awesome on the street or at a convention. It was really cool.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls and Everything In Between by Lauren Graham

Speaking of awesome, funny, and down to Earth ladies…I had to read this collection of personal essays by Lauren Graham. I have to say, reading these, it is so obvious that Lauren just IS Lorelai Gilmore, and there is no way I could imagine anyone else playing the iconic character. This book was so encouraging and honest and relatable. I seriously felt like I was just hanging out with Lauren while she chatted about her life. I loved it.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Finally, another book that surprised me. I loved the cover (correction: I love the UK cover; the US cover is ugly) and so I was so hoping that I would enjoy the story contained between the front and back covers…and I really did. It was such a wonderful exploration into diversity and racism and gender norms and sexual identity. The characters were all kind of keeping secrets from each other and such but as the story progressed those secrets start to surface and this crew on the ship, the Wayfarer, have to deal with whatever potential complications arrive. I was just amazed by this book…to the point that I couldn’t just read through it in one or two settings. I would read 30 pages or so and then set it aside to digest and think and process. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one soon.

So…there you have it, another ten books I loved reading in the year 2016. What were some of your favorite reads of the year? Are there any you would recommend I add to my TBR for 2017?