Spinstrs Recommend: Our favorite books of 2016
(not necessarily books that were released in 2016, but books that we read in 2016)
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - The perfect book for readers seeking out YA m/m romance or readers trying to fill the Harry Potter sized hole in their heart. (rec’d by anonsally, yesknopemaybe, prettyfaroutman, leslielikesthings & scribblinaway)
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - Another swoony m/m romance, this time with a more realistic setting. (rec’d by anonsally, yesknopemaybe, leslielikesthings & prettyfaroutman)
The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson - A modern take on The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare. (rec’d by anonsally)
Jane Austen: A Life by David Nokes - A mostly nonfiction look at one of the spinstrs’ favorite authors, specifically from the perspective that the very proper and respectable image of her that her family tried to pass down after her death may not be the complete truth. Based on surviving letters and documents, Nokes tries to reconstruct a slightly juicier narrative of Austen’s life. (rec’d by anonsally)
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki - This graphic novel is SO beautiful and the story works at multiple levels, making it perfect for both adults and young adults. (rec’d by yesknopemaybe)
Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm - A meditative heist novel more concerned with the fallout than the actual heist itself. Read this if you like complicated characters who aren’t actually very likeable. (rec’d by yesknopemaybe)
The Trespasser by Tana French - ALL the Tana French mysteries are great so you should really start at the beginning, but The Trespasser was my favorite of the bunch. (rec’d by yesknopemaybe)
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye - Less a straight up retelling of Jane Eyre than the story of a Victorian heroine who finds many parallels between her life and Eyre’s. Except for the whole murderess part anyway. (rec’d by prettyfaroutman, leslielikesthings, & yesknopemaybe)
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng - Part family drama and part mystery. A mixed race family in the 1970s deals with the disappearance of their eldest daughter and the inner workings of their family. If you’re looking for an intersectional book, this is it. (rec’d by prettyfaroutman & yesknopemaybe)
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - Another delicious historical f/f love story like Waters’ previous novels. This one sets the romance against the backdrop of the post-WWI upheaval of class, gender, and economy in London. (rec’d by prettyfaroutman)
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon - A YA romance between Natasha, an undocumented immigrant about to be deported back to Jamaica, and Daniel, the son of Korean immigrants trying to live up to their expectations for him. Worthwhile on that summary alone, but that doesn’t even begin to describe the enormity of what this book has to say about love, fate, science, coincidence, and the ways in which our actions affect those around us in ways we can’t predict. Just absolutely gorgeous. (rec’d by prettyfaroutman)
Hold Me by Courtney Milan - Maria has a blog about the apocalypse. Jay likes to comment on her blog. They are slowly falling in love online. IRL they can’t stand each other. Love/hate, great shoes, science, and a whole lot of family angst. Maria is a trans WOC. (rec’d by scribblinaway & leslielikesthings)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - What can I even say about it? It’s so good. Sci-fi/Fantasy but not like any other sci-fi or fantasy novel I’ve ever read. (rec’d by scribblinaway, clavisa, & yesknopemaybe)
Midnight Taxi Tango by Daniel José Older - The 2nd book in Daniel José Older’s awesome Bone Street Rumba series centering around a kind of ghost cop. (rec’d by matterofawesome)
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - A fresh vampire story taking place in Mexico City. A vampire and a street kid form an unlikely friendship as vampires, humans, cops, and gangsters collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. (rec’d by matterofawesome)
Shrill by Lindy West - Essays from Lindy West about her life, her body, feminism, and living in a world connected by the internet. (rec’d by leslielikesthings)
Gunpowder Alchemy by Jeannie Lin - A Chinese steampunk story about a woman trying to restore her family’s name by helping the Crown Prince win back rebel support. (rec’d by leslielikesthings)
Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner - Warning: Contains elections, confections, and a number of erections. Not much needs to be said beyond that quote from the blurb, but I loved that it took place in a small town with many/most characters who were commoners rather than in London among the nobility as so many romances are. Local political machinations and hilarity! (rec’d by leslielikesthings)
Monstress V1 by Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda - A graphic novel that tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power. Absolutely beautiful artwork, but watch out as it gets pretty violent. (rec’d by leslielikesthings)
Wired Love: A Romance of Dots and Dashes by Ella Cheever Thayer - A book from the 1800′s about two telegraph operators who fall in love. (rec’d by clavisa)
