#2016 books

[lacependragon]

Top 10 Backlist Books I Need to Buy in 2019

Top 10 Backlist Books I Need to Buy (and Read!) in 2019

Introduction

Every year, a ton of new books come out and overwhelm the book market. Because of this, some books get left behind and I end up forgetting about them, even if I start reading the ebooks or physical books from the library.

With that in mind, I’ve picked my top ten backlisted books (books not released/releasing in 2019) that I want to purchase and (hopefully) read in 2019.

The…

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[theperksofbeingabookseller]

How many books you guys read in 2016.

A few weeks ago, I got curious about how many books all of you guys read last year... so I asked. And many, many of you replied! Nosy-ol’-me loved going through your responses, and seeing the variety. And I was gobsmacked at just how many some of you read - some people even read over 300! Three.... hundred!!

And don’t you dare get down on yourself if you didn’t read anywhere near that many, or as many as you hoped. The fact that you picked up just one book in 2016 makes you an awesome person, and you should be proud of that!

Below the cut are the variety of replies, just in-case you are as curious as I!

fiendish-bookwyrm answered: I didn’t actually count but I would guess somewhere between 50-70. Haha I know it is a large range, but I re-read a lot of books in 2016

thatfleatytemptressadventure answered: Only 36 :(

shebephoebe answered: 74, which was 2 over my Goodreads goal.

victoria-tonks answered: 71, and I re-read about 10 or 12.

jurkba answered: 100

dionysiacbooks: 134!

bluelightning42 answered: I read 305 books in 2016

misswritingwarrior said: 50 lmao but damn everyone read so much last year that’s good!!

juliamariesparrow answered: 200, but I wasn’t reading regularly.

living-to-read answered: i read 331 ( a lot of them were graphic novels but im still proud of myself )

faded-airmail-envelopes answered: 75

tuneful-turning answered: 28 (just 2 short of my goal!)

designdickson answered: 26

anassarhenisch answered: 68 first-times + 12 rereads + 2 books I got partway through.

jennifervidetorn answered: I read 37 books (my goal was to read 30)

[ladysnowangel]

Favorite 2016 releases:

Curio by Evangeline Denmark

Water From My Heart by Charles Martin

Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

Dressed For Death by Julianna Deering

Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg

Just A Kiss by Denise Hunter

Out of the Frying Pan by Michelle Griep and Kelly Klepfer

Unblemished by Sara Ella

Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren

Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig

[door]

for no particular reason: fave books I read in 2016

[nikkixreads]

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

★★★★★

This is one of those novels that you don’t want to read at time because of what’s going on, but you can’t seem to put the damn thing down. IT was so powerful, at times really uncomfortable, and yes, I cried a little at one pint. I couldn’t get this story out of my head while I reading it, and I think that’s a testament to how good this book was.

The story takes place either in the present day between Maya and the FBI agents, or in flashbacks where we get to see snapshots of the lives of these Butterflies. I really like this way of telling a story because it allows the story to have the impact it’s meant to, instead of hearing everything seconds hand from one character.

The back and forth between Maya and the agents was fantastic. It was witty, clever, and provided a much needed breather at times during the story. It also showed the reader that Maya was beginning to trust these men; that she thought they would treat the Butterflies with respect and help them.

The Butterflies are my favourite characters, as they should be. They are a family to each other, and just so full of life. They have their impending deaths looming over their heads every day of their lives, but they still have fun, they have hobbies, and they love and help one another. They are protecting each other in the beginning of the novel; they won’t talk until Maya tells them that the FBI can be trusted, that they will see them as people, and treat them with respect.

Nothing in this novel is sugar coated, so I’m not sure if it’s for everyone. There are triggering things in this novel. There are moments of rape, torture, abuse, not to mention mentions of past abuse and rape of multiple characters. These Butterflies are preserved once they’ve gotten past a certain age or if they anger him, so they are always on display for the man who took them, as well as a reminder of the other Butterflies of what will happen to them.

I could go on but I don’t want to. Just know that this novel is a great one, but it is not for everyone.

[iwriteaboutfeminism]

December Reading Wrap-Up

Graphic Novels

Giant Days, Volume 3, by John Allison and Max Sarin

I gave this book three stars. 

Batgirl, Volume 3: Mindfields, by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, and Babs Tarr

One thing I love about this book is that it involves an all-female hero team! I gave this book four stars. 

The One Hundred Nights of Hero, by Isabel Greenberg

This was wonderful! The art was simple, but it worked very well. It definitely made me want to read more from Isabel Greenberg. I gave this book four stars. 

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil, by Stephen Collins

This was better than I thought it might be. There’s very little text, but the story is engaging nonetheless. I gave this book three stars. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Volume 1: The Long Way Home, by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty

I gave this book three stars. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Volume 2: No Future for You, by Brian K. Vaughan and Georges Jeanty

I gave this book three stars. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Volume 3: Wolves at the Gate, by Drew Goddard and Georges Jeanty

This one has definitely been my favorite so far! I won’t spoil what happens, but I’d heard about it previously and didn’t see how it could possibly work in a way that made sense to the character. And yet, I really felt it did. And it did it in a way I felt was really genuine to the original series, which was a lot of fun. I gave this book four stars. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Volume 4: Time of Your Life, by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty

I gave this book two stars. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Volume 5: Predators and Prey, by various authors and Georges Jeanty

I gave this book two stars. 

Novels

Matilda, by Roald Dahl

This was the December book for @lets-read-about-feminism. It was a re-read for me from a few years ago. I liked it just as much as last time, though I think I observed more about the story this time. I gave this book three stars. 

By the Pricking of my Thumbs, by Agatha Christie

This is a Tommy and Tuppence mystery, of which Agatha Christie only wrote five, I believe. This is the second of their series that I’ve read, (I seem to be going in reverse order) and I quite enjoy them as main characters! I gave this book three stars. 

First Frost, by Sarah Addison Allen

There’s now only one book by Sarah Addison Allen I have yet to read. They are consistently enjoyable reads. I love the way she writes magical realism. I gave this book three stars. 

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, by Agatha Christie

This was also a re-read for me, and even though I did not remember how it ended, I was less impressed with the reveal this time than originally. Still, I always enjoy Agatha Christie. I gave this book three stars. 

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, by Stephanie Barron

I’m glad that I found this series and was pleasantly surprised that book one takes place in December! Jane Austen is the main character in this series, and it’s basically if Jane solved crimes in between writing novels! It’s written in the language style of Austen’s books, which didn’t slow me down as much as I was expecting. It was really enjoyable, and I’ve already started on book two. I gave this book three stars. 

Novellas

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

The story is just what you’d expect if you’ve seen the adaptations, but it was still worth it to read the original. I gave this book three stars. 

Poetry

, said the shotgun to the head, by saul williams

I gave this book two stars. 

salt, by Nayyirah Waheed

This was a Christmas present, and I’m so glad I got it! It really pulls at your heart and fills up your soul. I gave this book four stars. 

Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and what you thought of them! Also, let me know if you have any recommendations you think I’d like, based on what I read.

You can also follow me on Goodreads and join my book club, @lets-read-about-feminism! 

[theperksofbeingabookseller]

All the books I read in 2016!

Unfortunately, not in order, since I couldn’t seem to find a photo app that would let me do that, but here they are!

Looking at them all, like this, takes my breath away. I can barely believe that I read all of these books in a single year - 96 in total! I wonder if I can beat it next year...

[nikkixreads]

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

★★★★★

This novel was SO GOOD. All the applause to Neil Gaiman for penning this epic tale of Old Gods verses New. Gaiman’s writing style is one I love so much, and it lends itself so well to a story like this.

Shadow was my absolute favourite, which is probably not a surprise in all honesty. He had his moments where I questioned just what the hell we was doing, but for the most part I was hoping he’d get out of this alive. I did want to shake him a little bit because it took him quite a while to fully figure out he was dealing with actual Gods, when they weren’t being super subtle with him most of the time. I guess that goes to show how most people only see what the want to see.

I liked how the author portrayed the Old Gods as well; we got to see what they had to do to survive in the new world of technology, and how they’ve changed in general with the times. The New Gods were really interesting, although I did not particularly like them. I appreciated what they represented, but there just seemed to be something already off about them. I also really enjoyed how we got so many different Gods from different cultures and belief systems, because America is nothing if not a melting pot of people and religions.

Now the story itself is really hard to describe, because yes it is about this man Shadow and he unwittingly becoming the valet of Odin, but it’s also about Old Gods butting heads with New Gods, and we’re getting backstories on these Gods. It’s just really hard to pinpoint a general summary! I enjoyed getting the origin stories of some of the Gods and such, because there were quite a few that I wasn’t that familiar with, and even if we weren’t explicitly told that this is the God and everything, we were told enough hints that it could be figured out.

Now I did listen to/read this because it’s a tome of a book, and it was fantastic. I got the anniversary edition with the full cast of characters, which is the way to go for me because it made it so easy to see the events of the story played out in my head. It also made me even more excited for the TV series coming out sometime in 2017, even if I won’t be able to watch it as it’s coming out.

I haven’t really talked about specific events in the book, and that’s because I believe people should go in reading the novel not knowing a lot about what’s going on. All I knew was that it involved Gods and that was it, and I believe that’s the way to go. I think it’s much more enjoyable that way since there will be no preconceived notions or anything like that.