Various

2016 on Goodreads

Vicky  Nuñez 

Another year has passed and many more books have been read!

I read 53 books this year. 17,553 pages. My average length was  331 pages. 

My average rating was 4.0

YEAR IN REVIEW 


The most popular book I read this year was Romeo and Juliet.  I finally read the famous play by the Bard and I couldn't have loved it more! No surprise really why Shakespeare it's still so popular today, his plays are still brilliant to read. I also decided to read 
  Macbeth
, which I also enjoyed. 

The least popular book I read was 
  Cologne
, a short little horror story I saw someone share on reddit and couldn't help to read it. Super engaging for such a short story!

I finally finished 
  The Wheel of Time
 this year and I am already planning a re-read. It was everything I wanted and needed from the ending, but I still miss those characters. I'm kind of hoping for a TV series to be announced so my decision to begin re-reading it makes at least some sense. 

Meanwhile I started a sci-fi series, 
  the Vorkosigan Saga
, an amazing space opera with countless characters, but the recurring main character is Miles Vorkosigan, a dwarfish tyrion-like young man who goes around space with a fleet of mercenaries.

I continued 3 great series:
 + 
  Magic Binds
, the ninth book in the Kate Daniels series! I can't believe it's almost over. ::fangirling:: 
+ Marked in Flesh, the fourth book in The Others series. This is a series about Meg Corbyn, a cassandra sangue, a woman who has visions whenever she cuts her skin. She is on the run from those who want to enslave her for her powers when she ends up in a town filled with shifters where she immediately becomes well loved. I got to be honest, this was a bit of a let down. I didn't loved it as much as I did the previous books, but I love the characters so much I still have high expectations for the next books. 
+ 
  The Alloy of Law
  Shadows of Self
, the fourth and fifth books in the Mistborn Series. I love the idea of Sanderson continuing Mistborn in different eras of the world and I feel like this new trilogy is not exactly on par with the original trilogy,, but very much enjoyable. The new series takes place in a Steampunk environment and just that makes it really cool and fun to read.

I also started four series:
+ 
  Six of Crows
, a story about six individuals who come together to make a heist happen.
+ An Ember in the Ashes, a story set in an Ancient Rome-like setting with a blooming romance between two very differen
+ 
  The Queen of the Tearling
, one of my favorite new series of this year! It's a fantasy story about a young girl who has known all her life she was been trained to be queen and the day finally arrives for to take the throne. 
+ 
  The Lies of Locke Lamora
, a story about a little boy and how he became a thief and leader of a gang. I really recommend it to those who are fans of Patrick Rothfuss!

I read many more books, although not as much as I hoped or as previous years. Next year I really want to challenge myself to push my boundaries and just read more. I feel like each day I see a new book I want to read, but I don't make any progress on those I already have. 
 
 2017 

Next year I want to read more and bigger books. My bedside table is already filled with books I plan on reading.
 On 2017 I want to challenge myself to read more:
+ Classics, because they are popular for a reason, because they are great no matter how much time passess. 
+ More Sci-fi & Fantasy.
+ Bigger books, because I love big stories and just becoming lost in them.


And finally thanks to all my Goodreads friends who have showed me new books through my feed. I hope each and everyone of you has a great 2017 on Goodreads!

Tobias V. Langhoff

In 2015 I completed a reading challenge of 20 books, which I considered quite a feat. I set 2016’s reading challenge at 20 as well. As the year progressed, however, I was so far ahead of the challenge that I kept raising the bar, first to 30, then 40, before landing at 50.

This is a lot of books to me. Before 2016, I had read about 230 Goodreads books according to my estimations – although I’m sure there are still some childhood books missing, it’s pretty accurate. That means that in 2016 I read somewhere around maybe a fifth of all books I’ve read my entire life, and I’ve always considered myself a reader.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_i...

I read a number of classics, including East of Eden and Moby-Dick which is now probably my favorite novel (I own about 6 different editions of Moby-Dick now, haha), and most of the bibliography of Cormac McCarthy. I mostly read on my Kindle, but I also listened to several audiobooks, a medium I discovered properly this year. It’s a great way to read classics, I find. And I fell in love with narrators as much as any author I like; Frank Muller is my top dog (may he rest in peace).

50 books isn’t all that much compared to a lot of other people on this site, but I’m pretty proud of myself all the same. And it wasn’t even very hard! It was just about getting into the mindset of reading constantly. Pull up my Kindle on the subway instead of Facebook. Listen to audiobooks while walking around instead of podcasts or music. Go to bed early and read, instead of arguing on reddit.

Colleen

The holidays and into the beginning of this year were very hectic for me, so I am just now getting around to writing a yearly overview. I am rating 2016 3 Stars overall. While I did read some great books, I also rated more books 1 or 2 Stars than in the previous two years combined. I think a lot of that was due to the fact that in 2016 I read more light reads and a lot of new releases. Or maybe because I get pickier and pickier every year. 


  



Stats for 2016
92 Books Read
33,531 Pages Read
2 DNFs
Average Rating for 2016: 3.1 Stars (with 24 of those being either 1 or 2 Stars)


  


Here is a quick overview of the best and worst of the year. These are books that I read in 2016, not necessarily published that year. And it should go without saying that these are my opinions, so no getting sulky if you don't agree!


Let's start with my Worst Books of the Year:

#5 Worst Book aka Book most likely to cause Spontaneous Snoozing
The Revenant by Michael Punke
Really, if you are going to fictionalize a true story, you'd think you'd manage to make it exciting. But the writing in the The Revenant was as lost as its main character. The tone was monotonous and dull; the plot was flaccid; and the characters were unemotional and listless. This book was only made popular by the movie not because of any merit of the book itself.

#4 Worst Book aka Book most likely to cause random unpleasant facial expressions
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
Brooklyn is a historical fiction novel that fails to describe either the time period or the locations and instead decides to focus ad nauseam on mundane details and occasional red herrings that do not actually have anything to do with the story all droned out in a passive, tedious tone. The heroine is an apathetic and mindless sadsack completely lacking in independent thought or morals who plods along in zombie mode while she lets every aspect of her life be controlled and uses her inaction as an excuse for her disreputable behavior and general unpleasantness. The book is also a female central story written by a man who erroneously thinks he is the all-knowing master of the female mind. (He Is Not.)

#3 Worst Book aka Book most likely to get me murdered by obsessive, rabid fangirls for hating it
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My survival instincts tell me to only whisper that I dislike this book when I am slowly and stealthily backing towards the exit ready to run for it at any second. But I can't lie; I could not stand The Fault in Our Stars. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people feel socially obligated (whether they admit it or not) to get emotional about certain topics regardless of how badly written they are. To clarify, real life kids with cancer is heartbreaking. But fictional ones written with every gimmick and trope possible all coldly calculated to kick you in the heartstrings with maximum strength? No Sir, you will not get my tears that easily. I hate tragedy for tragedy's sake. The characters all seemed so fake and contrived. The plot was farfetched and sloppy. And frankly, I found Hazel and Augustus's relationship to be downright creepy and not even the tiniest bit romantic. Sorry, I refuse to drink the Kool-Aid on this one. I could not stand a single thing about this book.

#2 Worst Book aka Book most likely to make me bang my head against a wall repeatedly
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 by John Tiffany (NOT by J.K. Rowling)
I LOVE the Harry Potter series. Rowling created perfection. Tragically, she has now shown that she cannot walk away from her world and continues to dilute something wonderful with half-assed knockoffs. Rowling may be mistakenly dragging this out to keep her beloved creation alive, but everyone behind her is clearly just mining the money with dollar signs over their eyes. This awful play is the prime example. The story jumps around chaotically. It's poorly written. It's not cannon to the real books. The character development is laughable. The plot is basic and full of holes. And the whole thing reads like extremely BAD fan fiction. It is an epically bungled mess that I wish I had never made the mistake of reading!

#1 Worst Book aka Book most likely to be thrown into a fire in pagan sacrifice to the poor trees that died so this rubbish could be printed
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
Any usefulness in this book was obliterated by how controlling and condescending the author is. There is nothing new or unique or revolutionary in this book. It is the ramblings of an extremely OCD person who has managed to turn her OCD into a profitable business, but you can only succeed by organizing your life exactly the way she likes it. She is the type of who says you can do things your way, but then if you dare to deviate from their way will sit there and passive-aggressively huff and sigh until you change it to the way they want it. Another reviewer pointed out that it seems Kondō has replaced all meaningful human interaction with relationships with inanimate objects. So if you feel the need to talk to all of the objects in your home in a loving way then callously throw them away the second they "no longer bring you joy" then have it. But if you follow Kondō's advice, you will also be required to towel dry your shampoo bottles after each bath and place them in a cabinet, never use a dish drying rack but instead place dishes on your porch to dry (because dishes love getting fresh air), take EVERYTHING out of your purse EVERY DAY and thank each object for doing its job, and of course you must mercilessly purge all of your books because according to the author they are dead weight and people never actually read books; they just keep them to appear intelligent to other people. Don't tell me what I like, you crazy, controlling, manipulative woman.


And here are my Best Books of the Year:

#5 Best Book aka Book most likely to make me ponder heritage and legacies
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This is a wonderful debut novel that follows the descendants of two half-sisters through several generations one staying in Ghana and the other sold into slavery. Although I am not typically a fan of multi-generational stories, Gyasi's writing was so vivid and rich that I could not help but be sucked into the story. The characters were so tangible, and I was moved by this book. 

#4 Best Book aka Book most likely to cause delicious shivers
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Jackson's eerie tale is considered the quintessential haunted house story. The characters and plot were intriguing, but I particularly loved the setting and the author's descriptive writing. The tone was eerie and Gothic but with moments of refreshing humor sprinkled in. This is a story with layers, much more complicated than first meets the eye. 

#3 Best Book aka Book most likely to make me take up amateur sleuthing
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Over a century of copycats and still no one has quite managed to topple Sherlock Holmes from his pedestal of Best Detective. This is undoubtedly one of the most influential series, the foundation for an entire genre. But really, who could outsmart (or replace) Sherlock? 

#2 Best Book aka Book most likely to spark my imagination
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I had not read anything by Gaiman until 2015, but he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved that Stardust was a fairy tale for adults. Something to quench the desire for adventure and magic without feeling silly and childish. There is always a tint of darkness to his writing. It is never enough to make it morose or depressing; rather it adds a complexity that so much modern writing lacks. Gaiman has an incredible way with words and a wonderful old fashioned tone that I sink into with a delighted sigh. 

#1 Best Book aka Book most likely to cause restless wandering, emotional upheaval, and a major book hangover
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
I really did wander aimlessly around the house sighing after I finished reading The Butterfly Garden. This book surrounded me so thoroughly that it was a shock to find myself back in my livingroom far away from sociopaths and twisted paths. Since then, I have recommended this book to several people, but every time I describe the premise they give me identical looks of horror and disgust. The is no non-awkward way to say "This is an awesome book about a sociopath who kidnaps, rapes, and murders teenage girls." Even people who I've heard gush over other disturbing books seem offput when I describe this one. Yes, it is very graphic and disturbing. But not in a gimmicky way unlike certain other bestsellers. This book knocked me off balance in a way that few books have. And it is now my golden standard for Psychological Thrillers. 


Top Books by Genre:
Chick Lit Wanderlost
Classic This is a tie between Howards End and Emma
Fantasy/SciFi  Stardust
Historical Fiction (also Best Debut) Homegoing
Horror The Haunting of Hill House
Mystery The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Nonfiction We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance
Short Stories The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse
Suspense/Thriller The Butterfly Garden
Young Adult Ella Enchanted

I don't have any specific reading goals for 2017. One of the downsides to being on Goodreads is that I am hyper aware of how many books there are to read. I am always looking so far ahead at the list of books I want to read that my reading has become overly planned and scheduled. I realized that since I joined Goodreads in 2014 I have not actually picked books at random from the library. Mostly I request specific books. Occasionally I impulse grab something off the new release shelves (mostly because they are directly in between the hold shelf and the checkout counter). But I haven't wandered the stacks in a couple of years which was rather startling to realize. So this year I am going to try to let my reading be less planned and try to build up some good book karma.

Lacy W

This is a pretty neat idea. I love that we can write about our year in books and how well or how awful it turned out. If we met our goals or if we came up just a bit shy. To write about friendships we have made or friendships we have lost. 

So. 2016 was an interesting year for me. I downloaded Goodreads first as an app. I was in need of something to help me organize my books. I also wanted some place for me to save books that I wanted to read so that way when people asked me what book I wanted, I could tell them. Same for when I got to the library. I wouldn't get completely sidetracked and get a bunch of books. Not that there was anything wrong with that but I would get frustrated if I got a book that ended up being a sequel or something. 

I didn't really start adding people until later in the year. I was just focused on reading and writing quick little reviews. But I realized that if I wanted to grow as a reviewer, I needed to add people. Plus I was so stuck in specific genres. Adding people that read a variety of things would help me to branch out. I feel that I have grown as a reviewer plus I have been reading books that are out of the norm for me. I feel like I have succeeded in that. 

In terms of reading, this year was a bit up and down. After high school I found it difficult to find time to read. College and all, ya know? I switched to overnights at my job after finally leaving the gas station scene and that really helped. But then I went back to second shift and my reading dramatically decreased. Now I'm back on overnights and I have finished a book just about everyday since I've started. Will I ever read the amount I did in high school? Maybe. But if I don't, that's okay too. I just have to learn to accept that.

I also set goals for myself. I wanted to read more classics and read different genres such as fantasy and sci fi. I feel like I accomplished that. I read several different classics with my favorite probably being  Frankenstein. I have also started to read different genres with my favorite being the Kingfountain series (it's considered fantasy, in my opinion) with The Gender Games close behind.

I hope that 2017 is going to be a great year for me. I have decided that I will set my goal to 200 books. I plan on being overnights until I move away. But I hope everybody has a fantastic year of reading. I'm glad that I have met a lot of you.

 If you guys wanna know what my favorite books are, just check out my favorites shelf. I'm lazy as hell and don't want to link every single one. ;) 

 Here's to reading and new friendships! Good luck on your 2017 Goodreads Reading Goal.

Jamieson

OFFICIAL 2016 STATS

books read 87

Genre:
Action: 1
Adventure: 2
Classics: 6
Contemporary: 9
Fantasy: 30
Science Fiction: 8
Fiction: 1
Historical Fiction: 4
Horror: 4
Drama: 4
Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic: 4
Romance: 2
Mystery: 1
Non-Fiction: 2
Paranormal: 5
Steampunk: 1

Length:
Short (<250 pages): 11
Medium (250-500 pages): 53
Long (501-800 pages): 18
Very long (800+ pages): 1

Gender's of the Authors:
Female: 30
Male: 22

Books by Month:
January: 2
February: 5
March: 7
April: 10
May: 9
June: 10
July: 5
August: 7
September: 5
October: 13
November: 7
December: 6

Australian books: 5
Audiobooks 2

--------------------------

THE 16 BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2016 !!!

 (NOTES: they are in order, I decided not to include any books which were rereads ... sorry Harry Potter, and decided to only include one book per series so I didn't just fill my whole list with the saame series ahaha ) 




these first six are so ridiculously close they are basically interchangeable 

1: 
  
 Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

By now I'm sure we've all heard of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and if not ???? do u live under an actual rock its EVERYWHERE. but anyway. Crooked Kingdom is obviously the sequel to Six of Crows and sadly the last book in the duology. It came out and it ,,,,, it slayed my entire fuccin life

I mean ?? the perfect character development, the twisty plot, the clever dialogue. There was literally nothing that I did not love. ALSO, Leigh Bardugo basically redefined fantasy and showed all authors that 1: you can be white/cishet and still write good, complex diverse characters and SECONDLY, that those characters not only belong, but NEED TO BE in more fantasy books. 
Like y'all, there are no longer excuses. 

Also ... fucking red stained paged and the beautiful pages for each section AM I IN HEAVEN Leigh did it so classy and I love her so much MOTHERF queEn

2: 
  
 We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

The "discovered gem" read of the year. This book is disgustingly underrated and under read and it needs to stop. This book is amazing. 

I literally had a life changing experience reading this book. I SAT ON A BEACH FOR 6 HOURS STRAIGHT AND READ IT COVER TO COVER. and then I cried. alot. 

and it wasn't cute crying either it was ugly af so #blessed that beach was deserted tbh

ANYWAY, y'all know I don't do contemporary to recommending one is literally shocking but this book man

It's about this boy, Henry who's boyfriend has recently committed suicide. Henry gets abducted by alients and they tell him if he presses this red button he will save the world from total destruction but he doesn't know if it's worth it and if the world is worth saving and it totally blew my mind and made me question everything and was just an incredibly profound, immersive and changing experience and I couldn't recommend this book enough

I just love it so much. It's beautiful, it totally drags you in and makes you question everything. I am literally a changed person from this book honestly I am 

1: inconsolably upset it didn't win the goodreads award
2: shocked and personally offended that it only has 5000 ratings

ANYWAY, just thinking about it makes me emotional. It's honestly just so amazing and beautiful PLEASE READ IT


3: 
  
 The King's Men by Nora Sakavic

Anyway .... ,,,, as if the foxhole court wasn't gonna get a mention. 
I FEEL LIKE YOU ALL #KNOW by now

But this series ..... it's everything. its EVERYTHING. At this point y'all probably like shut the fuck up we get it But I just ?? its so good ??

The characters are ????? incredible. The way these characters grow and develop and the way the reader is completely immersed and invested in them I literally cannot get over how real they are to me ? how much they mean ?? 

I will continue to tell everyone to read The Foxhole Court because it's just amazing ? and lowkey has jumped to my second series of ALL TIME

(nothing can touch Harry Potter lmfao) 

4: 
  
 The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

I am the LAST PERSON IN THE WORLD to read the raven cycle but bless the sweet baby jesus I finally did it because this series is AMAZING

I've read the whole thing now, I've loved the whole thing. I did love the later books and Blue Lily, Lily Blue was in strong contest for this spot (PYNCH PYNCH PYNCH) but in the end something about The Dream Thieves won me over

It is the delicious diabolicalness of Kavinsky ?
Or the amazing scene of them lying in the field, plucking things from their dreams?
Or was it the scene on the boat
Was it the magic, or the quest, or the characters, or their friendships and loves ??

I don't know. I just know I loved this book. 


5: 
  
 Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

My indulgent pick tbh.
Although I do feel Cassie Clare did something special here
Her books are ....... controversial. 
But with Lady Midnight, I genuinely liked the writing and I genuinely thought the plot was much better then some of her other books. And the angst was not so ridiculous. 

And I just LOVE Emma Carstairs so much
and okay, I gave points for the cover

anyway,,,,, I recognise this book / her books in general have problematic elements
Like .... forever NOT OKAY with her banishing canon lesbians Helen and Aline to some fucking foreign island while the straights angst away ITS HONESTLY DESPICABLE

But .... like I said. Indulgence. This book is entertaining as fuck. 


6: 
  
 The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Mhhhmmm. Good shit. thats some good shit right there if I say so myself (I say so myself) 10/10. 100/10. 

aaaaagghhh, the Massive Books We Are All Intimidated by (TM) I am soo glad I finally just DID IT and jumped into to this series because I ADORED this first book

The characters and their arcs were excellent, and the growth they go through in this book ... I cry. (be still, my fluttering heart) The characters are so well developed and complex, and this book never shies away from exposing peoples flaws while also pointing out their strengths. 

The plot was also incredible ? Gripping, fast paced, multi-faceted. I loved how there was internal and external plots which just make it so much more complex. 

But more importantly, the WORLDBUILDING MATE. Absolutely stunning !!! 10000000/10. 
And the plOT TWISTS get me soo good ! Brandon Sanderson is just an excellent author and I loved this book so much. 

I know alot of people are intimidated by the length of these books, but I think everyone should just go for it because everyone is right they are EXCELLENT BOOKS. 

7: 
  
 Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

When I read Fangirl, I literally skipped forward sometimes to read the fanfic chapters. Like, I knew I was gonna love Carry On and I DID.
It's so camp ?? and meta ?? but it's so funny ??

And I adore snowbaz as a couple, they are amazing and so cute and I'm ... so weak for the enemies to lovers trope. 
This book, which is kinda a reworked Harry Potter is so funny and clever and I loved the worldbuilding. I still love how the magic system works, and overall just get sad when people hate on Carry On

8: 
  
 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Aaah! This was just such a crazy and unique space book. Its just about all these aliens travelling through space but it was INCREDIBLE. The diversity of the characters literally blew my mindd ! I loved them all, and the setting was also beautiful. This is such a feel good space story and I just love it so much ? I don't know why, but it just makes me happy even now, and I love the idea of our GALAXY BEING LIKE THIS and it had such good lgbt rep and aargh just LOVE IT

9: 
  
 Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

This little time travel book wasn't what I was expecting .. exactly. But I still found myself immersed in it. The characters journey through place and time was AMAZING to follow, I felt like I got to visit so many new and exotic places without ever leaving my bed.

I have a fascination with the past, so this book spoke to me alot. I also loved the way in which time travel WORKED and how the magic system was set up and this books sequel Wayfarer is one of my most anticipated of 2017 !!


10: 
  
 Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

My first little dive into steampunk and I came out of that INCREDIBLY HAPPY. This is a genre I discovered I loved because of this book. 

It's an incredibly charming story, set in an altered past where world war one played out a little differently and it was actually mesmerising. I loved the little pictures throughout the book, and I loved the characters too. This book gave me some incredible !! science !! ladies !!

so HERE FOR IT

but seriously, such a charming story and one of my big disappoints of 2016 is that I didn't get to the sequel 

11: 
  
 United As One by Pittacus Lore

This is the conclusion to the Lorein Legacies series, which starts with I Am Number Four and I just ,,, I love this series

I know it's kind of unpopular as a series but honestly I just came to love all these characters so much and the conclusion to the series was actually ? so satisfying. 

aah I just love these alien kids so much !! and I was so distressed through this book but it had my heart RACING and when I finished it it felt like ending a marathon. But these books are great (don't believe the hate!) they are fun, and super entertaining due to everyone having crazy super powers and I am actually really sad they're over


12: 
  
 Illuminae by Amie Kaufman 

This book makes the list because it's unique. The format of the book had me so engaged and I felt so involved with the story because of how you are required to read it. 

I don't know if I love it on the same level as goodreads does sometimes, but I still really enjoyed it as a book and found it incredibly entertaining. 


13: 
  
 Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

I wanted to read more Australian books, so I picked up this little gem thats getting a bit of hype around the Aussie book community and I loved it as much as everyone else. 

It's a mystery, about two boys who discover the body of a dead girl and must try to find the killer - but it's also an incredibly moving story of friendship, love and self discovery. I found the characters incredible, and I thought the author had a realistic grip on how racism and violence still pervade Australian communities. 

The in-text referencing to other books was genius, and the dialogue and banter between the characters was so funny I actually laughed out loud when listening to it on audiobook while driving. 

Even if I was a little disappointed by the end, everything that happened in the middle cancelled that out. This book is so cute and lovely and needs more of a following !

14: 
  
 Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Leigh makes the list again, this time with her Grisha trilogy which begings with Shadow and Bone. Although I didn't enjoy this series as much as I enjoyed Six of Crows .. I still really loved it. 

I thought the themes and ideas were excellently explored, and that the characters were compelling. I think it's a shame some people miss the DEPTH of these books, because the way that power, control and morality is explored was SO GOOD. 

15: 
  
 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This is a book we've all heard of. It's one of those books that everyone knows will just move riot your soul and move you and it sure did that. This book is so touching, and beautiful. I loved the setting, but I also loved the complexity of the characters, and how REAL they felt. The things they did felt so awfully realistic to how cruel people can be sometimes, whether to friends or enemies and I 100% understand where all the hype came from. It's a beautiful book. 

16: 
  
 Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis
 
This one comes in at 16 but it's last and not least. This story, set in India, is about a hero who is unwittingly quested by the Hindu God Krishna to rescue his princess from her captor. It's such an amazing story, set in an amazingly rich setting. 

Few ya books are set in India, so this felt refreshing and I loved it. This story is kind of two stories in one, and I loved the way they merged and intertwined together. I was definitely charmed by this book, and I'm sad it has less then 1000 ratings on goodread because it's really excellent !!



At the moment I don't feel like writing out stats and things for 2016, but I do wanna say it's been an amazing year

To come back from what was essentially an 18month reading slump where I think I only read 3-5 books, to enter 2016 and read nearly 90 is INCREDIBLE

I have read some outstanding books this year, and discovered not one, not two but THREE new favourite series of all time. That is amazing. 

I've also met and interacted with some incredible people on goodreads, wrote some reviews I could be proud of (and read some killers from you guys!!)

So all in all, 2016 was definitely a success
I'm still hoping I can squeeze a book or two out of it though!!

~~~~ to be completed !!! ~~~~

Emi Gilmore 

WHAT A YEAR!

Already am I in disbelief that it is currently December. Though 2016 was a crappy year for the world, it was a great year for me. 

2016 was the year of Hamilton. And life changes. And many, many great books. 

It was the year I got to meet Victoria Schwab which was the best thing to happen to me the past twelve months! I got to tell her how mad I was at her for the ending of A Gathering of Shadows. I also lied to her and told her I already had A Conjuring of Light on pre-order. (I have in on pre-order now though). And I got my giant stack of books signed. 



As of 12.22.2016, I have read  98  books this year. And only about five of those 97 books did I give a rating less that 3 stars too. There were so little disappointing reads. My average rating reflected this, being a 4.0. 

I like making detailed lists, putting things in order. Narrowing down my favorite books this year was hard, so instead of making a top ten, I made a top sixteen. 

1. The Serpent King
2. A Gathering of Shadows
3. Winter (& Scarlet & Cress & Stars Above)
4. Illuminae & Gemina
5. Six of Crows
6. A Torch Against the Night
7. The Hidden Oracle
8. A Court of Mist and Fury
9. The Wrath & the Dawn & The Rose & the Dagger
10. This Savage Song
11. Empire of Storms
12. And I Darken
13. Stand-Off
14. Firefight (& Steelheart)
15. Extraordinary Means
16. The False Prince


I would want to take a second to mention some people who have influenced me greatly this year. Kaz Brekker. Nina. Inej. Wylan. Kell. Manon. Princess Winter. Kady Grant. Hannah Donnelly. Elias Veturius. Helene Aquilla. Rhysand. Shahrzhad. And of course, Percy Jackson. 

There's so many books I'm looking forward to in 2017, and you can find them all here. 

A toast to all the books read in 2016, and to all the ones to be read in 2017!

Emir Andrés Ibañez

Como regalo de navidad (???) acabo de armar mi lista de los DIEZ MEJORES LIBROS que leí este año.
Echen un vistazo haciendo click aquí