2016 In Review: The Books

photograph by me

2017. A new year, a new me. And insert all those cliched sayings that capture how most of us feel at the start of a new year. I have many goals I would like to fulfill in 2017, but first I want to recap 2016.

Reading

Reading wise, 2016 was a little of a disappointment for me. I did not reach my Goodreads reading goal in 2016 or surpass my previous reading record. I only made it to 25 books. However, I did discover new authors and was blown away yet again by old favorites.

If I had to make a list of top five reads it would probably be:

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. This is a book every bibliophile needs to read. It is like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society but actually a true story. Enough said. Go forth and read it. Goodreads review.

The Warden by Anthony Trollope. My introduction to Anthony Trollope and the first book in his Chronicles of Barsetshire series, the plot of the book failed to completely engross me but I have fallen in love with his authorial voice and satire. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series Barchester Towers. Goodreads review.

Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney. Unflinching and vivid are two words that describe this translation of the famous Anglo-Saxon epic poem. You can read further gushing here.

Resist by Emily Ann Putzke. High expectations were fulfilled when I read this piece of historical fiction based on a true story. Hans and Sophie Scholl and the rest of the White Rose came to vivid life. I have a more complete review here.

Sundown Slim by Henry Herbert Knibbs. There was something different about this story in comparison to other westerns I have read (admittedly, I have not read many). The relatively soft-spoken hero thrust into a cattle rancher vs. sheep herder conflict made for a memorable read.

Okay, scratch five, we are going to make it a tied for sixth with an honorable mention.

Pendragon’s Heir by Suzannah Rowntree. An epic, time traveling retelling of the legend of King Arthur and Camelot, this full length novel by Rowntree built upon all the things I love about her fairytale novellas. I cannot wait for her Crusader epic Outremer. Yes, I realize I probably have a long wait.

Storming by K.M. Weiland. This book was pure fun. I fell in love with the characters, and while I will admit it has its faults, it has become one of the few books I actually fangirl over with family members who have read it.

And honorable mention actually goes to Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. The notorious prequel/sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird, this was a different read for me because of its controversy. I read TKaM during a summer vacation to California in 2014 and it was my favorite read of that year. To Kill a Mockingbird is a well deserved classic and I loved it to proverbial bits. While, Go Set A Watchman does not quite match up to its predecessor in quality and suffers from a little bit of choppiness, it still has its author’s distinct voice (and also remember, it is the untouched first draft). Nonetheless, I thought Go Set a Watchman provided food for thought and let Scout grow up. I am glad I read it and as I write this, I become more and more convinced I need to reread both books.

And three more honorable mentions because I cannot write a post about the books I read in 2016 without them: The Bells of Paradise by Suzannah Rowntree, The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron, and The Legend of Sam Miracle (Book 1 in the Outlaws of Time series) by N.D. Wilson.

Okay, I am going to end this now.

P.S. Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon.

Alright, I am actually finished this time. This post was originally going to include a list of my top favorite films watched in 2016, but because of how lengthy both sections became I divided it into two posts. So be on the lookout for that film post sometime next week.

Now, what were your favorite reads last year?

My 2016 Autumn To Be Read Stack

photograph by me

 I will be the first to admit my reading habits have been anything but consistent this year. So, I am hoping to work on remedying that this autumn.

The Stack

The Book That Changed Your World by Vishal Mangalwadi
I first spotted this book on Goodreads when Suzannah was reading it. I remember thinking that it sounded fascinating, so imagine my excitement when a couple weeks ago my former writing class teacher gave me a chance to read it. So thrilled to dig into it!

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
This book first crossed my radar when Lila, the third book in this trilogy, was a runner up in WORLD magazine's fiction books of the year a while back. I am very much looking forward to it, especially after hearing how much Joy and Schuyler enjoyed it.

Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
And so my journey into broadening my exposure to the great classics of literature begins...

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A friend told me to read this and I hope to follow it up with George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Plenilune by Jennifer Freitag
This book. I CANNOT WAIT! Enough said.

Behold the Dawn by K.M. Weiland
I am on mission read all of K.M. Weiland's books after devouring Storming earlier this year. I have read the first chapter already and I am excited!

Persuasion by Jane Austen
I have never read this or seen any of the adaptations, so I am going into this one practically spoiler free. Austen has a dear place in my heart. Do not underestimate the depth of her writing. Also, I have heard this novel is particularly suited to the autumn season.

What books are on your autumn reading stack?

The Words and Pages of 2013

 I might be a bit late in the run for these types of books read in 2013 posts, but after being told by my sister that it was not at all too late in the month to do so I have done so. I did not read quite as many as last year and did not meet my seventy book reading goal. I had a mere sixty-three to my name.

Fiction -

 In the great realm of fiction I read a couple books that have reserved themselves a place amongst my favorites list. These are The Borrowed House by Hilda von Stockum, both Murder on the Orient Express and The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, the final three books in the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery, San Domingo by Marguerite Henry, Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, and a few others.

 I was also pleasantly surprised by Pride and Prejudice and held in suspense and striving to solve crimes with numerous Agatha Christie novels (4:50 From Paddington, The Mysterious Affair At Styles, Death on the Nile, Lord Edgeware Dies, etc.).

Non-Fiction -

 With non-fiction there are five books that stuck out to me in particular this year: The Undercover Revolution by Iain Murray (which I actually read twice), Return to the Hiding Place by Hans Poley, City Notebook by McCandlish Phillips, The Last of the Doughboys by Richard Rubin, and Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland. Undercover Revolution details how certain English authors tore down Christianity in Britain during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. It is an excellent read, though I must confess to have been thoroughly devastated with my newfound knowledge of Robert Louis Stevenson. City Notebook was a collection of articles from the 1960s and 70s chronicling the ever changing landscape and culture that is New York City. The Last of the Doughboys was a non-fiction book on WWI compiled of interviews that the author conducted with the last remaining veterans of the war in the early 2000s. A bit of language and a brief paragraph or so that I could have done without in the later part of the book, but otherwise a very good and, if possible, much less depressing look on the war. Structuring Your Novel was an excellent book on just exactly what the title says. Most people have a sense of novel structure built into them, but it was splendid to have it all laid out and organized in the book. Highly recommend.

New Authors -

 As for new authors, I delve further into Agatha Christie's works, was introduced to the books of Grace Livingston Hill by my writing class teacher, read my first Rosemary Sutcliff novel (The Silver Branch) and have since gotten my hands on a copy of The Eagle of the Ninth and can hardly wait to read it.

 While 2013 did not seem to hold quite so many stand outs as 2012, it did contain some more quieter additions to the favorites shelf.

~ Hanne-col