Saturday 31 December 2016

Favourite Books of 2016!




Wow guys! Hasn't this year gone so fast? A lot has happened in the past year... But well, it is almost 2017 already (doesn't it sound so odd?!), and it is time to do a recap of all the great books I have read throughout the year 2016! In this post I am also including those I have read throughout the last part of 2015 as I didn't write a post like this last year, and there are a couple that should definitely be mentioned :) 

This year I managed to read a total of 28 books - which, let's face it, is not that good :/ But hey, I am a dedicated Med student, who inconveniently was a in a reading slump during part of the summer :( Anyhow, I plan to top this count in 2017!

The following books aren't necessarily 5 star reads, but they have stayed with me long after I finished them. Also, they are books that I have read throughout the year -they weren't necessarily published in 2016, and they are sorted in chronological order.

Let's dive right into it!

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (Leslye Walton)


First off we have a magical realism - The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Lesley Walton. The title itself is beautiful, but the story and the writing are just delightful. It follows a girl named Ava who was born with wings. The book starts off with her grandma's story, and then her mum's story which leads up to Ava's story. It is such a beautiful book, so very beautifully told! I think this is a novel everyone should read - especially those who appreciate lovely writing and mysterious aura to a story. I found it utterly brilliant, heart-breaking at moments and funny at others. I have a full review on it which you can find here :)

Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher)


I've included Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher in this post because it is the book that introduced me to the world of audiobooks! I am so glad I started listening to audiobooks. They are the best way to read when you are as busy as a squirrel in October! And I got to know that because I listened to this book :D The novel is a YA, contemporary about a girl named Hannah Baker who commits suicide, but before doing it, she carefully records on audiotapes the thirteen reasons (or people) why she decided to do it. Thirteen people who will receive by mail her tapes to listen to once she is gone. The story is told from the viewpoint of one of these people -Clay Jensen, who has absolutely no idea why he could be on the list. I thought it was such a refreshing story, totally unseen before (by me, at least), and the audiobook was narrated by two people - a male voice for the narration by Clay, and a female voice for the tapes (viewpoint of Hannah Baker). I thought that was brilliant. It totally made you dive into the story as if you were actually listening to the tapes. I really enjoyed listening to this books as an audiobook, and, again, I'm so thankful I found it! I ended up not giving it a 5 out of 5 because, ultimately, I didn't find the ending as satisfying, but over all I had so much fun reading this book. Here's the full book review for this book :)

Fangirl (Rainbow Rowel)


Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is a YA, contemporary book I didn't rate 5 stars, if I'm not mistaken. However, I've included it in this post because it has stayed with me ever since I read it, and I actually loved it. It is about a girl named Cath who goes off to college, and is separated from her twin sister for the first time in their lives. They are both in the same college, really, but in different dorms, different courses, they meet and hang out with different people... So the book walks us through the way our main character copes with all these new circumstances. It is about growing up, change, friendship, and family. I found I could relate to the main character so strongly it made me cry at times. I am so happy I picked up this book, because I enjoyed it a lot, and I really think I got to learn a thing or two from it. Totally recommend it. The only thing I regret was not buying the printed, hardcover edition of it (kind of went for the e-book...). You can find the full review of this book here :)

Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)


Ready Player One is a YA, science fiction novel by Ernest Cline about a boy named Wade Watts who lives in the year 2044, where everything is totally different from our time. Natural resources have just about run out, and the world has come to be people living in a videogame -playing, working and studying in the virtual world called OASIS. One day, one of the creators of the virtual reality dies, and a video of him is released in which he says he has hidden an Easter egg in the videogame, and whoever finds it will gain all his fortune, and will become the new owner of the OASIS. 5 years pass until the first clue is found. I found this book totally intriguing, interesting and fast to read. I devoured it. Also, it has no romance in it, which is quind of unusual for a YA, but the story is so good alone that it doesn't need the love to spice it up. It made the list because it's nothing like what I've read before, and I enjoyed so much reading it. It's a great book! You can read my full review of it here :D

A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness)


OK, this book is something else. A Monster Calls is an outstanding fantasy book by Patrick Ness that has been on the top of every list ever made this year, but it totally deserves the hype. I couldn't have cried more with this novel. It is about a boy named Conor whose mother is very ill suffering from cancer, constantly going through treatments that don't seem to work. One night, he is visited by a monster who starts telling him stories that help him confront his truth. This book is an OMG.  I absolutely adored it. It is entertaining, beautifully told and truly gets out some deep feelings of yours. I recommend every single person on earth to read it. I think it's classified as young adult, but, honestly, it is meant for everyone to read - it is a tale, and just as every tale, it has a moral to it, which I think is a very important one. I can't say but good things about this book. It has been made into a movie, which I really wanted to watch but I have not had the chance yet. I hear it is also a very good movie adaptation :) I also have a full review of this book here.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Jenny Han)


And last but not least, To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a hilarious YA, contemporary novel by Jenny Han. I freaking loved this book. Originally, I'd started listening to it on audiobook, but ultimately I kept switching from audio to written (perks of having a book both on audiobook and printed editions!). It is about a girl named Lara Jean who writes letters to the boys she loves once she stops loving them. She keeps them all in a box, addressed and all, but she never intends to send them. Until one day they are mysteriously sent away, and the boys she wrote the letters to keep coming up to her with big questions she doesn't want to answer. I had so much fun reading this book. I love that it is such a unique story, with relatable characters, and a very smooth love story (oh, the love story! 😍). I think Jenny Han did a terrific job with this novel and I am so happy to have picked it up. It is going to be a trilogy, with the last book coming up April 2017 -which I'm so excited about. Here's the full review in case you want to check it out :)


And that's all folks! These are the books I've liked best through the year 2016. It's been a mean book year for me, I have to admit, but I've managed to find some books that I really loved, which always makes me so happy :) I'd love to know what your favourite reads of 2016 were! Do leave me a comment with them or a link to your post if you're coming from a blog so I can have a look :D I'm always open to great book suggestions!

I hope you guys have a wonderful day today wherever you are in the world, and an even greater year 2017! 


As always... 

Happy Reading!




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Most read posts of 2016





4 comments:

  1. Glad you liked Fangirl ! I don't usually read contemporary YA and I enjoyed this one. I've seen The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender around, but I never knew what it was about.

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    1. Hi Jess! I'm not the biggest contemporary fan either, but I loved Fangirl :) You should definitely check out Ava Lavender -it's not a very large book, but it's soooo beautiful! Thanks for passing by :D

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  2. I just found your blog and let me just start by saying it's absolutely beautiful. I love your list! I find so few people who have also read Ava Lavender, it's one of the most underrated YA books in my opinion. I also love FanGirl, it's such a cute read. My favorite book I read in 2016 is undoubtedly "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo.

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    1. Thank you so much, Shouni! :D I haven't found that many people that have read Ava Lavender either... It's absolutely beautiful! I've been planning on reading Six of Crows for so long now :O I think I'll finally manage to do it in March as it's part of my 2016 Diverse Reads Book Challenge :D Hope it's as good as everyone says it is! Thank you for stopping by :)

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