Best Books of 2016 - Big Reads Edition

I'm back, guys!

I took a little unintentional-that-turned-intentional blog/insta break, but I'm glad to be back!

These are the best books I read in 2016 (not necessarily published in 2016, just read by me in 2016. Also, they are in no particular order.)

A Man Called Ove was so bittersweet that it had me sobbing in my office at work by the end of the book. It's the story of a grumpy old man who loses his wife and isn't sure how to carry on without her.  I listened to it on audio, and I think that made all the difference.

Life After Life is a book that I bought for my kindle many moons ago and never really grabbed my attention when I tried to read it. Until this year. Excellent proof that there's a big difference between a book not being right for you and not being right for you right now. When I finally read it early this year, I was definitely kicking myself for not reading it earlier. It's fantastic and just so darn creative. Completely unlike anything else I've ever read. And definitely one I kept thinking about after I finished it.

The One-in-a-Million Boy was a What Should I Read Next? recommendation that was mentioned several times on the podcast, I think. Anne Bogel said repeatedly that she never would have picked this one up had it not been recommended to her by a trusted source, and I'm right there with her. It was a kindle daily deal one day, so I figured I would give it a shot and it was well worth it.

Inside Out and Back Again will make you realize that you don't have real problems. This was another What Should I Read Next? pick, and another kindle daily deal. It was also the first novel I've ever read in verse. I loved it and it won't be the last. I'm thinking One next...

A Monster Calls absolutely gutted me. I was NOT prepared for how sad and beautiful this story was. The movie is coming out next month, but I don't know if I'm going to see it in theaters. I'm quite sure I would embarrass myself by ugly crying through the last half of it.

Everything I Never Told You was the best book we read for our Mother Daughter Book Club this year. Great discussion followed. It was sad. Very sad. The story opens with "Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." and it just gets sadder as the story progresses. My mom doesn't usually like sad books, but she liked this one.

The Girl You Left Behind hit all my usual faves. WWII fiction? Check. Beautiful cover? Check. Little bit of love story but not a romance novel? Check. Intrigue and mystery? Check. Happy ending? Check and check.

Station Eleven is one I just read last month and it was so interesting! A flu wipes out ninety something percent of the population. Fifteen years later, a traveling symphony and acting troupe performs Shakespeare for settlements where survivors have gathered. This is one of those stories where the less you know about it going in, the better.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was another grumpy old man story that was recommended on What Should I Read Next? Can you tell where I get all of my book recommendations? Seriously, if you're not listening to that podcast, you need to get on it. It's awesome. It was also another that was bittersweet and wonderful and if you like books about books, read this one asap.

Dark Matter was a freakin roller coaster. The ultimate "what if?" story. Plus that cover looks amazing wherever you put it.

What are the best books you read this year?

Big Reads: October Recap

Oh October... It felt like such a slump month for reading since I only read two books on my TBR for the month, but overall, I read quite a bit. Let's break it down:

• A Monster Calls - I did a full review of this one here. This has to be one of the most emotional books I've read all year. And one of the most beautiful. I highly recommend reading in one sitting, if you have the time.
• The Sea of Tranquility - This was a kindle daily deal a while ago, but I just got around to reading it this month. I enjoyed this one, but not enough to do a full review. It was a little too teen for me, I think. It's a girl meets boy story, only this girl doesn't speak and no one speaks to this boy, yet somehow they are drawn to each other.
• Modern Romance - A wonderful Instafriend sent this to me on audible. Did you know you can send audiobooks? I didn't either, but it sure was nice of @mogeorgie. I LOVE Aziz Ansari, and he definitely lives up to my expectations of this book. It was surprisingly research based. I was anticipating essays of dating anecdotes, but instead it's more about how people meet each other and date in the tinder era. And how having all these options might be making it harder for people to find love. My favorite part was how Aziz stops to tell you how lazy you are for listening to the audio instead of reading the book yourself. This happens at several points, usually when there is a visual (chart/graph) in the book that you obviously can't see in the audio format.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - I have so enjoyed revisiting the world of Hogwarts these past few months (these are what I'm using my audible subscription for.) I say it every month, but Jim Dale is a fantastic narrator and as soon as I finish one book, I count down the days until my next credit is available. November will be my favorite Harry Potter book - The Order of the Phoenix and I can. not. wait.
• Lumberjanes - My library recently linked up with a new digital content service, Hoopla. And they have comics! So I decided to check out Lumberjanes since I've seen so much about it on #bookstagram and it looked super cute. Guess what? It totally was. The only thing I didn't like about it is that I read four issues in about 20 minutes. (I wish they lasted longer.) Friendship to the max!
• The Black Dagger Brotherhood - These are my guiltiest of guilty pleasures, but I love these freaking books so much. They're about a race of warrior vampires and the ladies they fall in love with. They're super steamy and the vampires names are always emotions or adjectives with unnecessary Hs in their name (Wrath, Rhage, Phury, Vishous, etc.) I revisited these this month and read through Vishous's book, I think. They're worth checking out if you're looking for something extra steamy.
• A Man Called Ove - I reviewed this one here. This is another What Should I Read Next? pick that I hope you read because I loved it so much. Have your tissues on standby when you check it out.
• The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves - After seeing so. much. hype. on #bookstagram, I decided to look into The Raven Cycle books. I love Maggie Stiefvater. I loved The Wolves of Mercy Falls book AND The Scorpio Races. It took me a while to get into these (I'm listening to them on audio as well) but once I did, I was IN IT. It helps that it's narrated by Will Patton. I put The Raven Boys on one night last week as I was going to sleep and now I will need Will Patton to read me a bedtime story every night, please and thank you. 
• Rebecca - I haven't quite finished this one. It was my pick for my Mother Daughter book club this month. I chose it for October because I've heard it was a wee bit spooky. My mom finished it already and not only did she not love it, but she said it's not spooky at all either. I'm enjoying it so far, so we shall see. 

In November, I'm going to try to catch up on my unread Book of the Month Club books. I've got about six waiting for me. What did you read it October?

Big Reads: A Monster Calls

I need to interrupt all of my planned posts to tell you guys about A Monster Calls.

I picked this book up from Target last night. I went home, put on my comfy clothes, sat down on my couch, and read the whole. dang. thing.

And I am IN my feelings about it.

Brief synopsis:

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

 Feelings:

Warning - this is NOT spoiler free. If you haven't read this book, DO NOT CONTINUE READING THIS POST. Quickly go read A Monster Calls and then come back and cry with me. It'll be worth it.

Back to the feels... Obviously I loved this book, since I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. (That's a common thing with this book, I've read.) It was completely and utterly heartbreaking, and touches on what is probably my second biggest fear.

See, Conor's mom has cancer. She's been undergoing treatment for a while, and nothing is working. She keeps getting sicker and sicker and sicker. She knows this. Conor knows this. But neither of them wants to admit it. One night, the yew tree by the church near his home comes to life and appears at his window. Conor isn't at all afraid because it's not the monster he's worried about. The monster/tree says that he will tell Conor three stories and after the third story, Conor must tell his own story - his truth.

While all of this is going on with the monster, and his mom's cancer, and his grandma (who he doesn't get along with) coming to stay/take care of his mom... On top of all of that, he's being bullied at school. But he doesn't do anything about it because he feels like he deserves it because of the monster he faces in his nightmare (not the yew tree.)

Conor's mother continues to get sicker, his absentee father returns from the states for a very disappointing visit (due to his new family taking priority over Conor and his dying mom.)

The three stories the monster tells Conor are tricky - they all have a little bit of a twist to them that leave Conor feeling frustrated with the unjustness of the world (as if he needs any more proof that the world is unjust.)

After the third story, it's time for Conor to tell his truth. He did summon the monster, after all. I don't want to give everything away, so I'll stop there.

But his truth? It gutted me. And thinking about being in his mother's place gutted me too. Basically, I'm just super gutted. But it was a truly wonderful reading experience. And the book itself is SUPER well written. I'll leave you with a few of my favorite lines:

"But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so its face was close to Conor's. Who is to say that it is not everything else that is the dream?"

"Stories are the wildest things of all, the monster rumbled. Stories chase and bite and hunt."

"Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?"

These are all within the first 50 pages. I stopped taking note of them then because I was too engrossed in the story.

So, what stories have wreaked havoc with you lately?