Books 2016

Asterisks denote rereads
 

1. *The Fault in Our Stars—John Green
2. *O Pioneers!—Willa Cather
3. My Mortal Enemy—Willa Cather
4. The Color of Magic—Terry Pratchett
5. The Kill Seekers—Marc Hobbs
6. Library of Souls—Ransom Riggs
7. The Professor’s House—Willa Cather
8. Parable of the Sower—Octavia Butler
9. Go Set a Watchman—Harper Lee
10.  Me Talk Pretty One Day—David Sedaris
11. *Where the Red Fern Grows—Wilson Rawls
12. *My Antonia—Willa Cather
13. *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—JK Rowling
14. Breathing Underwater—Alex Flinn
15. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child—JK Rowling
16. The Road—Cormac McCarthy
17. The Picture of Dorian Gray—Oscar Wilde
18. *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—JK Rowling
19. 1984—George Orwell
20. *The Bad Beginning—Lemony Snicket
21. A Storm of Swords—George R.R. Martin
22. *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince—JK Rowling
23. *The Reptile Room—Lemony Snicket
24. *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—JK Rowling
25. *The Wide Window—Lemony Snicket
26. *The Miserable Mill—Lemony Snicket
27. *The Austere Academy—Lemony Snicket
28. *The Ersatz Elevator—Lemony Snicket
29.  *The Vile Village—Lemony Snicket
30. *The Hostile Hospital—Lemony Snicket
31.  *The Carnivorous Carnival—Lemony Snicket
32. *The Slippery Slope—Lemony Snicket
33. Angela’s Wife—Jonni Pettit
34. *The Grim Grotto—Lemony Snicket
35. Holidays On Ice—David Sedaris
36. *The Penultimate Peril—Lemony Snicket
37. The Grapes of Wrath—John Steinbeck
38. *The End—Lemony Snicket
39. *Animal Farm—George Orwell
40. When You Are Engulfed In Flames—David Sedaris

 
 
Great Reads
O Pioneers, My Antonia, Harry Potter, and Where the Red Fern Grows remain favorites. Among books you won’t find in stores (yet) I recommend The Kill Seekers by Marc Hobbs (science fiction) and Angela’s Wife by Jonni Petit (the true story of a transgender woman and her family). Go Set a Watchman had extremely mixed reviews, but I thought it beautiful portrayed the fragility of our expectations. Lastly, everyone should read The Picture of Dorian Grey, which is both imaginative and frightening, as well as 1984 by George Orwell. While you’re at it, reread Animal Farm, which is still relevant decades later.
 
Good Reads
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris had me in absolute tears from laughing (When You Are Engulfed in Flames was great too). I reread the Snicket books in preparation for the Netflix adaption. Although the author leaves some major questions unanswered, I’ll always love the dark humor. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is enjoyable, as was Storm of Swords and The Grapes of Wrath. Finally, The Fault in Our Stars remains John Green’s best with its atypical approach to teen romance.
 
I don’t have any specific reading goals for 2017 other than my minimum thirty and adding more classics to my repertoire. Also, I hope 2017 will be the year I FINALLY start and finish Lord of the Rings. But, given the nature of the world today, I’m hoping to fall in love with some dystopia: new if it’s good, but preferably books that were before their time (i.e. I’ve had several recommendations for The Handmaid’s Tale). If you have something in mind, in this genre or anything else, I’m interested. Please let me know in the comments!
 
~Kelly