The books I read in 2016

In case you didn’t know, I am a certified #booknerd. I love to read and have for as long as I can remember; my bookshelves are overflowing, there are piles of books all around my house, I can find a quote from a favourite book for any occasion, and I just can’t stop buying books despite already having  SO MANY that need to be read.

In 2015 I set myself a challenge of reading a certain number of books and failed miserably. In 2016 I set myself a much more realistic goal of reading 25 books, and I’m happy to say I smashed that goal, finishing my 35^th book just before New Year’s Eve.

And because I am always curious about what other people are reading, here are the books I read in 2016:

1. The Rest of Us Just Live Here – Patrick Ness
2. All the Rage – Courtney Summer
3. Matched – Ally Condie
4. Crossed – Ally Condie
5. Reached – Ally Condie
6. Eleanor & Park – Rainbow Rowell
7. The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty
8. Why Not Me? – Mindy Kaling
9. #Girlboss – Sophia Amoruso
10. Looking for Alibrandi – Melina Marchetta
11. Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
12. Winter – Marissa Meyers
13. Everything, Everything – Nicola Yoon
14. The Sun is Also a Star – Nicola Yoon
15. Beautiful Broken Things – Sara Barnard
16. In the Skin of a Monster – Kathryn Barker
17. The Girls – Emma Cline
18. The Paper House – Anna Spargo Ryan
19. Hopeless – Colleen Hoover
20. Losing Hope – Colleen Hoover
21. Perfect Chemistry – Simone Elkeles
22. If I Was Your Girl – Meredith Russo
23. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Jenny Han
24. Rule – Jay Crownover
25. Jet – Jay Crownover
26. Rome – Jay Crownover
27. Nash – Jay Crownover
28. Rowdy – Jay Crownover
29. Aser – Jay Crownover
30. Orbiting Jupiter – Gary D Schmidt
31. The Summer That Melted Everything – Tiffany McDaniel
32. How Not to Disappear – Clare Furniss
33. Holding Up the Universe – Jennifer Niven
34. Our Chemical Hearts – Krystal Sutherland
35. Small Great Things – Jodi Picoult

And a few of my thoughts on this list:

The Rest of Us Just Live Here was my favourite read of the year. I love Patrick Ness and basically believe he can do no wrong. This is a paranormal YA that looks at what life is like when you’re not the chosen one, but I especially love it because of the way it deals with mental illness – the descriptions and conversations brought me to tears.

The Summer That Melted Everything was so, so beautifully written. It felt like a real treat to read it, even though it also had me tearing up.

Jay Crownover’s books are super addictive and I couldn’t get through them fast enough.

I’m really not a fan of Looking for Alibrandi. I had to read it for a writing course I did, and I feel like it was originally a massive tome that had to be condensed down into a short book, which meant all the good bits were missing and too much had to be told instead of shown.

Holding Up the Universe, Our Chemical Hearts, Orbiting Jupiter, If I Was Your Girl, Everything, Everything, The Sun is Also a Star and Eleanor & Park gave me ALL THE FEELS (they’re all YA too).

Blurgh. #Girlboss. Love the idea, hatred the book. She got me offside right at the start with a stupid crack about not being a feminist, but I can see why a lot of people like it.

The worst book I read this year was Perfect Chemistry. It was so full of ridiculous clichés it was practically a parody.

So there we have it – the good and the bad of everything I read in 2016!

What did you read last year? Let me know your recommendations, and the ones to avoid, by leaving me a comment below!  #booknerdsunite