Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by The Broke and The Bookish! I’m actually barely squeaking this one out: I’ve only read about 15 books published in 2016 at all (I’m doing some backlog catching up!), so here are the best ten I’ve read, some of which I haven’t even gotten to publish my reviews for here yet!
The Serpent King: I loved this YA novel about a group of outcast teenage friends in the rural South and only wish I had been 16 when I read it for the first time because I would have loved it all the more.
Enchanted Islands: This piece of WWII-era historical fiction based on a real person is written beautifully and has the kind rich character development I can’t resist. Not your typical WWII by a long shot (it takes place in American and the Galapagos Islands, not Europe).
The Big Rewind: Fun, witty, engaging, light…I’ve recommended this as a beach read more than once and I stand by that: put it in your tote bag and bring it along to the water!
The Winged Histories: This loose sequel is slow to start and get yourself oriented in, but the writing is just heartbreakingly lovely and it is very worth it to stick with it even if you can’t get into it at first.
And After Many Days: I love books that work on multiple time tracks, and the way this novel parallels a family’s despair when a beloved son disappears with the lives of his parents and the choice they made during their younger years
Private Citizens: Millennials (especially those on the older edge, like me) are finally old enough to have biting satire written about us by one of our own. Thought-provoking and skewering at the same time.
Mr. Splitfoot: This wasn’t always the most even book to read, but it was haunting and as I thought it might, it’s stuck with me since I read it.
On The Edge of Gone: A teenage biracial autistic girl with a drug-addict mother and a transgender sister could seem like melodrama in the wrong hands. But in Corinne Duyvis’, Denise and her family are real and relatable. A fresh take on the “end of the world” drama.
Approval Junkie: With super well-known comedians, there’s such high expectations for these kinds of books of short essays to be just incredible from top to bottom. Faith Salie’s lower profile makes the genuine humor of hers a pleasant surprise
Thirst: Living out west, especially with the protracted drought we’ve seen lately, makes you wonder about a world without fresh water. The pacing is spotty, but the horror is real and visceral.