With 2017 rearing its head just around the corner (can you believe it? Already!) it’s about that time that us book lovers are very familiar with: the rounding up of (fill in genre type here) of the year’s best/most popular books. Of course, these lists are just a way for us all to share what books, authors, and series we have intellectually fallen in love with in 2016, and is also a way for us book lovers to further fuel our addiction and add more to our TBR’s! So kick back, relax, grab a snack and read on to discover what fiction stories have rocked the world of 2016 literature.
1. The Regional Office Is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales
An unusual, although extremely satiric novel, The Regional Office Is Under Attack is one of those stories that grabs you by the wrist and won’t let go until you truly feel as if you have become a part of its world. The story follows two groups of women, one fighting for the protection of the Regional Office and one fighting against it, and the strange, uncommon intersection their lives have to one another’s.
Source: Amazon
2. Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt
For fans of true Gothic tales and writing, this novel follows two women in differing time periods who are each, in their own way and for their own reasoning, uncontrollably captivated and guided by a mystic occurrence.
Source: Amazon
3. Morning Star by Pierce Brown
The third and final novel in the popular science fiction YA trilogy, Red Rising, continues on where the previous book, Golden Son, left off and based on its 4.5 out of 5 star rating on the bookworm haven Goodreads, has not left readers even close to disappointed.
Book One: Red Rising
Book Two: Golden Sun
Book Three: Morning Star
Source: Amazon
4. What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi
A diverse, intricate collection of short stories that may weirdly spark a notion of intellectual and imaginative growth in readers. Essentially, this one will force you to think and access your imagination.
Source: Amazon
5. The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon
If you’re especially on a short story kick, here’s another one to deepen your spell. This collection of stories all include characters who, on the offset of their circumstances believe themselves to be surrounded by unmentionable loneliness and restless isolation. However, this is a book that dives full force into what we often try and hide from each other; the things that ultimately, bind us together.
Source: Amazon
6. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
Fans of the loved Lost series will fall right into the swing of things with the events of this well told story of survivors of a horrid plane crash.
Source: Amazon
7. The Nest by Cynthis D’Aprix Sweeney
If you have siblings, there’s a 1000 percent chance that you argue with them from time to time. Told from the perspectives of four adult siblings and their bizarre, roller-coaster relationship as they await the fate of their shared inheritance.
Source: Amazon
8. The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith
What’s better than being romantically swept into the pages of a new world only to know, sadly, how it ends? This is a cycle that bookworms know too well and The Last Painting of Sara De Vos is one of those beautifully written novels that everyone, yes everyone, should give a chance and read.
9. The Yid by Paul Goldberg
If you absoultely cannot seem to pry a historical fiction novel from your arms the minute you step foot into your favorite bookstore, check out The Yid; a novel that tackles the in’s and out’s of Stalinist Russia during a time when any and everything was unexpected and possible.
Source: Amazon
10. Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
The title of this novel alone really caught hold of my attention! Everyone Brave is Forgiven follows Mary, a young socialite who, to the complete and utter dismay of her family, decides to become involved with the careers of war life. She becomes a teacher to children who have since been deemed ‘unfit’ or ‘unworthy’ for society such as those who are mentally and/or physically disabled. A truly touching read to pick up if you’re in the mood for an inspiring story.
Source: Amazon
11. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
It’s true that there is no other relationship or bond that has such a profound impact on one’s life than the one between a mother and a daughter. This book chronicles the life of a young woman named Lucy Barton and her complex, troubling relationship with her own mother whom she has not had contact with for years.
Source: Amazon
12. A Doubter’s Almanac by Ethan Canin
If you’ve ever felt like the odd one out, whether in your family, group of friends, or just in the world around us, this is a novel that will speak to you. It follows a young man growing up in the 1950’s who, at first, is fearful and apprehensive about fully embracing his gifts, though slowly begins to recognize the beauty in being different.
Source: Amazon
13. The Girls by Emma Cline
The Girls reminds me of a mix between The Craft, a story following a group of teenage witches who thrill on inflicting all sorts of spells and curses on others, and Helter Skelter, a non-fiction book focused on the real life brutality of the Manson Murders in the late 1960’s. That introduction aside, this story is great to pick up if you’re in the mood for a delicious, dark story.
Source: Amazon
14. Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo
A follow-up novel to the best-selling Nobody’s Fool, the sequel continues to follow the life-altering adventures of main character, Sully.
Source: Amazon
15. Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift
Various covers of this novel offer a glimpse into the sensual themes that it contains, though it is an intoxicating book that follows the life of a twenty-two year old maid named Jane Fairchild and her continuous relationship with Paul Sheringham, a man of insurmountable luxury and riches.
Source: Amazon
16. Homegoing by Yaa Gysasi
Homegoing follows the lives of two sisters, heartbreakingly oblivious to the other’s existence, whose ways of living could not be more worlds apart. Ultimately, Homegoing is a story inspired by the unbreakable bonds and love of sisterhood. To get a more detailed look into the groundbreaking book, feel free to check out our review, here.
Source: Amazon
What have been some of your favorite books of 2016, so far?
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Featured image via Elle
h/t Paste Magazine
