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Last Call! - PBT Top Ten Books of 2016
Top ten we read in 2016, or do they have to be new releases. Most of them are 2016, but one or two were farther back.
Amy wrote: "Top ten we read in 2016, or do they have to be new releases. Most of them are 2016, but one or two were farther back."You need to have read them in 2016, but they do not need to be new releases. Any publication date is acceptable.
Hot Milk - Deborah Levy Shotgun Lovesongs - Nikolas Butler
Purity - Johnathan Franzen
Fates and Furies - Lauren Groff
My Name is Lucy Barton - Elizabeth Strout
The Tsar of Love and Techno - Anthony Marra
The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman
84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff
Tenth of December - George Sanders
Hillbilly Elegy - J.D. Vance
Amy wrote: "Top ten we read in 2016, or do they have to be new releases. Most of them are 2016, but one or two were farther back."Edited post to clarify. I used to refer back to my posts from the year before, but alas cannot do that with Shelfari gone, so I had to go off the top of my head. I did usually include that it did not have to be published in what ever year we were voting on, thanks for pointing that out!
My Lady Jane - Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi MeadowsDark Matter - Blake Crouch
Emmy & Oliver - Robin Benway
Summerlost - Ally Condie
Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Burning Glass - Kathryn Purdie
The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey
The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate
Still Alice - Lisa Genova
I read so many books from previous best of pbt lists that I don't have much that wasn't on a previous year. I might take newer books that were not on previous lists and rank them.
Jenni Elyse wrote: "1. My Lady Jane2. Blackmoore
3. Emmy & Oliver
4. Summerlost
5. Finding Audrey
6. Northanger Abbey..."
Hi Jenni, Great list! I have not read many of these but Still Alice did make my list several years ago.
Please edit your list though to follow Linda's instructions above so that we can be sure they get counted. It is a lot of work to compile the list so sticking with the formatting saves her a headache!
Kristel wrote: "I read so many books from previous best of pbt lists that I don't have much that wasn't on a previous year. I might take newer books that were not on previous lists and rank them."It does not matter if they were on a previous Best of List, if you read it this year and loved it then add it to your list! We have several books that are repeated year to year....I think The Hunger Games was a three-peater! [Edited: it was a four-peater!]
Kristel, please don't worry about that! Just put your top 10. It is if a book makes the list in more than one year . . .simply a testimony to how good it is and to how PBT members learn ftom one another!
Nicole R wrote: "Jenni Elyse wrote: "1. My Lady Jane2. Blackmoore
3. Emmy & Oliver
4. Summerlost
5. Finding Audrey
6. [book: Nor..."
Yep, I did, lol. I obviously don't read instructions well.
Jenni Elyse wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "Jenni Elyse wrote: "1. My Lady Jane2. Blackmoore
3. Emmy & Oliver
4. Summerlost
5. [book: Finding Audrey|233056..."
Thank you, ma'am! I feel you on the instructions. Plus, 6:15 on a Friday night? The only instructions I am paying close attention to are the ones on how to operate my wine opener...
Against the Day - Thomas PynchonChristodora — Tim Murphy
Do Not Say We Have Nothing - Madeleine Thien
LaRose – Lousie Erdrich
A Night without Stars – Peter Hamilton
Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel – Carl Safina
Chaos Imagined: Literature, Art, Science - Martin Meisel
The Civil War, Vol. 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville - Shelby Foote
The Last Lion 1: Visions of Glory 1874-1932 - William Manchester
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution – Nathaniel Philbrick
I have a total of 9 now. I am leaving space for one that might come up in December. The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
Season of Migration to the North - Tayeb Salih
The Expatriates - Janice Y.K. Lee
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
A Tale of Love and Darkness - Amos Oz
The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
The Colour - Rose Tremain
The Invention of Wings - Sue Monk Kidd
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist - Sunil YapaThe Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old - Hendrik Groen
Fire Season - Philip Connors
Into the Silence - Wade Davis
The Midwich Cuckoos - John Wyndham
To the Bright Edge of the World - Eowyn Ivey
Parasite Rex - Carl Zimmer
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
Night - Elie Wiesel
Dark Matter - Blake Crouch (added)
removed:
Foxglove Summer - Ben Aaronovitch
Safeekeeping was a Ten! So with America's First Daughter being also a 5 star read, I am redoing my top ten list, taking out the bottom two. Replacing Circling the Sun and Amy Snow, with America's First Daughter and Safekeeping! for Linda/Lady, yes I am, replacing message 16 with this one, hopefully it works. On a computer it was in fact easy. And I would have had to figure out how to do it for the 2017 challenges anyway.
Amy's New Top Ten List:
Here Goes:
A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles
Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult
A Marriage of Opposites - Alice Hoffman
A Man Called Ove - Frederik Backman
Hot Milk - Deborah Levy
Last Dance of Mata Hari - Michelle Moran
The Tsar of Art and Techno - Anthony Marra
The Zookeepers Wife - Diane Ackerman
America's First Daughter - Stephanie Dray
Safekeeping - Jessamyn Hope
Those were my top ten. I know these can't count but I want to give a nod to a few runners up. Truly Madly Guilty, 84 Charing Cross Road, Grace, and Snow Child. Adding to the old note, Amy Snow, and Circling the Sun
What fun! I can't wait to see others responses.
I think only 5 or so put Gentleman in Moscow down, and I don't know if that is enough to make the list, but I am sort of hoping so. My bets are on Ove, Tsar, God of Small Things, maybe even the Awful Lucy Barton, and possibly Gentleman?
Diane wrote: "I have a total of 9 now. I am leaving space for one that might come up in December. ..."That's fine Diane - when you adjust your list please post something like the following:
Linda- I altered my list in Message #14 - I added >>>>>
Just a reminder - you can change your list at anytime - just post a message similar to what I just posted to Diane in message #17.
Do Not Say We Have Nothing - Madeleine Thien To the Bright Edge of the World - Eowyn Ivey
News of the World - Paulette Jiles
Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto - Tilar Mazzeo
The End of the World Running Club - Adrian J. Walker
The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead
Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter - Kia Corthron
Free Men - Katy Simpson Smith
The Tsar of Love and Techno - Anthony Marra
listed from most recently read backwards.
Hot Milk - Deborah Levy84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff
A Man Called Ove - Frederick Backman
Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
Being Mortal - Atul Gawande
The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home - Catherynne Valente
The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman
Two Years Eight Months and 28 Nights- Salman Rushdie The Sellout- Paul Beatty
Black River-SM Hulse
House of Leaves- Mark Danielewski
Nimona- Noelle Stevenson
Go Tell it on the Mountain- James Baldwin
Underground Railroad- Colson Whitehead
LaRose- Louise Erdrich
Do Not Say We Have Nothing- Madeleine Thien
Angel of History- Rabih Allamadine
This was so hard to narrow down this year!
Honorable mentions go to George by Alex Gino and Barkskins by Annie Proulx. Oh, and Tsar of Love and Techno, and...
Tracy wrote: "Two Years Eight Months and 28 Nights- Salman Rushdie The Sellout- Paul Beatty
Black River-SM Hulse
House of Leaves- Mark Danielewski
Nimona- Noelle Stevenson
Go Tell it on the Mountain- James Bal..."
We have Underground Railroad and Do Not Say We Have Nothing in common. I included The Tsar of Love and Techno.
I found this task really hard, which is great because it means I've read lots of exceptional books this year. I had a shortlist of sixteen but I reluctantly managed to narrow it down to these ten. The Tsar of Love & Techno - Anthony Marra
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
Fates and Furies - Lauren Groff
My Name is Lucy Barton - Elizabeth Strout
The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Secret River - Kate Grenville
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
Dept. of Speculation - Jenny Offhill
Purity - Jonathan Franzen.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley JacksonThe Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick
The Day I Killed James - Catherine Ryan Hyde
Hell is Empty - Craig Johnson
The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax - Dorothy Gilman
The Martian - Andy Weir
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth - Christopher Scotton
Reclaiming the "E" Word: Waking Up to Our Evangelical Identity - Kelly Fryer
The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge - Charlie Lovett
Kitchens of the Great Midwest - J. Ryan Stradal
Bonk - Mary RoachThe Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa
A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman
Being Mortal - Atul Gawande
To Dance with the White Dog - Terry Kay
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan
The Museum of Extraordinary Things - Alice Hoffman
Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival - Velma Wallis
The Turning - Tim Winton
The Yard - Alex Grecian
Man of My Dreams - Johanna LindseyArchangel's Blade - Nalini Singh
Innocent Prey - Maggie Shayne
Deadly Obsession - Maggie Shayne
It Happened One Autumn - Lisa Kleypas
Don't Tell - Karen Rose
I didn't read much this year. These are all my 5 stars and 4.5 Stars reads in 2016
Booknblues wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Two Years Eight Months and 28 Nights- Salman Rushdie The Sellout- Paul Beatty
Black River-SM Hulse
House of Leaves- Mark Danielewski
Nimona- Noelle Stevenson
Go Tell it on the Mount..."
I didn't have room for Homegoing, or News of the World! I am looking at the books on your list for recommendations, because we seem to like a lot of the same books.
Blueberry, will you please edit your post so it follows Linda's instructions above? You have some great books and we want to make sure they are counted!
Booknblues wrote: "Do Not Say We Have Nothing - Madeleine Thien To the Bright Edge of the World - Eowyn Ivey..."Only one overlap this year with that first one. But that makes a great opportunity to add TBRs with confidence. The Tsar of Love & Techno tops the lists for most hits so far. No mystery/thrillers on your list. So hard to put them against great literature. I bet that could make a nice second list.
Sushicat wrote: "Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist - Sunil Yapa ...Into the Silence - Wade Davis..."That Wade Davis was a surprise as I guess I haven't run across anyone else who read that unusual but great mix of WW1 and veterans throwing themselves at Everest after the war.
Also nice to see classic sci fi. I stopped the Aaronivich after the first few, so it whets me on a bit to find Foxglove Summer lauded by you.
Anita wrote: "Hot Milk - Deborah Levy Shotgun Lovesongs - Nikolas Butler
Purity - Johnathan Franzen..."
I could have easily put Lucy Barton on my list. I think I'll end up pursuing all her books. Your inclusion of Purity makes me confident to pursue that one after catching up with Freedom this year.
Susie, darling! I love that you included the Signature of All Things on your list. It was in my top four for 2015, including All the Light, Nightingale, and the Boston Girl, and oh yeah, add as a fifth, Museum of Extraodinary things. Not for Lady S to get confused. This brief 2015 list was just to underscore this one book that has gotten little attention that Susie and I both loved!
Michael wrote: "Sushicat wrote: "Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist - Sunil Yapa ...Into the Silence - Wade Davis..."That Wade Davis was a surprise as I guess I haven't run across anyone else who read tha..."
I found the combination of historical background interwoven with the individual biographies, of how the war experiences shaped their lives, and the climbing sequences made for a perfect combination as it put the story into a rich context.
I'm not entirely sure how I would rate the Ben Aaronovitch books if I were to read them in print. I positively love the audiobooks. Eventually I'll have to give the print version a go.
In no particular order these were all 5 star reads for me this year. I was surprised that 6 out of 10 were nonfiction this year,Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng
Ghost Soldiers - Hampton Sides
The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher - Timothy Egan
When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
Being Mortal - Atul Gawande
Someone Else's Love Story - Joshilyn Jackson
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper - Phaedra Patrick
Shiloh - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Michael wrote: "Only one overlap this year with that first one. But that makes a great opportunity to add TBRs with confidence. "Your list was heavy on the nonfiction side and I only had one nf in mine.
These were my 5 star reads this year:The Nix - Nathan Hill
The Tsar of Love and Techno - Anthony Marra
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt
The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead
The Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly
A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles
The Trespasser - Tana French
My Name is Lucy Barton - Elizabeth Strout
Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
End of Watch - Stephen King
These were also 5 star, they didn't make the cut - Honorable Mentions:
The Ballroom - Anna Hope
The Opposite of Everyone - Joshilyn Jackson
Cinder - Marissa Meyer
West with the Night - Beryl Markham
Susie wrote: "I found this task really hard, which is great because it means I've read lots of exceptional books this year. I had a shortlist of sixteen but I reluctantly managed to narrow it down to these ten. ..."Susie - please edit your post; as per the instructions the format is:
Title - Author
I so love these lists and want to comment on each one, but fear making the thread so confusing. So will make my comments here:Jenni - Love how you stick with us, and yet always manage to read your own thing. Brings diverse thinking to PBT!
Michael - Thanks for bringing some non-fiction to the mix! I really want to read more history next year, and you offered up a few in that category. Even though I'm not with you on LaRose ;).
Diane - Roy and Lahiri - - both those choices are great! Glad you liked them as much as I did.
Sushicat - More confirmation on the Ivey book. Bet that one makes the top 10. I need to get to that sooner rather than later.
Amy - Four of those are ones I also loved . . .we usually are on the same page, but I did notice you hated Housekeeper and the Professor. How.is.that.possible? Lol. You love so many that I really like.
BooknBlues - Do Not Say We Have Nothing - - I bought it, and now I just have to read it. Looks like that one might make the top 10 as well.
Sara - 7 of the 10 of your choices were 5 star reads for me, and 1 was a 4 star read. I really need to pay attention to all your five star reading. I feel like I do that, but more like I need to get over to your shelf and peruse!
Tracy - You are probably the member whose reading choices I really respect - - we both love literary fiction - - but we definitely don't agree on the specific titles. Four of yours I read this year and didn't really enjoy. But that's the best! It would be boring if we all loved the same things.
Susie - Five of yours are five star reads for me! I was just talking with my running partner about the The Signature of All Things, and she really thinks I will like it. I'm making that one a priority for next year given it made your top 10. Not sure HOW we fall apart on The Goldfinch though ;)
Ah, more later. So excited to see all these choices and also to see the ones that I know spread through our members like wildfire, lol.
Anita wrote: "BooknBlues - Do Not Say We Have Nothing - - I bought it, and now I just have to read it. Looks like that one might make the top 10 as well. "It is a really good book, and it rips your heart out. The story is complicated enough that it takes a while to set up and because of this it was a slow starter for me and it took some time before I got into it. I feel like I missed some stuff in the beginning. While it had much to do with music, I didn't find it either a distraction or pretentious.
I really liked that it gave me some historical background about China since WWII as I am largely ignorant.
Anita, I also split with you for Lucy Barton, and was not as enthused about to the Bright Edge as some of the others. But noticed how many we had strongly in common. Yours is a shelf I would certainly check out for the share a shelf challenge. Although, I think it would be fun to also find less prominent or vocal members and check them out too. Curious about how you will find the Signature of All Things. I think Jolene may have read it, and possibly another one of us. Maybe Kristel? By the way, when I first got on Shelfari a thousand years ago, Kristel was my very first friend. Happy Holidays all….
Anita wrote: "Sara - 7 of the 10 of your choices were 5 star reads for me, and 1 was a 4 star read. I really need to pay attention to all your five star reading. I feel like I do that, but more like I need to get over to your shelf and peruse!"Just be sure to skip all the fantasy and magical realism. ;)
Sara wrote: "Anita wrote: "Sara - 7 of the 10 of your choices were 5 star reads for me, and 1 was a 4 star read. I really need to pay attention to all your five star reading. I feel like I do that, but more lik..."Ha ha, I will check in with you before committing to anything unfamiliar!
Amy wrote: "Anita, I also split with you for Lucy Barton, and was not as enthused about to the Bright Edge as some of the others. But noticed how many we had strongly in common. Yours is a shelf I would certai..."Signature of All Things made my top 10 list in 2013.
Another great endorsement of Signature of All Things. Anxious to get to it.
Anita wrote: "Another great endorsement of Signature of All Things. Anxious to get to it."I gave it 5 stars in 2014 and one of my detailed reviews. The only disappointment was that ot wasn't based on an historical figure.
Karin wrote: "Okay, these 8 books are the only books I've given 5 stars to (whether they got 5 full stars or 4.5 rounded up) that were first time reads for me. No point in counting rereads. If I have any 5 star ..."Karin please go back to message #1 for the directions on posting your choices; please edit your post. I cannot accept this in this format.
Tessa's Top Ten (Purposely leaving out any of the Caldecott picture books that got 5 stars). In alphabetical order:UPDATED - 19Dec16 - Deleted The Art of Racing in the Rain and substituted Our Souls at Night
All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Dinner - Herman Koch
Dracula - Bram Stoker
84 Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff
The Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa
Our Souls at Night - Kent Haruf
Redwall - Brian Jacques
Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom
Zeitoun - Dave Eggers
This is tough as I read many wonderful books this year. No particular order.Being Mortal - Atul Gawande
The Tsar of Love and Techno - Anthony Marra
Fates and Furies - Lauren Groff
Girl at War - Sara Novic
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay - Elena Ferrante
Embers - Sandor Marai
Mudbound - Hillary Jordan
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
The City and the City - China Mieville
Sweetland - Michael Crummey
Ugh, I have 7 books I rated 5, but also 7 rated 4.5! I hate having to choose. But here they are - the top 7 are the 5 stars (in no particular order within the 7), the last 3 are the 4.5 stars (also in no particular order within the 3).For the first time, I have more non-fiction books (6) than fiction in my top 10!
A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman
The Chosen - Chaim Potok
Fatal Storm: The 54th Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - Rob Mundle
84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King
For Goodness Sex - Al Vernacchio
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand
Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
Under Heaven - Guy Gavriel Kay
Nicole R wrote: "Blueberry, will you please edit your post so it follows Linda's instructions above? You have some great books and we want to make sure they are counted!"Well this is embarrassing but I don't know what I did wrong? I thought I followed the instructions.
Please post your books in the following manner:
-Book Title - Author
- Do not number your list, use bullets or add ratings
-Please do not use the add book/author HTML link, just
the title and author as shown above
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Homegoing (other topics)The Death of Ivan Ilych (other topics)
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time (other topics)
The Water Knife (other topics)
Girl at War (other topics)
More...
Please - read the directions for posting your list and follow the directions exactly. Thank you
Please post your Top Ten in one message. If for any reason you make changes to the list please post a message and reference your change by telling me which book your a adding, removing or changing. Please put the original message # in your post, so I can find it easily.
Please post your books in the following manner:
Book Title - Author
Do not number your list, use bullets or add ratings, that makes it far more difficult for me to sort the master list I make, which is alphabetical.
Please do not use the add book/author HTML link, just the title and author as shown above; again this is for sorting purposes and makes it much easier to transfer over to the spreadsheet.
I will be collating the votes through the first week in January and then will announce the Play Book Tag Top Ten a few days later.