My Reading List for 2016

We’re nearing the end of the year, and as tradition dictates now is the time when I compile a list of the books I have read (to see previous years: 2013, 2014, 2015). I’m not the fastest of readers, but I try to remain consistent. This usually correlates alongside my Goodreads reading challenge. The books in this list are books I read for pleasure; I don’t count research material. Likewise, graphic novels and short stories get counted separately in their own list.

This year I was offered up another challenge, this time by my friend and fellow author Steve Toutonghi. He challenged me to read more classics than anything else this year, and I accepted. By the time I had finished, over two-thirds of the novels I had read where from the classic or modern classic category. Not bad!

Since this list tends to be long, I forgo reviews, but you’re welcome to follow me on Goodreads where I do occasionally review books. At the end of each list, I will call out some of my favorites of the year. As before, all links will go to Amazon as a default, but if one of these books sound interesting to you, then I would encourage you to visit your local independent bookstore and purchase through them. It’s important for your local economy to buy local whenever you’re able.

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Novels:

1. Join
   by Steve Toutonghi
2. Partials (Partials Sequence, #1)
   by Dan Wells
3. The Great Gatsby
   by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Slaughterhouse-Five …again.
   by Kurt Vonnegut
5. Wise Blood
   by Flannery O’Connor
6. Brave New World
   by Aldous Huxley
7. The Aeronaut’s Windlass (The Cinder Spires #1)
   by Jim Butcher
8. Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)
   by James S.A. Corey
9. The Old Man and the Sea
   by Ernest Hemingway
10. Beta Reading
    by REDACTED
11. Life on the Mississippi …again.
    by Mark Twain
12. Beta Reading
    by REDACTED
13. Dracula …again.
    by Bram Stoker
14. This Census-Taker
    by China Miéville
15. Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire #1)
    by Mark Lawrence
16. Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings
    by Jorge Luis Borges,
17. The Illustrated Man
    by Ray Bradbury
18. Great Expectations
    by Charles Dickens
19. Iron Council (New Crobuzon #3)
    by China Miéville
20. The Scar (New Crobuzon #2) …again.
    by China Miéville
21. Hondo
    by Louis L’Amour
22. The Hell Bent Kid: A Novel
    by Charles O. Locke
23. Ravencroft Springs
    by Logan L. Masterson
24. Perdido Street Station (New Crobuzon #1) …again.
    by China Miéville
25. Dark Matter
    by Blake Crouch
26. True Grit
    by Charles Portis
27. Animal Farm …again.
    by George Orwell
28. Lord of the Flies …again.
    by William Golding
29. The Handmaid’s Tale
    by Margaret Atwood
30. Kindred
    by Octavia E. Butler
31. The Gunslinger …again.
    by Stephen King
32. To Kill a Mockingbird …again.
    by Harper Lee
33. Call of the Wild …again.
    by Jack London
34. 1984 …again.
    by George Orwell
35. Wuthering Heights
    by Emily Brontë

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When selecting my favorites, I decided to disregard any books I had previously read from the running. (Twain’s Life on the Mississippi, Miéville’s The Scar, and King’s The Gunslinger are some of my favorite books of all time and it’s really not fair to compete with those.) I read so many good books this year it made picking my faves tough. While there were many I enjoyed, I settled on three. All were new to me, and they all not only challenged me but lingered in my mind long after I had finished.

Favorite Novel of 2016:

Kindred
by Octavia E. Butler

This book is stunning. Bulter is one of the preeminent science fiction writers of our time. Her prose is sharp, her plot intense, the portrayal of the slave/master relationships in antebellum South shook me. I found myself dwelling on Kindred weeks after I finished it.

Favorite Novel Runners-up of 2016:

The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood

There is an art to writing a book so captivating and yet so simple. The regressive dystopia of Gilead is terrifying in its believability. It’s strange to think this book was written in ’85 yet its criticisms of gender relations, religion, and power are still as poignant as ever.

Join
by Steve Toutonghi

My friend Steve’s debut novel, like the others, stuck with me long after I had finished. His examinations on individualism, mortality, gender, and consciousness were thought-provoking, engaging, and whip-smart. I knew when I finished that Join would end up here.

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Short Stories:

1. Last Boy in Aster
   by Drew Gerken
2. Binti (Binti #1)
   by Nnedi Okorafor
3. Ravencroft Springs: The Feast of ’69
   by Logan L. Masterson
4. A Study in Emerald (Currently available in Fragile Things) …again.
   by Neil Gaiman

Four isn’t enough to rank favorites, but Drew Gerken’s story stood out. It lingered with me more than the other three and I continued to think about Kacee, Fin, and Aster long after I had finished. Seek it out. It’s very much worth your time.

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Graphic Novels:

1. Prophet Volume 2: Brothers
   by Brandon Graham (Author & Illustrator), Simon Roy (Author & Illustrator), Farel Dalrymple (Illustrator), Giannis Milonogiannis (Illustrator),
2. Black River
   by Josh Simmons (Author & Illustrator)
3. Wytches, Vol. 1
   by Scott Snyder (Author) and Jock (Illustrator)
4. Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine
   by Kelly Sue DeConnick (Author), Valentine De Landro (Artist)
5. Saga Volume 6
   by Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
6. Penultimate Quest Vol. 1
   by Lars Brown (Author & Illustrator)
7. Penultimate Quest Vol. 2
   by Lars Brown (Author & Illustrator)
8. Penultimate Quest Vol. 3
   by Lars Brown (Author & Illustrator)
9. Catbeard Vol. 2
   by Matt Nelson (Author & Illustrator)

Favorite Graphic Novel of 2016:

Bitch Planet
by Kelly Sue DeConnick (Author), Valentine De Landro (Artist)

From the get-go, Bitch Planet sets out to be subversive, and it’s not apologetic. Playing off the women-in-prison exploitation films the comic twists the genre to be a smart satire about modern culture, feminism, and humanity.

Favorite Graphic Novel Runners-up of 2016:

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Penultimate Quest Vol. 1
by Lars Brown (Author & Illustrator)

See! I don’t always read serious/dark comics. Occasionally, I step outside of my comfort zone and read something lighter. Lars Brown’s writing is witty and fun, and the characters are memorable. A must for role-playing game fans and people who like jokes.

 

Catbeard Vol. 2
by Matt Nelson (Author & Illustrator)

Yep, it’s back! I picked up and thoroughly enjoyed the second Catbeard book. Attentive readers remember that the first book was one of my favorite graphic novels from last year and Vol. 2 was even better than the first.

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So there is my list for 2016, a lot of amazing books and some fantastic short stories and graphic novels. For the next year, I’m returning to my roots and focusing on primarily science fiction and fantasy. In particular, books I’ve passed by in my stack on my quest to read classics. I could use a little escapism right now, and it’d be therapeutic to get lost in another narrative for a time.

Are you looking for a good book? Want to see my reading lists from previous years? Check any of the links below and see what I was reading in bygone days.

• 2013 • 2014 • 2015 •

Next year, why not join me? Goodreads does a reading challenge every year, and I am an active participant. First, follow me on Goodreads (leave me a review while you’re there), and once the New Year arrives, participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2017.