Kimberlee K.

In 2016 I set a goal to read 30 books and while it was challenging, I succeeded and commemorated the victory with this book tower:

It was a cool way to physically showcase the feat, though, I wouldn’t exactly recommend it as it was much heavier than I anticipated. I’m pretty sure I almost pulled a muscle and I’m entirely sure I committed brief verbal assault on my sister for not taking the picture fast enough. (Sorry, Natalee.)

This year, I had no set goal for how many books I wanted to read, but that didn’t stop me from reading incessantly. There are just too many good books out there these days, it’s overwhelming! As of now I’ve finished 22 books and am about halfway through John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down, which, due to the crazy schedule December holds for me, will probably be my last book of the year.

Overall, I was very satisfied with the selection of books I read this year. I dipped my toe into a variety of different genres and experienced an endless array of emotions, which is really all you can ask for. If I were to pick a favorite or a top 3 or a you should 100% buy these as Christmas presents type list, I think I’d go with:

1. How to be a Bawse by Lilly Singh
2. Brain on Fire by Susannah Calahan
3. The Sun is Also a Star by Niccola Yoon

They are three very different books in three very different genres but they all had me glued to their pages and recommending them to everyone. With that being said however, I think I’d recommend just about every book on this list.  I actually considered ranking them from best to “worst” but couldn’t bring myself to do it, so instead I just listed them in the order I read them. So, in case you’re a bookworm like me or just looking for a suggestion or two, here are the books I read this year:

Note: I considered writing a brief bio to go with each book, but it turns out “brief bio” is an oxymoron to me. So, I’ve instead provided an Amazon link where you can find descriptions written by paid professionals and given you the genre to help you better sort out which ones you might be drawn to. Enjoy!

1. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum: Teen/Young Adult (find it here)
2. Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick: Biography/Humor (find it here)
3. The Sun is Also a Star by Niccola Yoon: Teen/Young Adult (find it here)
4. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi: Memoir/Social Sciences(find it here)
5. OCD, the Dude & Me by Lauren Roedy: Teen/Young Adult (find it here)
6. This is a Book by Demetri Martin: Humor/Entertainment (find it here)
7. How to be a Bawse by Lilly Singh: Biography/Self-Help (find it here)
8. Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick: Teen/Young Adult (find it here)
9. Brain on Fire by Susannah Calahan: Memoir/Medicine (find it here)
10. The Great Passage by Shion Miura: Fiction/Japanese Culture (find it here)
11. This is Really Happening by Erin Chack: Nonfiction/Humor (find it here)
12. Crank by Ellen Hopkins: Poetry/Young Adult (find it here)
13. Glass by Ellen Hopkins: Poetry/Young Adult (find it here)
14. Note to Self by Connor Franta: Nonfiction/Poetry (find it here)
15. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver: Teen/Young Adult (find it here)
16. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson: Self-Help (find it here)
17. Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy by Jane Leavy: Baseball/Biography (find it here)
18. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: Biography/Memoir (find it here)
19. How to Ruin Everything by George Watsky: Essays/Humor (find it here)
20. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut: Fiction/Science Fiction (find it here)
21. The Sun & Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur: Poetry (find it here)
22. Harry Potter & the Cursed Child by JK Rowling: Fantasy/Fiction (find it here)
23. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green: Teen/Young Adult (find it here)

Did you have any books you were particularly drawn to/borderline obsessed with this year? Let me know! I’m always looking for suggestions 🙂