Best Books Read In 2016

I was so close to being able to call this a "Best Books of 2016" post, but there are 3 from 2015 oops. 2016 honestly wasn't astounding for books and there are definitely amazing books that I didn't get to because of my hardcore reading slump. Here are my top ten best books read in 2016, sort of in order but not really. Stay tuned tomorrow (my birthday) for my top 10 weirdest books read in 2016!

A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

The best collection of short stories I have EVER read. Every story is a masterpiece. I feel so lucky that this book came into my life and I will treasure it forever.

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

I can't stop recommending this book to people. If you are at all interested in cults and/or Carl Sagan, you're going to get suck a kick out of this novel. Incorrectly categorized as horror in the Goodreads Choice Awards, this weird-ass literary novel will blow your mind in so many ways. All of the seemingly disparate weirdness comes together in the most beautiful way. I want more Samantha Hunt NOW.

Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

My new favorite horror novel! This is especially fun for Shirley Jackson fans and avid watchers of horror movies. Clever, but not ridiculous, and genuinely scary. Horror novels very very rarely scare me.

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

This book got me in the fucking heart. A small punch in the gut about a family who loses their mother and the crow that stays with them once she's gone. As someone who lost a parent, Grief is the Thing with Feathers nails what grief feels like. Meeting Max Porter this year was an amazing experience for me.

Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

This is just the collection of short stories I needed during my reading slump. Very Black Mirror. If you like dark sci-fi-ish short stories that are near future to the point where they feel scary and not ridiculous or hyperbolic, read these. It definitely won't make you feel better about the world, but it's soooooo good.

Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

I'm SO HAPPY I read this. The audiobook was so solid. Great political fantasy a la Game of Thrones with LGBTQ representation. This book is enthralling and Baru is the baddest bitch. I'm so hyped that Seth Dickinson is working on a sequel.

The Red Car by Marcy Dermansky

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

Marcy Dermansky is amazing, please read this. Weird, quirky, raw, funny, real af. And it's super quick to read. So you don't really have an excuse, do you? Perfect for fans of Miranda July.

Version Control by Dexter Palmer

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

This is some amazing literary science fiction. It has it all: online dating, wormholes, memory, loss, big data, difficult marriages, and technology. I love books and movies about time, so this was definitely a book for me. But it is such an immersive and moving novel, even readers who haven't read a lot of genre fiction would love this book. So powerful!

The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts by Laura Tillman

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

Whoa, a nonfiction book made it onto this list!! That's nearly unheard of for me. This was an absolutely beautiful and throat provoking look at a horrific crime, an American city, and the death penalty. Highly recommended.

Tender by Belinda McKeon

MY REVIEW

ADD TO GOODREADS

Beautiful! I had so many feelings! This is a novel I couldn't put down at a time when I was putting down books left and right. Tender captures the insecurity and mania of being in love in your college years. It is bananas. So real, so moving. My heart is breaking just thinking about it.