To begin the new year with a theme of gratitude and celebration (and because I really, really, really like to share my favorite books), I’ve compiled a list of the ten most beloved books I’ve read this year which I will present to you in countdown fashion.
*Disclaimer: While most of these books are recent releases, they were not all published in 2016. That was merely the year they were discovered and read by me. Sorry if I’m late to the bandwagon.
10) See How They Run: Ally Carter
“But guilt isn’t smart. It isn’t logical. It doesn’t only live in the places it belongs.”
I love me some Ally Carter and, while I was not quite sold on the first book in this series (due to some vital revelations that come far too late in the story for my personal preference), See How They Run more than made up for it. Now that I fully understood Grace’s character, I was far more sympathetic to her plight. Take a broken teenage girl and put her smack dab in the center of some international espionage? Yes, please.
9) Out of Sorts: Sarah Bessey
“In most of my church tradition, no one ever mentioned the holy work of staying.”
My mother loaned me this book with the disclaimer that she did not agree with all of the theology. While the author shared a few thoughts I questioned, this book overall was such a beautiful, thought-provoking read about sorting through our questions, reshaping our beliefs, and becoming a better Jesus-follower through it all. Plus, the author gives a shoutout to the holy work of staying, and naturally that knocked me off my feet this year.
8) The BFF Bucket List: Dee Romito
This review may be a little biased because the author won me over with sponge candy and Scrivener tips long before I read her words in print. Or maybe it’s merely a fact that Dee’s writing is as amazing as she is. The BFF Bucket List is an adorable coming-of-age story about two friends who are growing up and growing apart and trying to salvage their life-long friendship. Not only is this book cute, clever, and funny, it also teaches a valuable lesson about friendship that even full-grown girls need to realize.
7) Velvet Undercover: Teri Brown
This novel is a page-turner, no doubt about it. Just when I thought I had the situation figured out, the author would turn the tables on me and leave me questioning the things I thought I believed. This book is a cute, simple read that maintains an air of mystery. Definitely worth your time.
6) The Kiss of Deception: Mary E. Pearson
“The truths of the world wish to be known, but they won’t force themselves upon you the way lies will.”
Forget the fact that the title sounds like a bad romance novel, The Kiss of Deception is a brilliant work of art. The story follows Princess Lia as she flees an arranged marriage. A few weeks later, two strangers walk into the tavern where she now works. One is the jilted prince, the other is an assassin sent to kill her. And you, the reader, get to spend a couple hundred pages trying to figure out which one is which. Most amazing part of this book: the way it continues to grasp the reader’s interest even after the big reveal. Read it now. Thank me later.
5) I Don’t Wait Anymore: Grace Thornton
“We weren’t made to want mundane. We were made to want more. And there’s a reason for that… There is more to be had.”
When I published Beyond Waiting, people seemed all too eager to shove singleness articles my way. The only one that matched my stance on the subject was Grace Thornton’s I Don’t Wait Anymore. That article became a book this year and its message sings to this single girl’s soul. Take Grace’s advice, dear friends. Don’t wait.
4) A Gathering of Shadows: Victoria Schwab
“…getting close to death is the only way to feel alive. And once you do, it makes you realize that everything you were doing before wasn’t actually living. It was just making due.”
What? My favorite author only made #4? That’s for the cliffhanger ending, Victoria. Seriously, guys, I’m not even going to begin to tell you all the things I love about this book. Victoria Schwab is no fluffy writer. In addition to telling a compelling story, she ponders the deep things, the hard things, the monsters no one else wants to face. And I love her for it.
3) Spinning Starlight: R.C. Lewis
“That’s the point of art… It reminds us that thinking is well and good, but feeling is what makes us alive.”
Any rendition of The Wild Swans is deserving of my attention. Any rendition that is flawlessly executed is worthy of a five-star review. Because honestly, how does one go about retelling the story of boys who live as swans by night and the sister who cannot speak lest she destroy them? This is how. R.C. Lewis has managed to accomplish something even Disney has not figured out: staying close enough to the original story to do Hans Christian Andersen proud.
2) It’s Not You: 27 (Wrong) Reasons You’re Single: Sara Eckel
“What if the only reason you’re alone is you just haven’t met your partner yet?”
In this clever little handbook for the single woman, Sara Eckel combats all the well-known “reasons” people are single with a healthy dose of realism. If you ever need a pick-me-up that is not completely overboard with the “yay you, single-woman-hear-you-roar” statements, this is book for you. Every page is quotable, and the message Sara delivers is truth.
1) My Lady Jane: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
“For everyone who knows there was enough room for Leonardo DiCaprio on that door. And for England. We’re really sorry for what we’re about to do to your history.”
As a child, I loved the cartoon Hysteria—a series that twisted history into humor and distorted many of the facts in favor of more fun alternatives. My Lady Jane is the novel version of Hysteria. I cannot remember the last time I devoured a book with such delight. I giggled. I squealed. I mentally high-fived the authors for references to classics such as Shakespeare, Monty Python, and The Princess Bride. Ladies, you had me at the dedication. I can only hope to see more books like this in the future.
Beyond Waiting 