Top 5 Fave Books of 2016
Last updated on 12 December 2017
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The beginning of another year means looking back at previous one. We all do it. But one of my favourite things to do at the beginning of the year is to look back at the great books I’ve read. Last year there were hardly any 5 stars until closer to the end of the year, which meant all my great reading happened all at once. That’s all fine and dandy, it just means that it’ll be a big disappointment if I read something that not it’s fantastic after the long run of booky greatness.
There are so many books that I didn’t get around to reading this past year that I’m trying to read over the NZ Summer, but as I do that, here are my top 5 reads from 2016 and why I enjoyed them.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Victoria Schwab Find at Booktopia
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The plot was just as magical and intense as everything else, and it was thrilling and exciting, and at times gasp-inducing.
The writing is wonderful, and Schwab really draws you in not only with the characters, the setting, and the story line, but just in the way she writes it all. The conversations, the different voices of the characters, the descriptions of the different London – it’s all so well written. There were so many times when I thought ‘wow, that’s such a good line’.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Find at Booktopia
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There wasn’t much I didn’t like about this book.
The world that Bardugo has created is insane, a word which here means freaken awesome. I love the idea of the Shadow Fold and the dangers that lurk within, I love the idea of the Grisha, with their powers and their magical elements, I love map at the front of the book. Yes, dear friends, it has a map. 10 points to Gryffindor Bardugo!
Everything from the names of the cities and towns to the little worldly elements, was amazing and I definitely got sucked in.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany Find at Booktopia
Find at Hachette NZ
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Some people on the internet aren’t enjoying it, others are boycotting it because it’s not really written by Rowling, but you know what? I loved it, and even if it were a team effort to bring this to the stage and to our bookshelves, then I’ll take it.
It will be definitely one I’ll be re-reading, and no matter how it came into being, it’s about a world we know and love, and that is enough for me.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven Find at Booktopia
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Of course this is a predictable crying book. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t beautiful. One my favourite things about All the Bright Places was the road trip element; the fact that Violet and Finch head out all over their state and check out some of the awesome places around them.
I like their idea of ‘take something, leave something’. I also enjoy how Violet documents it all, and how Finch writes her notes and letters, and how they quote Virginia Woolf at each other.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare Find at Booktopia
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I loved this book. Definitely up there with one of my favourites I think, for several reasons. I quite like Emma as a main character, and it was really cool to have the main character who was already a Shadowhunter. Clary Fay, in The Mortal Instruments, comes into the Shadowhunter world as a complete newby, and only afterwards becomes one of them (even though she was really supposed to be a part of their world for her whole life).
Tessa Gray, in The Infernal Devices, lives with Shadowhunters but is actually a warlock. And now in the beginning of The Dark Artifices, Emma Carstairs is already a Shadowhunter, and has been within the Shadowhunter world her entire life. It’s great to have that new main character perspective.
This year there are a lot of new releases that will hit the shelves, and like every year, there are ones are particularly excited for. The third in the A Darker Shade of Magic series comes out, as does the second in the Dark Artifices, Lord of Shadows. You can see more of the new book releases I’m looking forward to later this week.
Which were your favourite books that you read in 2016?
Check out my favourite books from 2015.
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Anjali Kay
Anjali Kay is an Aotearoa New Zealand-based blogger and book lover sharing travel inspiration, bookish posts, the occasional creative project, and a lot of practical blogging tips here at This Splendid Shambles. Based in Auckland, she's been writing book reviews and travel posts, sharing creative projects and blogging tips since she started her first blog in 2009. When she's not working on her own blog, Anjali also offers blog coaching and support for bloggers who want real guidance from someone who's actually done the work, and is a few chapters ahead of them.
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