Books of 2016

Lockdown – Tarah Benner

The fourth book in the Fringe series. These are fast, enjoyable reads about a dystopian future where the earth has been damaged by radiation. I hope the author wraps up the series in another book or two and doesn't drag it out too long, but I'll continue to read as long as I care about Harper and Eli. I also love the supporting characters like Celdon, Sawyer, and especially the other kids from Harper's training class.

Series: 4/5

Moonlight Mile – Dennis Lehane

I picked this book up at a grocery store of all places! I didn't know anything about it, other than what it said on the cover - that Dennis Lehane was the author of Mystic River and Shutter Island (I haven't read either, but I did like the movie Shutter Island). I later learned that this is somewhat of a sequel to Gone, Baby, Gone (I saw that movie a long time ago - all I remember is that it's about a kidnapped kid). This book takes place after the kidnapped girl has grown up, and has suddenly disappeared again. The same detective investigates, and has to deal with how he handled the case the first time. It's an entertaining story, with a few twists and turns along the way. Rating: 3/5

The Husband’s Secret – Lianne Moriarty

Big Little Lies – Lianne Moriarty

I'd heard a lot about Lianne Moriarty's books and I finally read two this year! They were both fun beach books. Both books are written from multiple characters' perspectives, and the lives of the women intersect in various ways. There are a few twists and surprises that make it a fast, fun read. Rating: 3/5

The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls

This was an interesting memoir about a girl who had a rather unconventional childhood. Her father was a dreamer and an alcoholic who couldn't hold down a job, and her mother was an artistic free spirit who hated to work. The four children grew up in an unstable environment in various dilapidated houses, often without enough to eat. This book reminded me that people can be terrible parents even if they love their kids. And some people don't want to be helped. This excerpt kind of sums up the book:

“I think that maybe sometimes people get the lives they want.”

“Are you saying homeless people want to live on the street?” Professor Fuchs asked. “Are you saying they don’t want warm beds and roofs over their heads?”

“Not exactly, I said. I was fumbling for words. “They do. But if some of them were willing to work hard and make compromises, they might not have ideal lives, but they could make ends meet.”

Professor Fuchs walked around from behind her lectern. “What do you know about the lives of the underprivileged?” she asked. She was practically trembling with agitation. “What do you know about the hardships and obstacles that the underclass faces?” Rating: 3/5

A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson

This was a funny tale about a writer's foray into the world of backpacking when he attempts to hike the Appalachian Trail. I've read another book by a guy who actually finished the hike. While his book was informative, he was prepared and pretty much did everything the right way. Bill made a lot more mistakes and struggled a lot more, which makes his book more humorous. He also did some research on the history of the trail and includes some interesting tidbits. However, the fact remains that he gave up his goal of hiking the entire trail rather easily (but, as he points out, many people start the hike and don't finish). Rating: 3/5

East – Edith Pattou

This book was recommended to me by a staff member at the little bookstore in Maine. It's based on an obscure old fairy tale. It started out pretty good, with a daughter born to a superstitious mother who gets a prediction that her child will perish under ice and snow. However, there is no character development!! The relationship between the girl and the polar bear is never explained or explored or really written about at all! It kind of reads like a news article, just stating the facts. The advice "show, don't tell" should've been applied here. Rating: 2/5

How Not to Travel the World – Lauren Juliff (3/5)

A Thousand New Beginnings – Kristin Addis (2/5)

I read these two books about traveling while I was traveling in Italy (lots of downtime on trains and planes). I liked Lauren's book better because she struggled to overcome her anxiety, did a lot of dumb things, and eventually learned to become a stronger, more competent person due to her adventures around the world. Kristin came across as super confident and popular, always met new people right away, and was adept at fitting into new cultures, even able to bargain for the best prices like a local. I couldn't relate to her, and her book just seemed like a list of all the places she visited. Her pictures were amazing, though!

Present Over Perfect – Shauna Niequist

I normally don't read many Christian self-help type books, but I'd seen this one pop up on the internet a few times and thought I'd give it a shot. After all, who doesn't want to learn about how to live in the present over seeking perfection? Shauna talks a lot about saying no to good opportunities and finding peace in the quiet, but never really addresses how to be present in the moment, other than to say we should sit down in the middle of the mess and realize this is actual life, rather than waiting around for fantastic. She talked about learning to appreciate stillness even though she's an extrovert. (As an introvert, I've always appreciated quiet time away from people). I thought the most poignant part was in the beginning, when Shauna realized she was living a life she hated. That was a good reminder to me to make choices with a big-picture perspective. In the end, Shauna mainly talked about slowing down and that could've been a blog post rather than a book. Rating: 2/5

The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins

This was a pretty good thriller/mystery. Not great, but good. I was intrigued by the idea of a woman witnessing something unusual from the train. It sounded like an Agatha Christie mystery at first. It was more of a thriller and a page-turner. I figured out who the culprit was, but I'd rather have an answer that makes sense than some random twist that doesn't make sense at all. This kept my attention and was a good distraction for my plane ride. Rating: 3/5

Audiobooks - do these count?

Winning Balance – Shawn Johnson 3/5

Wild – Cheryl Strayed 1/5

I listened to these two autobiographies on long car rides. They could not have been more different. I love gymnastics and I follow a bunch of the gymnasts from the past two Olympic teams. I really enjoyed learning about Shawn's story, especially because she didn't take the typical route of an elite gymnast. Her parents wanted her to have a normal life, so she still went to school and trained about half as much as other elite girls her age. When Shawn came on the scene at competitions, no one knew who she was at first! I also liked hearing about her experience on Dancing With the Stars - I didn't realize she competed on the show so soon after the Olympics were over!

Wild was kind of boring, and I probably would've stopped listening - except I had a 12 hour drive and it was something to do. Cheryl was pretty selfish and stupid, both in life and on her hike. The fact that her backpack was so heavy she couldn't lift it to swing it onto her back should've been the first clue to get rid of some junk. Also, shooting up heroin right before the hike probably wasn't the best idea. As for her personal life, she inexplicably left her husband even though he was seemingly the one person who was reliable and genuinely cared for her. 

Overall, I'm slightly disappointed in the books I read this year. Most were average: entertaining or interesting, but nothing captivating or ground-breaking. A few were real duds. I hope to find more 4 and 5 star books in 2017.