Because my commute involves two hours on three trains every morning, I was able to read 41 books this year. While I am very proud of this fact, I'm also sad about it. But these ten (well, eleven) books were well worth it. Here are my favorite books I read in 2016!
10. Looking for Alaska (tie)
I think the reason John Green has been such a lauded young adult author (save for Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which was one of the worst books I read this year) is his ability to subvert genre cliches. There is no better example of this than his first book, Looking for Alaska. While many of the stereotypes – awkward protagonist, too-cool-for-school – are there, by the end of the story they become fleshed out characters. To say this book surprised me is an understatement. While the first half can be a bit of a slog if you're not a fan of young adult, the second half more than makes up for it. It's heartbreaking, funny, and a surprisingly profound story about what it means to be alive.
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10. Me Before You (tie)
“What truly struck me as an amazing facet of this novel was the decision that ultimately all the characters were faced with. Following the idiom of “If you love something, set it free,” Moyes leaves the reader with one question. What should you do if what makes the person you love truly happy completely destroys your own happiness and heart? I found this philosophical question to be truly engaging and entertaining throughout the story simply because I would not know what I would do. Is it better to instill happiness in a loved one by going without, or shall you be selfish as long as you are content? It may seem to some like a simple answer, but I truly enjoyed the journey of one woman coming to her own conclusion on this emotionally charged question in Me Before You.” – From our review
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9. Wonder
I think sometimes we don't give our kids enough credit to understand more complex topics. That's why I loved Zootopia so much. It tackled the topic of acceptance and race while maintaining a fun and entertaining tone. While Wonder certainly has its moments of emotion, overall it tells the story of Auggie in an idealistic tone. This is partially thanks to the characters that surround him. Their stories and backgrounds are there to help define Auggie as a person as much as the moments during the story. However, the point of Wonder is to teach the very important lesson of empathy. It does so without feeling heavy-handed – a turnoff for adult readers – or patronizing.
8. The Long and Faraway Gone
Some of my favorite books are those disguised as other books. On the surface, The Long and Far Away gone is a crime novel. However, in reality, it's a character study about two different people who had two life-changing experiences. While much of the book does focus on these experiences, those aren't the focal points. Actually, these stories beget more questions than they do answers. The real focus is how these experiences shaped who the two main characters become. It asks the eternal question, “why me?”
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7. Wonders of the Invisible World
“And that is what is really refreshing about Wonders of the Invisible World is that Barzak doesn't force Aiden's personal storyline or the fantasy storyline into melodrama. In fact, for all the fantastical elements or potential for a soaring high school outcast story he keeps the story pretty lean. You'll thank him for that in the end because it would pay a disservice to Aiden. His entire story is that he leads a non-fantastical life. The magic and curses and visions speak for themselves.” – from our review
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6. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hilarious, witty, and damn entertaining, it's no wonder that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has captured the attention of the world. From a two-headed president of the galaxy to a depressed robot, Douglas Adams knows how to carve make ridiculous characters feel real. However, who really cares about character.The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is easily the most hilarious book I've read. Setting up a joke in words in books is difficult, but Adams has comedic timing like no other. He'll build up a joke for pages and hold his payoff until the perfect moment. It lands time and time again.
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5. The Power of the Dog
At just over 500 pages, The Power of the Dog is by no means a short book. However, I read it almost one sitting. It is a thriller that you actually can't put down. Don Winslow, who wrote Savages, which I also loved this year, mixes strong visual writing with gorgeous prose to put together this epic look at the drug war. When you look at that page count, you wouldn't even realize the scope of the book. Covering decades and various characters and places, Winslow balances an interconnected world that feels like it exists in both time and space.
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4. Gone Girl
I know that I was late on this train, but it was certainly worth the wait. Gone Girl is a thriller that uses its literary devices so elegantly that it becomes something different in itself. Specifically, the use of unreliable narrators is key to the story. However, Gillian Flynn isn't obvious. You truly don't know when someone is telling the truth. While the entire premise of the book has the making of a typical crime novel, Flynn is a fastidious writer. By the end of the book, you'll be itching to go back to the beginning and seeing what you missed.
3. Gravity
I love books that are poetic with strong characters that are complex. Gravity is not one of those books. But that's why I love it. Gravity is essentially the literary equivalent of a big-budget blockbuster that is actually good. I mean, it's unsurprising considering it came from the author of the Rizzoli & Isles series. It's one thing to write a book with a great plot, but the way Tess Gerritsen is able to paint images so adroitly that you can so easily visualize the entire book in your head. Why this movie wasn't made before the Sandra Bullock one I have no idea, but this book is a great time to read. If you have someone who “doesn't like to read,” start them off with this one.
2. Tell the Wolves I'm Home
“Once in awhile a book comes around that reminds me why I love books. It reminds me why I love books about real people. It reminds me why I don't need an epic to feel like I've lived an entire life through a book. “Tell The Wolves I'm Home” is one of those books, which is even more impressive considering it is a debut. Tell the Wolves I'm Home is an epic meditation on love, grief, change, and the necessity of growing up that disguises itself as a young adult coming-of-age. Though the tropes of our odd heroine, major life event, and life-changing relationship are there, Brunt uses them in a way that I don't think has been committed to the page before.” – from our review
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1. Then We Came to the End
“Not everyone is going to love this book (just look at its Goodreads rating) because it's not a book that's written for everyone. It's a book written for the subset of society that has alarms set for 7:30am and has to be at work at 9am. For the people that can't wait to hear a piece of office gossip. It's for the people look forward to noon when they get one hour of freedom. For those people, this book will be a hilarious and poignant look at 8 hours of their day. But more than that it begs the question: “is this really the meaning of life?” For others, the humor will be hit or miss and the characters could be annoying or not relatable. For us, these characters are you and me.” – from our review
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Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.