Five Star Books of 2016

Once again, I was pretty tough on the books I read this year. While I read many books that were good, good wasn’t enough to earn a coveted five star rating! Like I said last year, I reserve the five star rating on Goodreads for books I truly loved. Books that hooked me and I couldn’t put down. Books I had a connection with, characters I loved or enjoyed, and plots that were unexpected. These are books I’d read again. These are books I’d recommend to others (and then feel heartbroken if that person didn’t love the book as much as I did). This year, I marked nine books (out of 61 total) worthy of five stars. It’s interesting to note that two of the books were ones that I read over Christmas break – I was lucky to finish the year with such great books. I plan to write more about Reconstructing Amelia and Three Dark Crowns later. For now, just consider adding them to your TBR list! 

1. Most of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
3. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
4. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
5. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Honorable Mentions:

• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
• I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
• The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh  

What were your most favorite reads of 2016?