Reviews - 2016 on Goodreads

137 reviews for:

2016 on Goodreads

4.25 AVERAGE

gio_shelves's review

3.0

I think 2016 was a weird year. Let's not even talk about all the bad shit that happened in the world, because then all I'd have to say would be #cancel2k16.

Like

It's probably the year I was less active on gr since I subscribed. I just...fell out of love with the community? There's too much bad stuff going on with new releases, and people trolling reviewers who dare not to like their beloved authors. Other than that, which would be enough imho, it also seems to me like GR regressed a bit: it's all about the popular books now, mostly ya, and it's really difficult to find new people who want to actually discuss books. It's usually either gushing about something or trash talking it to the moon. I write reviews mostly for myself now and I discuss what I read privately with, like, those 4-5 people with whom I actually have a friendship that goes beyond books.

When it comes to reading in general, I think this was the year I realised two things:

- I do not think I'll ever have another one of those years in which I give 30-40 5 star ratings. In 2014 I read 270+ books so of course I gave more 5s than this year, but...if I read those books now some ratings would drop, I think. So: 1) my tastes have changed. 2) I've got higher standards now.

- I had to get out of my comfort zone. To be fair, I've always been open to read almost every genre, but I mostly read YA and fantasy. This year some of my favourite books are adult fiction, and some are books I would have never picked up a couple of years ago, and...I like that? I mean, I even finally picked up a Murakami book guys. *legasp*

I read less than I would have liked, which is actually fine, because uni is killing me and these days I'm one lazy bum after studying for hours and hours.
Books read: 170
pages read: 67067 (11.000 less than last year, 30.000 less than 2014 yuck)

I re-started watching anime after a long long time and binge watched anime that made me cry like a baby. I bought tickets for the swimming world championships for a crazy cheap price and it was like getting an early Christmas present (#saveQiuBo2k17) and I went to see figure skating live (and it was soooooo good). Lys is still talking to me even after spending 5 days with me, which is even more surprising.
I visited Uzbekistan and it was like, one of the most beautiful trips I've ever had. (Visiting China being the first.) My first year of uni went well, and now second year is trying to kill me.

But yeah, books wise it wasn't a great year, especially the last couple of months. It wasn't bad either, but I think most 2016 debuts are #notworthy, so here's to hoping that 2017 can give me some great debuts or at least new series to love. (I already miss Gansey FYI.) I don't think I can nor want to, actually, go back to reading as much YA as I used to, but I truly hope I can find some new exciting series tbh.

Best books of 2016:

Adult fiction:

- [b:The Garden of Evening Mists|12031532|The Garden of Evening Mists|Tan Twan Eng|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333033941s/12031532.jpg|16997854]
- [b:The Library at Mount Char|26892110|The Library at Mount Char|Scott Hawkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453225113s/26892110.jpg|42797715]
- [b:The Children Act|21965107|The Children Act|Ian McEwan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405290619s/21965107.jpg|40842571]
- [b:Dentro soffia il vento|29934554|Dentro soffia il vento|Francesca Diotallevi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460918664s/29934554.jpg|50321553]

Fantasy:

- [b:A Gathering of Shadows|20764879|A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic, #2)|V.E. Schwab|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429627728s/20764879.jpg|43242915]
- [b:Under Heaven|7139892|Under Heaven (Under Heaven, #1)|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327894315s/7139892.jpg|7373286]

YA:

- [b:The Winner's Kiss|20443235|The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy, #3)|Marie Rutkoski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455809407s/20443235.jpg|31175868]
- [b:Crooked Kingdom|22299763|Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456172607s/22299763.jpg|42090179]
- [b:The Raven King|17378527|The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103790s/17378527.jpg|24170172]

Other:

- [b:Sleeping Giants|25733990|Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1)|Sylvain Neuvel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459785141s/25733990.jpg|42721200]
- [b:We Are the Ants|23677341|We Are the Ants|Shaun David Hutchinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425574151s/23677341.jpg|43285034]
- [b:La spia del mare|32294717|La spia del mare|Virginia De Winter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475005322s/32294717.jpg|52922011]

Honourable mentions: [b:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conquerer's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449153532s/27190613.jpg|41682914], [b:Wolf by Wolf|24807186|Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf, #1)|Ryan Graudin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424193184s/24807186.jpg|44446095], [b:The Traitor Baru Cormorant|23444482|The Traitor Baru Cormorant|Seth Dickinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422463936s/23444482.jpg|43007917], [b:This Savage Song|23299512|This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1)|Victoria Schwab|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445529989s/23299512.jpg|42855493] and [b:The Luminaries|17333230|The Luminaries|Eleanor Catton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410524246s/17333230.jpg|24064531].

Books I need...yesterday: A Conjuring of Light, The Thorn Of Emberlain, City of Miracles, Strange The Dreamer, Now I Rise, Waking Gods and Thick as Thieves.

News about Rothfuss would be really appreciated #ahahahah

Worst book of the year: [b:Carry On|28356624|Carry On|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455989059s/28356624.jpg|43346673]. Unpopular opinion time LOL

B-Y-E!

#tryingtoHanyutheworldonepersonatatime

ndjrpgs's review

kasss's review

(This year review was first posted to my blog in March 2017)

2016 started out pretty crappy so the only way was up, and up it went :D As every year, I set out to read 52 books and was already far ahead early in the year (42 books in July). My reading slowed down in the last quarter of the year as I was just too busy (busy having fun, mostly, no complaining there!). I still ended up reading 77 books.

As my personal revenge on the world, this year I have been reading almost exclusively books by and about women, LGBTQIA+ and PoC. When I was reading all the 'official' end-of-year lists by the big media, I regretted this not a bit. All lists, both international as well as national, are dominated by white men. I swear, I have yet to encounter a 'big' list that is made up of more than 30% women, for starters. How completely unimaginative and lazy.

Anyway! On to my reading stats!

Total # of books read: 77
- 2015: 63
- 2014: 87
- 2013: 53
- 2012: 59
- 2011: 21

I'm quite pleased, although 2016 included a lot of short stories, which feels like cheating... But whatever ;-)

By genre...
I won't go into each and every genre I read, but as for my go-to genres... (there is some overlap between the genres!)
- Classics: 14 (was 8 in 2015)
- Fantasy: 14 (was 21 in 2015)
- Japanese literature: 16 (was 16 in 2015)
- LGBT+: 23 (was 17 in 2015)
- Science fiction (including dystopia): 10 (was 9 in 2015)
- Young adult (& children's): 19 (was 25 in 2015)

No very significant changes compared to 2015, which is interesting!

By stars...
- 5 stars: 22
- 4 stars: 26
- 3 stars: 26
- 2 stars: 2
- 1 stars: 1

Pretty decent reading year, although in comparison more 3 star reads than the year before. This year my average rating was 3.8 stars, compared to 4 stars in 2015.

By gender...
# of women: 41
# of different books by women: 52
# of men: 20
# of different books by men: 27
No regrets.

By language...
Dutch: 9
English: 64
Japanese: 4
(Category added retroactively)

Most read authors...
Queen Rowling has been overthrown, and this year the prize goes to Patrick Ness with 7 books!
The second place is a shared one between J.K. Rowling and Floortje Zwigtman, both with 4 books.
Lots of authors that I've read two books of, so I'll stick with first and second place :)

Series...
I finished four series this year (two of which I also started this year):
- Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt (duology)
- Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness (trilogy of sorts)
- Een Groene Bloem by Floortje Zwigtman (trilogy)
- Remembrance of Earth’s Past by Liu Cixin (trilogy)

And finally... My Ten favourite books of 2016
#1 The Color Purple by Alice Walker
#2 [b:Death's End|25451264|Death's End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #3)|Liu Cixin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1430330507l/25451264._SY75_.jpg|18520265] by Cixin Liu
#3 Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
#4 [b:The Teahouse Fire|47633|The Teahouse Fire|Ellis Avery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439030547l/47633._SY75_.jpg|2489729] by Ellis Avery
#5 Twinkle Twinkle by Kaori Ekuni
#6 [b:Moxyland|3491640|Moxyland|Lauren Beukes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328732006l/3491640._SY75_.jpg|3533237] by Lauren Beukes
#7 Een Groene Bloem series by Floortje Zwigtman
#8 [b:Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and The Story of a Return|3106983|Persepolis The Story of a Childhood and The Story of a Return|Marjane Satrapi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1466547436l/3106983._SY75_.jpg|13344769] by Marjane Satrapi
#9 Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood
#10 The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

aimeelm21's review

Okaaay... 2016...

Like for most people in America, 2016 was a trying year for me. I wouldn't say it was bad, but it was trying. For the first half of the year, I worked at a library, so of course I read all the time. But for some reason, I accidentally picked up a lot of crap in January and February. Then in the Spring, I was required to read a lot of books for 4th and 5th graders, some were good but many were mind-numbingly boring. In the Summer, I focused mostly on both reading and watching Game of Thrones, and had a hard time thinking about much else. Then in August I got a new job teaching preschool and my life kinda turned upside down. I haven't been this busy since high school, and I've largely lost the time and the motivation to read... although I have gotten 20 4-year-olds to memorize the plot of The Little Red Hen. So yah, long story short, I only read about 45 books this year, which was 30 less than my goal. Whomp-whomp.

I did read enough good stuff to put together a solid Top 10 list:
10. [b:Me Before You|15507958|Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)|Jojo Moyes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357108762s/15507958.jpg|17763198] by Jojo Moyes: I liked this way more than I should be allowed to. It got me thinking a lot about the Right to Die movements, and inspired me to watch a couple of documentaries on the topic.
9. [b:Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic|26135825|Fun Home A Family Tragicomic|Alison Bechdel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448570249s/26135825.jpg|911368] by Alison Bechdel: Cuz graphic novel memoirs are my jam.
8. [b:Roller Girl|22504701|Roller Girl|Victoria Jamieson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447914095s/22504701.jpg|41951492] by Victoria Jamieson: Really awesome feminist middle grade/YA crossover graphic novel about a middle schooler who decides to take up roller derby... and stick with it even though she sucks at it.
7. [b:Dark Matter|27833670|Dark Matter|Blake Crouch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472119680s/27833670.jpg|43161998] by Blake Crouch: Thought provoking sci-fi. Excited for the movie.
6. [b:You|20821614|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411958102s/20821614.jpg|39913517] by Caroline Kepnes: I read this on my metro and bus commute to work in the Fall. Equal parts creepy, clever, and funny. Definitely the best thriller I read this year.
5. [b:A Clash of Kings|10572|A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358254974s/10572.jpg|3272005] and [b:A Storm of Swords|62291|A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)|George R.R. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471637043s/62291.jpg|1164465] by George RR Martin: I became an even bigger fan this year and will hopefully finish the 4th and 5th books in 2017. I probably liked the 3rd one more than the 2nd one, but it's easier to just lump them together.
4. [b:A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy|25937671|A Mother's Reckoning Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy|Sue Klebold|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453261078s/25937671.jpg|45835034] by Sue Klebold: Yes, the Columbine mom book. Heartbreaking but also weirdly uplifting.
3. [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579] by Becky Albertalli: Cutest YA book ever. Clever and not at all cheesy. My little sister loved it too.
2. [b:The Glass Castle|7445|The Glass Castle|Jeannette Walls|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400930557s/7445.jpg|2944133] by Jeannette Walls: This memoir that's been on my to-read shelf forever really took me by surprise. Changed my perception on poverty.
1. [b:Into the Wild|1845|Into the Wild|Jon Krakauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403173986s/1845.jpg|3284484] by Jon Krakauer: In a lot of ways, my favorite read of 2016 is similar to my favorite read of 2015, which was Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. It's a journalistic memoir, and excellent character study on real people. I also read [b:Into Thin Air|1898|Into Thin Air A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster|Jon Krakauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463384482s/1898.jpg|1816662], which I liked almost as much.

Honorable Mentions go to...
-[b:Seconds|18630542|Seconds|Bryan Lee O'Malley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1399502867s/18630542.jpg|17378014] by Bryan Lee O'Malley: My boyfriend bought this graphic novel for me for our anniversary. Really unique paranormal, quarter-life crisis kinda thing with cute artwork.
-[b:Goodbye Stranger|23615709|Goodbye Stranger|Rebecca Stead|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439670673s/23615709.jpg|43219487] by Rebecca Stead: Profound little middle grade/YA crossover about the transition from childhood to teenage..hood.
-[b:The Girl Next Door|179735|The Girl Next Door|Jack Ketchum|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1298460378s/179735.jpg|1109091] by Jack Ketchum: Based on the murder of Sylvia Lichens. The movie is kinda exploitive and bad. The movie was softer and more meaningful. (But yah, don't go into this book about child torture and expect it to be soft.)
-[b:The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian|693208|The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian|Sherman Alexie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327908992s/693208.jpg|829330] by Sherman Alexie: Called one of the best YA novels for a reason.

I'd also like to talk about the good middle grade stuff I read in my last months at the library...
-[b:Wolf Hollow|26026063|Wolf Hollow|Lauren Wolk|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475877869s/26026063.jpg|43346512] by Lauren Wolk: Similar to To Kill A Mockingbird in tone and themes, rather than plot. Deserved all the praise it received.
-[b:The Girl in the Well Is Me|25810642|The Girl in the Well Is Me|Karen Rivers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440759714s/25810642.jpg|43103091] by Karen Rivers: I wish this would get more attention. It's literally about a girl who gets thrown in a well and then slowly starts losing her mind. And yah, it's written for kids.
-[b:The War that Saved My Life|20912424|The War that Saved My Life|Kimberly Brubaker Bradley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453342842s/20912424.jpg|40277782] by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: All the claps for this one. WWII story about a disabled girl who finds a loving family. Hope it becomes a classic.

And the mediocre stuff for 9-year-olds...
[b:Lost in the Sun|23281891|Lost in the Sun|Lisa Graff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1412531205s/23281891.jpg|42819798], [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732], [b:Crenshaw|23310699|Crenshaw|Katherine Applegate|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475972698s/23310699.jpg|42864821], [b:Nanny X|21550399|Nanny X|Madelyn Rosenberg|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400891936s/21550399.jpg|40885198]. All forgettable. Just more reasons why I'm not planning on making a career out of teaching older elementary schoolers.

And all the things I read that have "Bone" in the title...
-[b:The Bone Clocks|20819685|The Bone Clocks|David Mitchell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398205538s/20819685.jpg|26959610] by David Mitchell: Really really liked this, despite some of its more convoluted elements. Excited to read Cloud Atlas.
-[b:Bone Gap|18806240|Bone Gap|Laura Ruby|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402928507s/18806240.jpg|26737294] by Laura Ruby: A pretty forgettable YA, magical realism-ish thing.
-[b:Bone: The Complete Edition|92143|Bone The Complete Edition|Jeff Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1483068004s/92143.jpg|88871] by Jeff Smith: Also belongs in my honorable mentions. One of my friends went on a rant about how much he loves this graphic novel series and how I have to read it. I didn't realize at the time that he recommended it to me because it's YA and I was a children's librarian. It has it's flaws, but it's very fun, funny, and cute.
-[b:Doll Bones|15944406|Doll Bones|Holly Black|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424981042s/15944406.jpg|19206674] by Holly Black: This is another mediocre middle grade book actually. There's really nothing I have to say about it.

In addition to Fun Home, A Mother's Reckoning, The Glass Castle, and Into the Wild, I read some other interesting non-fiction. I kept coming back to non-fiction this year, because I needed books that allowed me to skim and skip around when I was really busy.
-[b:The Highly Sensitive Person's Workbook|155377|The Highly Sensitive Person's Workbook|Elaine N. Aron|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320531499s/155377.jpg|149985] by Elaine N. Aron
-[b:Overcoming Anxiety for Dummies|437219|Overcoming Anxiety for Dummies|Charles H. Elliott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348200873s/437219.jpg|426093]: I kind of bought this as a joke, but it was actually very helpful.
-[b:I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban|17851885|I Am Malala The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban|Malala Yousafzai|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375414895s/17851885.jpg|24987300]: Obviously, this was good.
-[b:Cunt: A Declaration of Independence|52588|Cunt A Declaration of Independence|Inga Muscio|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388333495s/52588.jpg|1135362] by Inga Musico: This was the first book I read in 2016, and shockingly, it wasn't awful. A lot of it was hilarious Baby Boomer feminist bullshit, but there was some cool insightful stuff too.
-[b:Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory|25189315|Smoke Gets in Your Eyes And Other Lessons from the Crematory|Caitlin Doughty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436549658s/25189315.jpg|39962326] by Caitlin Doughty: The last book I finished this year. One of my favorite YouTubers wrote this memoir about working in the funeral/death industry. Watch Caitlin's Ask a Mortician videos and then read this book. Our modern Western views on death are destroying the environment and our (metaphorical) spirits.
-[b:I Contain Multitudes|27213168|I Contain Multitudes The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life|Ed Yong|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445606162s/27213168.jpg|47255162] by Ed Young: I'm actually not done with this one yet, but so far it's great. It's about how microbes pretty much rule the world.

Oh and here's the bullcrap I read:
-[b:A Little Life|22822858|A Little Life|Hanya Yanagihara|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446469353s/22822858.jpg|42375710] by Hanya Yanagihara: Jesus. H. Christ. This book was soooo bafflingly awful for something that got so much critical acclaim. It's probably the most pretentious and elitist piece of hell I've ever read, and I was an English Lit major at UVA.
-[b:I'll Give You the Sun|20820994|I'll Give You the Sun|Jandy Nelson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458679315s/20820994.jpg|11409817] by Jandy Nelson: I am almost as angry at this one as I am at A Little Life. I wrote a very charged 1-star review, in which I insulted Prince a few months before his death. Oops...
-[b:Pretty Girls|25574782|Pretty Girls|Karin Slaughter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1432205734s/25574782.jpg|42937661] by Karin Slaughter: Stupid and disgusting.
-[b:The Girls|26893819|The Girls|Emma Cline|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464528839s/26893819.jpg|42856015] by Emma Cline: Let's kinda write about the Manson murders but leave out the mystery and the murder. We'll sub in whiny teenage nonsense for all of that interesting shit.
-[b:Harry Potter and the Death of Your Childhood|29056083|Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter, #8)|John Tiffany|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470082995s/29056083.jpg|48765776] by Jack Thorne and "JK Rowling": I still can't believe this atrocity is real.

And I shouldn't fail to mention the books that I shared with my 4-year-olds that they wouldn't stop asking me to read over and over and over again.
-[b:The Little Red Hen|736345|The Little Red Hen Big Book|Paul Galdone|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348594319s/736345.jpg|835962] by Paul Galdone: Yay for repetition and farm animals.
-[b:The Girl Who Heard Colors|17347630|The Girl Who Heard Colors|Marie Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1365393676s/17347630.jpg|24087875] by Marie Harris: I taught a group of small children the word "synesthesia." Definitely my proudest accomplishment of the year.
-[b:Pumpkin Soup|904892|Pumpkin Soup|Helen Cooper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433512446s/904892.jpg|890040] by Helen Cooper: I thought this book might be too long and complicated for them, but they got into it. I saw the suspense in their little eyes when the cat and the squirrel were looking for the duck. And I still often hear them saying that they're making pumpkin soup during playtime.
-[b:Where the Wild Things Are|19543|Where the Wild Things Are|Maurice Sendak|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384434560s/19543.jpg|3020535] by Maurice Sendak: True classics never lose their appeal. Check out my review here.
-[b:How the Grinch Stole Christmas!|113946|How the Grinch Stole Christmas!|Dr. Seuss|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327958149s/113946.jpg|267076] by Dr. Seuss: Another true classic. I also sang the silly Fa-Who Christmas song to them while I read the book, and then they wouldn't stop singing it at the top of their lungs for the rest of the week.

Here's to a better 2017!

kiwi_fruit's review

2.0

This year Goodreads rating won’t be as good as the past few years, 2 stars from me: just OK.

---- Warning, personal ranting follows, feel free to skip ahead.

Spoiler

For the last four years, Goodreads has been my favourite site to visit in the mornings. I got used to starting my day sitting down with a good coffee, looking forward to catching up with the news of what my friends were reading and sharing a few comments with them. Sadly, two big updates to the site in one year (for the worse) and Goodreads refusal to listen to feedback from its longstanding and loyal users (feedback that GR itself asked for), have been almost too much for me. To keep the infinite scrolling under control Goodreads has forced me to change my setting and habits.

My feed had become so cluttered that I had to cut some of my GR friends (with which I didn’t interact often, had little reading interests in common or had very different tastes) and change the feed setting to friends reviews only. My participation to group discussions is down to virtually zero.

I often miss the friends I am no longer in contact with, and other news (non-reviews) from current friends I used to get in my morning feed. But, I got frustrated trying to sort updates from my friends from the ones from strangers while dodging the blatant ads, besides, what usually took 20-30 minutes became at least twice as much time at the screen, time I do not have, and that, frankly, I’d rather spend reading.

These days, I don’t feel like spending too much time and effort on my reviews either. I don’t think it is fair for Goodreads to benefit from free and independent reviews from its users while: a) consistently ignoring what the same users were asking for and provided as feedback on its site changes, b) rejecting any compromise solution, hiding instead behind so called “positive feedback”.

I have not found a real alternative to this site yet. Goodreads best assets are the discerning, helpful and supportive reading community and the large number of book reviews, for which I am sincerely very grateful and can’t do without, so I’m hanging on.

--- Rant Over ---

On to happier things, namely how my reading year went.

2016 was a great reading year, with 290 total number of books and 94,000+ pages read, the highest numbers since I started keeping track. It breaks down as follows:

1 star (includes DNF): 4%
2 stars: 19%
3 stars: 41%
4 stars: 29%
5 stars: 7%

For me, a 3 star book is a good one, 4 one that I’d recommend, 5 stars is worth of a reread. 224 books were 3 stars and up for an yearly average rating of 3.2 stars. 2016 was a good year for reading!
74% of my reads have been by authors new to me, with a more or less equal split between male and female authors. I like to read a variety of genres, this year looks like this:

gingerbookaddict's review

5.0

I have to say that this was a year of mostly 'ups' for me.
I got married, got a new puppy (could be mistaken for a horse possibly) and had a great year of reading!
Here are some highlights:

Oldest book: Woman in White 1859

Favorite book: [bc:You|20821614|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411958102s/20821614.jpg|39913517] and a close second [bc:Dark Matter|27833670|Dark Matter|Blake Crouch|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472119680s/27833670.jpg|43161998] of which I won a copy of through First Reads!

I started an adventure into graphic novels. I loved [bc:Saga, Volume 1|15704307|Saga, Volume 1|Brian K. Vaughan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428350405s/15704307.jpg|19113524] and [bc:The Walking Dead, Compendium 3|25536846|The Walking Dead, Compendium 3|Robert Kirkman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431605659s/25536846.jpg|45327222]. I am currently on a search for a new series.

Favorite new series for the year[bc:Soulless|6381205|Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1)|Gail Carriger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314020848s/6381205.jpg|6569140]: Parasol Protectorate

Most challenging book: [bc:Lolita|7604|Lolita|Vladimir Nabokov|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1377756377s/7604.jpg|1268631]

Least favorite book: [bc:Saving Abel|21570074|Saving Abel (Rocker, #1)|Gina Whitney|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1399032288s/21570074.jpg|40902531]
Rage review here

I also started re reading BDB with a friend of mine….we should get through the series in about 15 years or so.
I attempted a revisit with the Wheel of Time, this time in audio. I think it died out for me on book 5. I am no quitter though, so I am not moving it to my DNF series quite yet. I just need a big ol’ break.
I am in two book clubs, one here on GR and one IRL. Both of them continue to challenge me to try new books and I really enjoy the interaction with both!

Read on my friends!

nita_kohli's review

5.0

I had an amazing and fantastic reading year. I read great books and also few not so great books.
Unfortunately, this year I read much less than the last two years but I mostly enjoyed whatever I read.
The best part of this year was that I discovered some stunning authors - Daphne du Maurier, Richard Yates, Amor Towles, Anne Tyler, Bill Bryson, Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood.
This year I completely gave up on YA and new adult as they didn't seem to be working for me any more.
This year was also the year of re-reads for me as I read some Harry Potter books and started re-reading the Pride and Prejudice on the last day of the year.
My favorite books of the year would be all the books from my newly discovered authors.
Next year I plan to read more and also read some non fiction.

Happy New Year to everyone and I hope you have a great 2017 !

oneandonlywm3's review

1.0

To my worst reading year ever, cheers to that 1 star I'm giving you. More details in a few days after I sort out my med school applications.

fires23's review

3.0

یادم نیست کی عضو گودریدز شدم ولی زمانی که جدی حدی باهاش کار کردم حدودای شهریور ماه بود ، چهار ماه مونده به سال دو هزار و شونزده و هول هولکی سعی کردم چالش رو انجام بدم در روزای اخرم به زور مانگا تمومش کردم:)
سال تقریبا خوبی بود ولی عالی نبود -_- به خودم سه میدم:/
با بعد های بیشتری از کتاب ها ژانر ها و البته تشر ها اشنا شدم و سعی کردم گریزی هم بزنم به ژانرای غیر فانتزی
باورم نمیشد یه سایت توی دنیای مجازی بتونه وادارم کنه که برگردم به دنیای واقعی و برم سراغ کتابام
امیدوارم و سعی میکنم سال جدید سال پر بارتری باشه

حوصله هم ندارم برای کتابا ریوویو بنویسم وگرنه سخن ها دارم برای گفتن-_-

gh7's review

Favourite read of the year – [b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479660066s/3985.jpg|2693329]. I was unprepared for how much I loved this.

Worst read of the year - [b:Some Luck|20587777|Some Luck (Last Hundred Years A Family Saga, #1)|Jane Smiley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413128987s/20587777.jpg|36430665]. This is what a novel looks like when the author can't come up with a single drop of inspiration. The equivalent of someone cleaning a house that is already spotless. OCD writing. If you don’t have any inspiration find something else to do.

Favourite character – Lila in Ferrante’s Neapolitan series. A woman who makes no concessions to vanity – a new character in the landscape of literature.

Most irritating character – Zelda in Theresa Fowler’s novel about the Fitzgeralds. This is a daytime TV Zelda, a Zelda whitewashed into middle class respectability, stripped of her dark sorcery.

Most exciting rediscovery – Katherine Mansfield.

Most exciting prose – still Don DeLillo but his middle period books rather than Zero K.

Big thanks to all my wonderful friends for another year of stimulating reviews. As i said in my review of Jane Smiley's 13 Ways to look at a novel the reviews here are often more eloquent and insightful, certainly more honest, than what passes for a professional review. Probably 3/4 of the novels I've read this year have been as a direct result of friends' reviews here and I'm hugely grateful for everyone who takes the time to make their thoughts and feelings known about the books they read. Auguri.

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