My Favorite 2016 Reads

Hello, my lovelies! Yep, it's finally that time again. Listing all my favorite stories from this year! I've been holding off, just in case I read one final book that blew me away before tomorrow night. But as I'll be busy with family Christmases for the next few days, I figure it won't happen. So! Here we are.

There were so many fabulous books that I was privileged to read this year. And so many amazing new authors, as well as old favorites. All the writers out there continue to showcase their incredible talents and make this reader very, very happy! And per my usual, narrowing down my choices to only ten isn't very easy at all. But I'm going to try!

Simply put, these are the stories I devoured once I began reading and could not put them down for real life, no matter how it tried to intrude! :) These characters refused to leave my head for hours and days after I finished reading and easily stole my heart. I will happily gush about each one of these books to anyone willing to listen!

{These are listed in the order I read them, I couldn't seem to figure out which to highlight first or last, so this was easiest.}

The Pepper in the Gumbo

by Mary Jane Hathaway

I love this story because of Alice and Paul. Their chemistry is off the charts and their banter and flirtations are too adorable! Plus it mainly takes place in a bookstore, which is just awesome.



A Season to Love
by Nicole Deese

This one is all about Willa's journey for me. Watching her grow braver and stronger over the course of the story is the biggest highlight for me. I connected with her character so, so much!



The Thorn Keeper
by Pepper Basham

I love, love, love Catherine! She gripped onto my heart in book one (The Thorn Bearer) and the wait to find out more of her story was horrible. She so utterly fascinated me with her mix of vulnerability and brave. I could gush for hours over all the different awesome things about her character, but I'll spare you. ;)



Named of the Dragon
by Susanna Kearsley

In my review, I described the writing as "atmospheric and haunting", which it is. And it's that very aspect that intrigued me about this story and pushed it to my favorites list. I am definitely planning to read more Susanna Kearsley books in the near future!



Can't Help Falling
by Kara Isaac

After reading and loving her debut (Close to You), I was eagerly anticipating this one. I LOVED it! That meet cute is adorable and Emilia and Peter just wrapped themselves in my heart. Plus all the CS Lewis references just make my heart happy! :)



The Lady and the Lionheart
by Joanne Bischof

Charlie Lionheart, you need to meet him. Enough said.



The Blue Castle
by LM Montgomery

SO GOOD. I love Valancy and watching her find her brave is one of the best character arcs I've ever read! And then there's Barney Snaith.... *swoon*



The Key to Extraordinary
by Natalie Lloyd

Natalie's books always deserve a top spot! But the timing of this one, with Emma learning to live with her grief, was perfect. I loved her adventures in Blackbird Hollow and every character is a delight!



The Q
by Beth Brower

Quincy St. Claire. The Q. James Arch. Those are the three most perfect reasons you should read this book. Trust me!



A Portrait of Emily Price
by Katherine Reay

It's a book by Katherine Reay. That means it's automatically guaranteed a spot on my favorites list! :D SO good, people. What else is there to say?


HONORABLE MENTIONS

The End of the World by Amy Matayo
Told You Twice by Kristen Heitzmann
The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Eyes of E'veria series by Serena Chase
Intermission by Serena Chase
The Thorn Healer by Pepper Basham

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things :: 2016 Edition

So! It's time for my list of favorite things from this year. I tried this for the first time back in 2014 and liked it enough I think this might be a yearly thing. I mean, it already is, I suppose, since this is the third year I've written it. :) Anyhoo! 2016 was definitely a year of ups and downs. I read lots of good stories, had some amazing adventures, yet so much of it was tinged with grief for mom. So I look back with a lot of bittersweetness. Still, there is a whole lot more sweet than bitter! And I am here to focus on the happy today, let's get to it, shall we? :)

:: Christian Fiction Readers Retreat ~ meeting all those lovely authors and fellow readers (!!!!!)
:: Meeting Rel and Jamie in person. (Still a bit in shock that happened.)
:: Also meeting Laura Frantz, Kara Isaac, Becky Wade, Pepper Basham, Dani Pettrey...AAAHHHH
:: Friends with new babies for me to snuggle
:: Sweet final memories with mom
:: Quick weekend trip to the ocean with friends
:: Discovering a new favorite restaurant ~ pita sandwiches make me happy
:: 24 hour write-a-thon
:: Seeing my California friends when they came to visit over the summer
:: Visiting my aunt and her family over Thanksgiving
:: Seeing the Ark Encounter in person
:: Happy packages in the mail from awesome author friends
:: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie!!!
:: Little Women Read-along ~ It was past time that I read this classic and I enjoyed it. Course, it helps that it was a read-along. I love those! :)
:: Northanger Abbey Read-along ~ even if I didn't finish
:: Libraries with free wifi and comfy seating
:: Twitter, instagram, and blog convos with my people
:: Friends, both online and off, showering me with love and happy
:: Twitter-watch-alongs with Amber
:: Getting that first email about the invite to be part of the INSPYs Advisory Board and then all the happiness sent my way from the other members when I accepted
:: Starbucks Chai Tea
:: BOOKS
:: Re-learning appreciation for the little moments in life
:: Did I mention books?

It's been a good year overall! What about you? What are some of your favorite things from 2016?

My Life According to Literature :: 2016

I discovered this Little Free Library near
my house a couple weeks ago. :)

I rather enjoyed this post when I wrote it earlier this year, so I figured it was time to bring it back. Only this time I'll use the books I read in 2016! Fun, right?? (Plus maybe it'll jumpstart my reading again. Still in a bit of a slump and I am SO ready to get out of it!)

Everyone in the blogging world is starting to post their favorites lists for 2016, so I figure mine should be coming soon as well. When I'm able to find the time to get it written, of course. Let's hope that happens sooner rather than later, yes?

Anyhoo, on with the show! :)

Describe yourself: A Grief Observed (C.S. Lewis)  {I feel like I've been outside of myself a lot this year, striving hard to be normal, yet struggling to get there. You know...whatever normal is.}

How do you feel today: Since You've Been Gone (Christa Allen)  {My heart still aches a bit when I think about mom, especially these last few days.}

Describe where you currently live: P.S. I Like You (Kasie West)

If you could go anywhere, you would go to: The Red Door Inn (Liz Johnson)  {Visit Prince Edward Island? YES please!}

Your favorite form of transportation: The Girl From the Train (Irma Joubert)  {I've never traveled very far by train, but I'd love to make a cross country trip one day!}

Your best friend is: My Hope Next Door (Tammy L. Gray)

You and your friends are: Love and Freindship (Jane Austen)

What's the weather like: Unblemished (Sara Ella)  {It's a beautiful day outside!}

You fear: The End of the World (Amy Matayo)  {Not really, but I was struggling to find a title for this one.}

What's the best advice you have to give: Adulthood is a Myth (Sarah Andersen)

Thought for the day: Dream a Little Dream (Kerstin Gier)

How would you like to die: Only Through Love (Mary Jane Hathaway)

Your soul's present condition: Bookishly Ever After (Isabel Bandeira)  {Even in my current reading slump, books still bring me happy just by existing!}

How My Literary Life Has Changed...

So I stumbled across this post, The Effects of Becoming a BookPerson, and seriously, friends. Go read it! Parts are true for me and parts aren't, which got me to thinking about what has changed about my reading experience since I began blogging....

How my literary life has changed...

1. Bookstore trips

Before Blogging {then}: Big adventure because I never, ever knew what I would find on the shelves! And I wandered the entire store and looked at everything.

After Blogging {now}: I search the titles and covers to find the ones I want to skim through so I can find out whether I want to actually read it or not. (Sometimes my kindle sample is not enough to help me with this.) Most titles are familiar, but not all. I still find surprises on the shelves though, and still like to wander the whole store occasionally. Yet more often than not, I mainly visit the Christian Fiction and Young Adult sections. Also I usually know before going what book(s) I'm interested in actually purchasing.

2. Book release dates

Then: I might know when a book was coming out thanks to it being a part of a series and the general date given in the back of the previous book.  Emphasis on general because usually they say Spring 2017 or Fall 2016, which is NOT specific enough for me.

Now: I know a lot of publishing dates way ahead of time. Especially if it's a book I am HIGHLY anticipating! I'm not so great at remembering them, so if you'd ask me right now, I may not be able to answer. But I check goodreads fairly often to keep up. Plus I know specific dates, not just generalized times! Which is much nicer. :)

3. Amount of books I own

Then: LOTS

Now: LOTS MORE

4. Bookish Merchandise

Then: A few things, but very few. I had some bookstore bookmarks, I would sometimes write out a favorite quote and stick it somewhere I would read it often, and I did buy my Persuasion scarf before I started blogging.

Now: I still don't own a lot of bookish things, but I drool over a LOT of them online! I dream of owning them, does that count? :)

5. Book Besties

Then: Mom and I would read the same books and chat about what we liked about them. The ladies who worked at the library knew my name as I was in there every single week.

Now: I FOUND MY PEOPLE. I never knew there were so many others who loved to read as much as I and loved to talk about it! Twitter convos, blog comments, even occasionally on facebook. I love it! Also the idea that someone I've never met in person could actually become one of my dearest friends is still amazing to me.

6. TBR pile

Then: What's TBR stand for?

Now: It towers over me and I keep adding to it! And so many of the ones I add aren't even published yet! Which makes the waiting horrible.

7. Ebooks/Ereaders

Then: No! No, no, no. Absolutely not.

Now: I love my kindle! It goes with me everywhere and it's just so handy to have several hundred books at my disposal at any time.

8. Reading book reviews

Then: For only two or so years prior to starting my own blog did I even know book reviews existed. I didn't even realize that professional ones were published in newspapers and magazines, that's how out of the know I was! But once I discovered book bloggers, I began to pay a lot more attention.

Now: If a synopsis interests me, I will stand in a bookstore and read reviews right then to try to figure out if I would like it. I rarely buy a book that I haven't read at least one review for it.

9. Library visits

Then: I wandered the shelves, waiting for titles to jump out at me.

Now: I still wander the shelves a lot, but I also check my library's website for availability and put loads of books on hold. Plus I will check on availability of new books coming out!

10. Authors

Then: I had favorites, but never dreamed I'd actually get to meet any of them in person. And only rarely did I know about a new book of theirs yet to be published.

Now: I still have favorites naturally! :) But now I've actually met a few in person (and fangirled the entire time!) and almost always know when they have new books to be published and when that'll happen.


So! If you're a blogger, or you read a lot of book blogs, has anything changed in your literary life since you started?