These are my favorite books of 2016 that were published in 2016! I generally enjoy quirky, witty and light-hearted books and I tend toward YA/teen and romance reading when it's not something for a book discussion group! This list and many more are part of the HUSH Podcast annual “Best Of” show.
When a beloved character is killed off in her favorite television show, a young woman launches an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. This book is fandom personified and perfectly executed!
When a beloved character is killed off in her favorite television show, a young woman launches an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. This book is fandom personified and perfectly executed!
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When a beloved character is killed off in her favorite television show, a young woman launches an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. This book is fandom personified and perfectly executed!
When a beloved character is killed off in her favorite television show, a young woman launches an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. This book is fandom personified and perfectly executed!
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The 80s are popular right now, yes? And while I was in elementary school not college during those years, the setting still resonates with me. I remember t...Show more
The 80s are popular right now, yes? And while I was in elementary school not college during those years, the setting still resonates with me. I remember that time before social media and email and cell phones and how people connected differently, over more time, across more space. This story is told entirely in letters, and very well done.
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The 80s are popular right now, yes? And while I was in elementary school not college during those years, the setting still resonates with me. I remember t...Show more
The 80s are popular right now, yes? And while I was in elementary school not college during those years, the setting still resonates with me. I remember that time before social media and email and cell phones and how people connected differently, over more time, across more space. This story is told entirely in letters, and very well done.
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I loved it! This sci-fi adventure is a compelling teen read for fans (of any age) of the TV series Firefly.
I loved it! This sci-fi adventure is a compelling teen read for fans (of any age) of the TV series Firefly.
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I loved it! This sci-fi adventure is a compelling teen read for fans (of any age) of the TV series Firefly.
I loved it! This sci-fi adventure is a compelling teen read for fans (of any age) of the TV series Firefly.
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One of the best teen romances I've read. Maybe ever. Many thanks to Autumn for the recommendation and loan.
I was reading late at night and one of my k...Show more
One of the best teen romances I've read. Maybe ever. Many thanks to Autumn for the recommendation and loan.
I was reading late at night and one of my kids woke up and needed me .... I don't want to include spoilers so let me just say that it was seriously at the exact sentence of the most pivotal moment of the book, a heartbeat before the big reveal. AAAHHH!
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One of the best teen romances I've read. Maybe ever. Many thanks to Autumn for the recommendation and loan.
I was reading late at night and one of my k...Show more
One of the best teen romances I've read. Maybe ever. Many thanks to Autumn for the recommendation and loan.
I was reading late at night and one of my kids woke up and needed me .... I don't want to include spoilers so let me just say that it was seriously at the exact sentence of the most pivotal moment of the book, a heartbeat before the big reveal. AAAHHH!
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Fandom, slash fic and all things wonderful. Another great read about a writer using her writing to escape....and taking her fandom just a bit too far...
Fandom, slash fic and all things wonderful. Another great read about a writer using her writing to escape....and taking her fandom just a bit too far...
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Fandom, slash fic and all things wonderful. Another great read about a writer using her writing to escape....and taking her fandom just a bit too far...
Fandom, slash fic and all things wonderful. Another great read about a writer using her writing to escape....and taking her fandom just a bit too far...
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Subtle twists and satisfying , lots of music talk and also the awkward silences of car rides.
Subtle twists and satisfying , lots of music talk and also the awkward silences of car rides.
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Subtle twists and satisfying , lots of music talk and also the awkward silences of car rides.
Subtle twists and satisfying , lots of music talk and also the awkward silences of car rides.
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So much fangirling over fandom. Yes.
As with many things in life, I join in on the real world experiences by reading about them in fiction. As my real ...Show more
So much fangirling over fandom. Yes.
As with many things in life, I join in on the real world experiences by reading about them in fiction. As my real life friends become more engrossed in their various fandoms, I find some great fiction with characters I can care about, because they are similar to people I care about in real life!
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So much fangirling over fandom. Yes.
As with many things in life, I join in on the real world experiences by reading about them in fiction. As my real ...Show more
So much fangirling over fandom. Yes.
As with many things in life, I join in on the real world experiences by reading about them in fiction. As my real life friends become more engrossed in their various fandoms, I find some great fiction with characters I can care about, because they are similar to people I care about in real life!
Show less
Best queer teen romance I've read lately. Reminiscent of Nick and Norah in a lovely way. Perfect intensity of the quickly changing life transitions of upp...Show more
Best queer teen romance I've read lately. Reminiscent of Nick and Norah in a lovely way. Perfect intensity of the quickly changing life transitions of upper teens.
As queer teen characters are featured in more YA fiction, including teen romances, the gay best friend or the lesbian couple are commonplace.
I didn't know what to make of the unlikely pairing between a lesbian artist who is about to graduate and a gay baseball star facing junior year SAT prep. It makes sense to me that they have so little in common that in an entire year of sitting next to each other in Calculus class, they never found a reason to speak to each other.
Until-- their eyes meet across a crowded club where he is dancing on a bar in only his underwear and she is skulking at a table alone, avoiding meeting the girl of her dreams.
And then, unexpectedly, they fall madly, supportively, whole-heartedly into….friendship?
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who reads YA books, and I will be selectively hand-selling it to adults in my life who might want to broaden their vision of who might make a wonderful new friend.
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Best queer teen romance I've read lately. Reminiscent of Nick and Norah in a lovely way. Perfect intensity of the quickly changing life transitions of upp...Show more
Best queer teen romance I've read lately. Reminiscent of Nick and Norah in a lovely way. Perfect intensity of the quickly changing life transitions of upper teens.
As queer teen characters are featured in more YA fiction, including teen romances, the gay best friend or the lesbian couple are commonplace.
I didn't know what to make of the unlikely pairing between a lesbian artist who is about to graduate and a gay baseball star facing junior year SAT prep. It makes sense to me that they have so little in common that in an entire year of sitting next to each other in Calculus class, they never found a reason to speak to each other.
Until-- their eyes meet across a crowded club where he is dancing on a bar in only his underwear and she is skulking at a table alone, avoiding meeting the girl of her dreams.
And then, unexpectedly, they fall madly, supportively, whole-heartedly into….friendship?
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who reads YA books, and I will be selectively hand-selling it to adults in my life who might want to broaden their vision of who might make a wonderful new friend.
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When I grow up I want to write fiction like Kody Keplinger, full of truth and beauty and poetry, with all of the feels, and without shying away from ... t...Show more
When I grow up I want to write fiction like Kody Keplinger, full of truth and beauty and poetry, with all of the feels, and without shying away from ... the pieces of ourselves and of world that are flawed and imperfect.
Kody Keplinger is one of my favorite YA authors and this new book did not disappoint!
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When I grow up I want to write fiction like Kody Keplinger, full of truth and beauty and poetry, with all of the feels, and without shying away from ... t...Show more
When I grow up I want to write fiction like Kody Keplinger, full of truth and beauty and poetry, with all of the feels, and without shying away from ... the pieces of ourselves and of world that are flawed and imperfect.
Kody Keplinger is one of my favorite YA authors and this new book did not disappoint!
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This book. IS GREAT.
I can't possibly be as eloquent as other reviewers. Actually, the publisher blurb says it perfectly: Filled with intense and impo...Show more
This book. IS GREAT.
I can't possibly be as eloquent as other reviewers. Actually, the publisher blurb says it perfectly: Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.
While reading this book, I only paused for brief moments to message various friends to make sure they were adding it to their to-reads list and then I immersed myself again. Finding the people you never knew you needed isn't a theme reserved only for teenagers, although it appears more frequently in YA books. We all need to find our people.
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This book. IS GREAT.
I can't possibly be as eloquent as other reviewers. Actually, the publisher blurb says it perfectly: Filled with intense and impo...Show more
This book. IS GREAT.
I can't possibly be as eloquent as other reviewers. Actually, the publisher blurb says it perfectly: Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.
While reading this book, I only paused for brief moments to message various friends to make sure they were adding it to their to-reads list and then I immersed myself again. Finding the people you never knew you needed isn't a theme reserved only for teenagers, although it appears more frequently in YA books. We all need to find our people.
Show less