Happy 2017 everyone! A new year means new books, but first I'm going to share my top five favorite books of the grand total of 96 that I read during 2016 (to be fair, a lot of those were graphic novels.) It took me forever to pick just five, nevermind ranking them, so her they are in no particular order;
1.) Persuasion & Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
At the beginning of the year I went on a bit of a classics binge, starting of with my favorite author of all time, Jane Austen. The trouble isn't, I couldn't pick between there's two novels for my favorites list, so I decided on both, because everyone needs more Jane in their life.
Persuasion follows Anne Eliot, the oldest Austen heroine at twenty eight. Eight years before the story begins, she is happily engaged to naval officer Frederick Wentworth, but is soon persuaded by her friends and family that he's an unworthy match due to his lack of wealth and his low station in society. Anne spends the next eight years regretting her decision to break of the engagement, especially when Wentworth comes back to town with both money and a successful military career as Captain Wentworth.
Northanger Abbey, which is often referred to as Jane Austen's parody of the classic Gothic novel, follows young and innocent Catherine Morland. While spending time with friends in Bath, Catherine meets, and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her Tim visit himself family's estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherin let she the eerie atmosphere of the mansion, that so closely reminds her of the Gothic novels she so loves to read, fill her head with terrible suspicions about Henry and his family, especially about the mysterious death of the late Mrs. Tilney.....
2.) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This is one of those books I feel every one should read, but shouldn't know a lot going in, so I'll keep the synopsis brief. One of the most unique stories I've read in a long time, Station Eleven is spans decades, traveling from a little theatre performing King Lear, to the eerie setting of our world after civilization's collapse. Following multiple perspectives, managing to be beautiful and suspenseful and home to some of my favorite writing, Station Eleven was bound to make my favorites of 2016 list.
3.) And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Another book I read during my classics binge, And Then There Were None made me a true believer that Agatha Christie is the queen of mystery.
At the beginning of the novel, there are ten- strangers, all with secrets they are trying to keep hidden, who are all invited to an island owned by a mysterious host- who is nowhere to be found. They are all marked for death, and before the weekend is up, there will be no one left.
4.) A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
The sequel to one of my favorite series of all time by one of my favorite authors of all time was destined for this list, but since it is a sequel, I'll tell you a little about the first book in the series instead.
The first book in this series, A Darker Shade of Magic, follows a man named Kell, who in a world with parallel universes, is one of the last who has the magical ability to travel between the four different versions of London. There is Gray London, dirty and boring and void of any magic; Red London, where Kell is from and where magic is revered; White London, where humans try to control magic and the magic fights back; and once upon a there was Black London, but no one speaks of that place anymore. Kell's official duty is to deliver messages between Londons, but unofficially, he smuggles things between the Londons, which lands him in a heap of trouble.
5.) The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Another fantasy sequel by one of my favorite authors, the first book in this trilogy, Mistborn, is one of my favorite books of all time.
The series takes place in a world where ash falls from the sky, and evil rules the land. The fate of the empire rests on the shoulder of a troublemaker named Kelsier and his young apprentice, Vin. Brandon Sanderson tells an epic tale of love and loss, despair and hope, and introduces a brand new kind of magic, Allomancy, the magic of metals.
Thanks for reading!
