2016 Book List

I had so much fun compiling last years book list, that I couldn’t resist doing a new post for my 2016 Book List. I read 53 books in 2016 and I feel like I did a good job of covering a broad range of topics & genres! This was mostly due to the fact that we spent 3+ months road tripping around New Zealand and I had access to various hostels’ “give one take one” bookshelves. Because of this I read books that I likely wouldn’t have picked out for myself.

As much as I love fiction, I’m happily beginning to branch out into more and more non-fiction and biography/memoir-type books. Granted, a LOT of these books are about food, but that’s what I like to read about! Check out my 2016 Book List below! (I marked my favourites in bold)

2016 Book List

Fiction

The Cookbook Collector – Allegra Goodman

Little Mercies – Heather Gudenkauf *I could NOT put this book down! I read all 250+ pages in one rainy day!

Sing you Home – Jodi Picoult *All of Picoult’s books are legit page turners – this was no exception. Plus the main character is a music therapist which was really cool to read about as Mac’s cousin practices music therapy!

Looking for Alaska – John Green

Book of Lies – Mary Harlock

One Breath Away – Heather Gudenkauf *Another epic novel by Gudenkauf!!! Totally thrilling & heart-pounding.

The Light Between Oceans – M L Stedman

The Fall of Giants – Ken Follett *This was an epic 800+ pager that although it was quite the time investment, was very interesting & kept me hooked! It’s about life pre- and during WW1 as told through several different characters whose lives all intertwine. I’m keen to read the next two books in the Century Trilogy!

One Summer in Venice – Nicky Pellegrino

The Reader – Bernhard Schlink

The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club – Gil McNeil

Three Weeks in Paris – Barbara Taylor Bradford

Circling the Sun – Paula McLain

The Rosie Project – Graeme Simsion *If you like the Big Bang Theory, you’ll like this book! It’s charming, cute & funny, but also slightly neurotic.

The Rosie Effect – Graeme Simsion *I wasn’t as fond of this book as I was the first one. Still a funny read though!

The Dalai Lama’s Cat – David Michie

The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho *There has been SO much hype about this book, and though I did like it, it didn’t woo me like I thought it would.

When God was a Rabbit – Sarah Winman

Fifteen Dogs – André Alexis *Ever wonder what would happen if dogs were given the ability of human thought? That’s what this book is about. It’s based in Toronto and was really quite interesting! (Don’t expect happy & nothing-but-good feelings while reading this though. It’s raw but very well written & thought provoking!)

Table by the Window – Hillary Manton Lodge

The Hundred Foot Journey – Richard C. Morais

All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr

This is Where it Ends – Marieke Nijkamp

The Bees – Laline Paull *This is SUCH a cute book – written through the perspective of a worker bee! I’ll never look at bees the same way again!

The Bear – Claire Cameron *Set in Algonquin Park, this fiction novel (based on true events) is told through the eyes of a 5 year old girl who survives a bear attack that killed her parents.

The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh *Admittedly, I know next to nothing about flowers, but this book made me want to learn more!

Non-Fiction

Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West – Blain Harden

Daring Greatly – Brene Brown

Big Magic – Elizabeth Gilbert

The Man Who Ate the World – Jay Rayner *The author goes on a quest to find the best meal in the world and reports his findings in this book. He visits Las Vegas, Dubai, Paris, Tokyo, Moscow, London, & New York in search of ‘the perfect meal’.

Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki

Blue Zones – Dan Buettner

How Not to Die – Gene Stone &  Michael Gregor

Life Lessons from the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – Robin Sharma

Born For This – Chris Guillebeau

The $100 Start Up – Chris Guillebeau

Dinner with Edward: A Story of an Unexpected Friendship – Isabel Vincent

(Auto-)Biographies/Memoirs

Proof of Heaven – Eben Alexander, M.D. *Dr. Alexander is a neurosurgeon who contracted an extremely rare bacterial infection that put him in a coma for seven days. While in a coma he had a truly powerful non-earthly, out of body experience that as a former non-believer in these situations, made him start to question his beliefs. A really powerful & moving book!

When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi *Similar(-ish) to the book above. This memoir is about a doctor who is diagnosed with aggressive stage IV lung cancer. This novel details his struggles as a medical student-turned patient as well as some profound life assessments.

The Art of Asking – Amanda Palmer *Such an interesting read about how our society is scared of the simple act of asking for help, and stories about the wonderful things that can and do happen when you do ask.

Made from Scratch – Jenna Woginrich

The Happiness Project – Gretchen Rubin

It Was Me All Along – Andie Mitchell *An epic memoir about a 20 year old woman that loses half of her body weight and the triumphs and struggles that come along with that feat.

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth – Commander Chris Hadfield *WHY has it taken me this long to jump into the fan base of Mr. Hadfield?! I loved this book – a memoir detailing his career as an astronaut and how he came to be the commander of the ISS. Also, I now really, really want to go to space. Or at least to zero gravity – that sounds SO COOL!

The Gratitude Diaries – Janice Kaplan

The Sex Lives of Cannibals – J. Maarten Troost

Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home – Jessica Fechtor *After suffering (and surviving) a brain aneurysm, Jessica attempts to try and regain some sense of normalcy by returning to the place where she’s most at home: her kitchen.

Lost in the Jungle – Yossi Ghinsberg *I could not put this book down! In the mid 1980’s, Yossi and some friends decide to go on an adventure in Bolivia’s amazon jungle. Needless to say, things don’t go to plan and Yossi ends up Lost in the Jungle. It’s a harrowing recap of his time and how he survived.

Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand *It’s almost impossible to fathom how one man could endure so many incredible & difficult life obstacles, but Louis Zamperini does and comes out alive on the other side. “A former Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in the Pacific theater, spent 47 days drifting on a raft, and then survived more than two and a half years as a prisoner of war in three brutal Japanese prisoner-of-war camps.” (Wikipedia)

The Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes *As a former superfan of Grey’s Anatomy, I enjoyed reading this memoir by the woman behind the show (as well as many more!). Shonda details her fear of saying ‘Yes’ to things and what she does to overcome that fear, and how her life changed and improved afterwards.

Always Too Much and Never Enough – Jasmin Singer

Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes – Shauna Niequist

My Homemade Life – Molly Wizenberg

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What was in your 2016 Book List? And what were your favourite reads? Do you have any recommendations for 2017??