Top 5 Fiction Books of 2016

I read so many books this year that I thought it would be fun to rank my top five of all I read this year in the two major categories: fiction and non-fiction. Check out my top five non-fiction reads post as well. Below are my favorite fiction reads in 2016.


1. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

  I have read five of Liane Moriarty's books and this one has been my favorite of them all (I haven't read The Last Anniversary or Truly Madly Guilty yet but I plan to). They have all been very engaging.

  In Big Little Lies we learn that there has someone has been killed and there is an investigation and lots of speculation from parents of an elementary school. The book then rewinds six months and introduces us to the three main women in the book. We learn about their friendship, their lives and their secrets.

  As I read the book I was constantly guessing who might have died and who the murder might have been. I became so enamored with the characters that I hoped none of them was the victim nor the culprit. I was surprised by the actual sequence of events which I appreciated as the reader. It was quite an enjoyable ride that I think others would enjoy taking as well.


2. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

  I don't remember how I heard about this book. I feel like I had heard that it was a book about a character similar to Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, which is a show I thoroughly enjoy.

  In The Rosie Project, we meet Don Tillman, a geneticist at a local university who has decided that he would like to try to find a wife. He creates a lengthy questionnaire to find the perfect candidate for "The Wife Project" and enlists the help of his good friend, and fellow university professor, Gene in reading the questionnaires and selecting women. Gene lets him know that he is sending a woman to his office indicating that she is a candidate for his wife project.

  Don soon learns that she is not a seemingly suitable candidate but she asks for help in locating her biological father and he agrees. He soon begins to enjoy his time with Rosie even though she knocks his seemingly perfect and scheduled life completely out of whack. We see Don wrestle with what he really wants or needs in his life and try to figure out if he can truly understand and experience love. If you like The Big Bang Theory, I think you would enjoy this book.


3. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

  I was introduced to this series (and have now read three of the thirteen books) by a good friend. The book takes place in a small town called Mitford, NC and follows Episcopalian priest Tim Kavanaugh through his everyday life - his experiences with the people and parishioners in this quaint mountain town.

  All of the characters are endearing and I was drawn into their lives and the town's happenings. I was especially intrigued when Father Tim received a new neighbor who was quirky, spontaneous and whom he found attractive. Can a 50-something bachelor change his routine and life to allow another soul entrance and home? This question won't be completely answered in the first book, but, if you're like me, you'll soon be entrenched in finding out what continues to happen in this little town of Mitford.


4. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

  This is the fourth book in Stieg Larsson's series that started with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I really enjoyed reading all of those books - they were fast paced and action-packed. I was curious to see how the series continued with a new author. I was not disappointed.

  In this one, a well-known computer programmer who mysteriously left his company in California and returned to Sweden contacts Mikael Blomkvist and asks to meet him so that he can share some information he received from a young female hacker. Mikael is intrigued because he thinks Lisbeth Salander might be involved. As he reaches the contact's house, an assassin emerges having just killed the person in question. The only witness is the victim's autistic son. Mikael begins looking into the events, eliciting Lisbeth's assistance.

  Who is behind the murder? What was the information important enough to kill and be killed for? What is Lisbeth's role in everything? If you enjoyed the previous ones, as I did, you will also enjoy this thrill ride with lots of twists and turns.


5. Inferno by Dan Brown

  This is the fourth book in the Robert Langdon series. I did not read the third book but I don't seem to have missed any vital information needed for this one. It was another face-paced adventure through several European countries (I always enjoy the history, architectural and art information each book contains), mainly Italy.

  When the story begins Robert wakes up in a hospital with a head wound and no memory of the last few days. He believes he was shot in the head. As he's trying to gain his bearings, an assassin comes after him in the hospital and one of the doctor's assisting him helps him escape. When they are briefly safely in the doctor's apartment, she shares with him what she knows and they discover an object he was hiding in his coat. It becomes a clue they follow to try to gain back his memory and discover what is so threatening that his life is in danger. He fears he is responsible for something terrible because he can only remember mumbling "I'm sorry".

  It was a fast-paced, exciting ride. There were unexpected revelations and discoveries throughout the story. I rooted for Lagndon and his partner, Doctor Sienna Brooks to discover and thwart the threat. If you have enjoyed Dan Brown's other Robert Langdon novels, this one won't disappoint.



These were my five favorite fiction reads from last year. What is one you read that you would recommend? Have you read any of the above? If so, please share your thoughts with me as well. To see my favorite non-fiction books of 2016, click here.

September Book Review

We are now officially into fall which is exciting! Cooler weather, leaves changing, football, pumpkins and apples. All of that invites me to cozy up under a blanket with a good book (even though it's still 90 degrees outside). This month I cozied up with five books. You can read more about them below. If you want to read previous months' book reads, click the appropriate link: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August.

1. Made Well: Finding Wholeness in the Everyday Sacred Moments by Jenny Simmons

  This book was so good and encouraging! I'm in the process of finding healing and wholeness and this was a welcome read as I continue on this journey. Jenny talks about the tension between the heartache of death and the hope of resurrection. She shares stories from her life and from her family and friends that share the journey of navigating life through the hope of Jesus despite hardships. So many of the themes are relevant to my life right now. I would highly encourage this book to everyone (despite the shortness of the review - there's so much goodness inside I don't know where to start)! You can read a more in depth review in another post.

2. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature While Remaining Emotionally Immature by Peter Scazzero

  I heard about this book on an episode of The Happy Hour by Jamie Ivey podcast. Her guest said that this was a book she was recommending everyone to read. I love Christian non-fiction book so I added it to my to-read list. I received it for my birthday and finally got to it on my list. The book is so good! It was open, honest and encouraging. It has practical advice on how to grow in your emotional health including prompts to help you see where you are on your journey and exercises to practice. It is a wonderful book that I highlighted extensively and will be referencing again. I appreciated Peter's vulnerability in sharing examples of his own journey toward emotionally healthy spirituality. I would highly recommend this book!

3. Inferno: A Novel by Dan Brown

  I saw that another Robert Langdon novel was becoming a movie. It looked action-packed so I knew I needed to read it before it came out (though I probably won't see it until it's available on demand because we don't go to the movies often). I was sucked into the story immediately and raced through it wanting to know what was happening next. I had hoped that it would be my fiction read for the beach but in my quest to find out what was happening, I finished it the night before our trip.

  In the book we find Langdon waking up in a hospital in Florence with an apparent head wound from being shot at and amnesia from the injury. He doesn't know why he's been shot but he's afraid that he has done something terrible. One of the doctors at the hospital helps him escape and together they try to figure out what is going on, why Langdon is in Italy and what his pursuers want. It was a thrill ride that kept me guessing and trying to figure out who was trustworthy and what Robert was trying to discover. If you liked the other Langdon novels, this one should not disappoint.

4. The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

  I first heard of Amy Schumer when my husband and I were watching Last Comic Standing. I really enjoyed her confidence and personality. I know her humor tends to be more crude than people appreciate. Because of this reputation I was hesitant to watch Trainwreck. I really like Bill Hader so we watched it when it came to HBO. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and was quite surprised at how much I did. When I saw she was publishing an autobiographical-type book I was interested to read it and learn more about her as a person. I took it with me to the beach for fall break.
  I enjoyed the book and learning about the parallels between her real life and her movie. I did not know that so much was based on her experiences (I also didn't know that she co-wrote it with her sister). I felt like I got to know Amy Schumer the person better and get a glimpse behind her stand-up comic personality. She spoke truthfully about a lot of things I could relate to - mainly being a woman. I am glad that I read it. I have more respect and compassion for Amy know that I know more about her and her life experiences. If you are able to read a book with a decent amount of foul and vulgar language then I would think you'd find it a good read. If that language offends you, then probably skip this one.

5. The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith

  This book was a recommendation from Jen Hatmaker (not personally, just something she wrote about online). I am a homeowner with limited expertise in decorating but I still want a home that makes me smile so I am interested in books that speak to the averagely skilled person. Jen had shown her room makeover with the help of the book (her office) which I happened to get to see last year and loved (it's so cozy and inviting!). This seemed like a book for me.
  I LOVED this book! Myquillyn has manageable ideas and suggestions. Her advice is full of wisdom and experience. She encourages us to not be frozen by fear of failure or imperfection and find things that make our house homey. Not everyone has the same style and that's okay. In addition to decorating/DIY tips she also gave sound advice about ridding ourselves of fear, discontentment, and comparison (among other things). It is a book for the heart and the home. I checked it out of the library but I may have to acquire my own physical copy because it contains so much goodness. It is definitely one I recommend.



My total of completed books for the year is now up to 60! Please tell me about a book you read in September. I keep telling myself that I am going to stop purchasing books or borrowing them from the library until I read all of the ones I already have, but I just can't help myself! Do you have this "problem" as well?