Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book via Amazon
2016 is looking like a pretty great year on the reading front, y’all. Although I may also reread the Outlander series for the third time (the time travel, the saga, the accents, oh my…), I plan on hitting up a few books that have either been sitting on my shelf for a while or I’ve had my eye on. Here is a very abbreviated version of my to-be-read list in the next couple months:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Why: Everything by Neil Gaiman draws you in and builds a world around you. My favorite of Gaiman’s that I’ve read so far is The Ocean at the End of the Lane, although I’ve loved every one of his books that I’ve read except American Gods – that one was a little too graphic for me.
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Why: Her lush characters and stories swirl around you like mist. They hang about in your mind and make you think, not to mention that main character Gemma in A Great and Terrible Beauty was sharp and involving. Also, the second novel in this series came out, which means that as soon as I fall in love with The Diviners, I won’t have to wait to read the second book – a little silly, I know.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Why: I have heard so many amazing things about this book. People are talking about it even now, several years later, not to mention the fact that Nathan Bransford endorsed it. Also, I met the manager of The Last Bookstore in Downtown LA at a birthday party last year, and she said Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs (who were married at The Last Bookstore apparently, cool!) are pretty awesome people, which made me even more curious about their books. (P.S. Ransom Riggs’ Peculiar Children series is fascinating — totally worth checking out.)
Split Second by Kasie West
Why: I saw Pivot Point on my shelf recently and realized that I have to find out what happens to Addie, who did the noble but painful thing in the first book. Does it pay off for her? If you haven’t read Pivot Point, I highly recommend it; it walks the line of contemporary and speculative fiction cleanly and concisely.
Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin
Why: (A nonfiction pick, a little unusual for this blog, I know) 2016 is going to be a year of change. I’d like to make some changes and work on making those changes into habits. Gretchen Rubin wrote The Happiness Project, which I loved, and when I ran across Better than Before while perusing books at the airport, I had to pick it up. Let’s all build some good habits together this year.
Have you read any of these books? If so, what are your thoughts about them? What are a few books you’re planning to read in 2016?
Related:
Novel Conclusions 
I’ve never gotten around to reading the Outlander series, even though I’ve meant to, so that should totally be on my list.
Other than that…I haven’t read the third Hereville book yet, so that should definitely be on my list. And I want to go back and read some of my favorites from high school lit classes. It’s been so long since I’ve read some of them (the only ones I’ve reread, I think, have been Jane Austen novels), and I think I’d learn a lot by doing that.
And pretty much anything that Brandon Sanderson puts out this year will immediately go on my To-Read list.
I’ve never read the Hereville books or anything by Brandon Sanderson — I’ll have to take a look at those. : )
I haven’t read any of these books other than the first in the Outlander series. I never continued with it. I liked it, but I think it was too much romance for my tastes. 🙂
It definitely has those elements. I mostly love the way the author plays with time travel throughout the series.
An interesting list of recommendations. I must confess I’ve never read any of these authors!
An eclectic list, but there are definitely a few keepers in the mix. 🙂
I just started on Outlander last week! So far I’m enjoying it, hope it lives up to the hype 🙂
I loved The Graveyard Book, it’s one of my favourites by Neil Gaiman tbh.
Outlander is different from everything else I’ve been reading but a fun read nonetheless.
The Graveyard Book seems fascinating — I’ll have to talk about it more after I finish it.
I’ve only read The Graveyard Book from your list, but I loved it! I actually listened to the audiobook of it and that was sooo good because it was done with a full cast! The others, I’ve all heard excellent things about, just need to get to them. And I REALLY need to get to Outlander sometime this year – I’ve been meaning to read that book for AGES!
Out of these, I’ve only read The Graveyard Book, but I loved that! I actually listened to it on audiobook and it was soooo great because it was done with a full cast! As for the others, I’ve heard all excellent things, just need to get to them. And I REALLY need to get to Outlander – I’ve been meaning to read that one for AGES!
Listening to it on audiobook is a great idea — I love the different voices when they’re done well. The cast certainly makes a difference. My husband and I listened to The Lincoln Lawyer on one road trip and the sequel, the Brass Verdict, shortly thereafter, and Lincoln Lawyer was dramatically better. However, we couldn’t decide until after why exactly the original was better, but it was certainly partly to do with the actor reading the script not being as good as the first novel’s actor.