2016: Yearly Recap

2016 was a WONDERFUL year in books!

Not only was this the year I started my very first #BOOKSTAGRAM account (@zoeymuses.aboutbooks ) but this was the year when I took the plunge and began blogging for the very first time ; which provided me a valid reason to ask my parents to buy me tons and tons (and tons ) of books #sorrynotsorry.

[ Now I finally have a reason to host a  couple of GIVEAWAYS soon (*wink wink*) ]

* don’t you just love goodreads? *

---

This year I  was very lucky to be able to find books that have been on my wishlist for a while now (The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton , snow flower and the secret fan by Lisa See,The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer etc. to name a few). Sadly I wasn’t able to get my hands on Outlander by Diana Gabaldon but don’t worry I still have hope that I’ll find it one day…*fingers crossed*

[ I’ve realized this only recently that as the years have passed (since 2012) the amount of books I read yearly has gradually decreased. Maybe it’s because I’ve become more picky with my choices or because I’ve realized the importance of focusing more on school (*lol*).]

Anyways, below are some of the books that I’ve highlighted in regards to how I felt after I’d read them.

FAVOURITE BOOKS 2016

It’s no surprise that I ABSOLUTELY LOVED reading The Secret Keeper, Uprooted and Snow Flower and The Secret Fan. I had to hunt these books down and honestly, I can gladly say that they were worth the wait. If you haven’t read these then I recommend that you do a.s.a.p. ( Although,there do seem to be mixed feelings about Uprooted but if you’re someone like me who’s very easy to please then you’ll LOVE it)

BOOKS THAT DISAPPOINTED 2016

ugggghhhh. It’s so depressing when you come to realize that the book everyone’s been so pumped about doesn’t suit your tastes. Dreamology, The Girls and He will be my Ruin were all books that I had to struggle to finish. I found the plots weren’t as engaging and “fleshed out” as I’d hoped they’d be and that I kept dreading to pick them back up again (*which is never a good sign*). Now I’ve read books by K.A. Tucker before and they are some of my favourites but “He will be my Ruin” failed to please. My disappointment in these books doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t be reading anything by these authors in the future-In reality I’ll be on the lookout for any of their next releases.

HONORABLE MENTIONS 2016

Burial Rites, Hidden Bodies, The Storyteller and Code name Verity are all books that everyone needs to read at least once in their lives ( *I won’t judge you if you decide to read it more than once though 😉 *) These stories are complex and will drag you into their respective worlds and, at times (often) will make you cry and hope for a different ending. For Hidden Bodies I’ll recommend you listen to the audiobook because Santino Fontana did an amazing job with the narration and made (even someone as creepy as) Joe Goldberg sound hot (*which is an achievement in itself because that dude is creepy…*)

---

A big THANK YOU to all the authors,publishers and the lovely bibliophiles on instagram who sent books to me from all over the world. Honestly opening book mail has got to be the best feeling in the world! I can now successfully say that I’ll probably never get tired of waiting for the mail man and then tearing through the envelope to get to my latest companion. You can find most of these books reviewed over here – I’ll be reviewing the ones I’ve missed very soon.

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SEND ME BOOKS THIS YEAR ( p.s: these are just some of the titles I received )

---

In the end I’d like to say how thankful I am of all the opportunities I got this year, the wonderful people I had the chance of meeting (online and in real life) and a big shoutout to the book community for being so helpful,supportive and kind.

Here’s to 2016 – a year that was full of NEW BEGINNINGS and to hoping that 2017 will be even better!

TILL NEXT TIME ❤

 

*the book title images used in the favorites, disappointed and honorable mentions infographic are the property of the publisher/author.