Best books I read in 2016

Hi guys!

It’s been a long time since I posted anything, but I am back now, and I plan to blog on regular basis from now on.
I was thinking about what should I write in my first post this year, and talking about great books I read previous year was the obvious choice (plus, there’s a giveaway hop I signed up for in which I’ll give away one book from this list, that’s coming very, very shortly(today)).

Without further ado, here is my TOP 10 books I read in 2016:

the summer that melted everything1.  The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel

The Summer That Melted Everything is one book that will stay with me forever. It was the best book I read not only this year, but one of best I read in my whole life.
It is beautifully written with a great story that awoke so many of my emotions.

You can read my full review here.

 

2. On Writing by Stephen King on-writing

On Writing is one of rare non-fiction books I read this year, and it is also one of a few books I didn’t review.
The reason why this book found it’s place on my top 10 books list is not because of brilliant writing advices, but because I really enjoyed reading King’s memoir.

 

3. Martini Henry by Sara Crowe martini henry

Martini Henry won me with it’s beautiful writing. The story itself was pretty slow, but I enjoyed every single page. This book is definitely the one I’d recommend to aspiring authors.
You can read my full review here.

 

my map of you 4. My Map of You by Isabelle Broom

This year, thanks to book blogging community, I discovered new favorite author of mine, and she won me in her debut novel My Map of You. Characters she created felt like real people and the way she described Greece made me feel like I was partly there.
This is another novel I’d recommend to aspiring authors, and you can read my full review here.

 

faithful 5. Faithful by Alice Hoffman

Faithful won me with beautiful writing style and raw story that made me emotional so many times, but it also left me feeling hopeful after I finished it.
To read my full review, click here.

 

flunked 6. Flunked by Jen Calonita

Flunked is the middle grade book, first in the series, that takes place in the world of fairytales.

I had fun the whole time I was reading it and, in my opinion, it’s main atribute is it’s sense of humor. A lot of times it reminded me of Shrek, so I think it would appeal to fans of that movie.

You can read my full review here.

 

a-list-of-cages7. A List of Cages by Robin Roe

I was fortunate enough and had an opportunity to read A List of Cages before it’s releasing day.

This novel made me so emotional but it also made me feel like I got so much out of it.
Although it is ya, I think people of all age should read it at some point.

You can read my full review here.

 

take me on 8. Take Me On by Katie McGarry

Katie McGarry is one of my favorite authors and once again her book reminded my why I love everything she writes. Her writing style is always great, and the story in Take Me On was so interesting and emotional. It talkes about poverty, love and sports.

You can read my review here.

 

the iron warrior 9. The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa

Iron Warrior is the last book in The Iron Fey series and I was so sad to say goodbye to my favorite fictional world and characters I love so much.

The book didn’t disappoint and I was happy with how the whole story concluded.

To read my review, click here.

 

the winner's crime 10. The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner’s Crime is the second installment in The Winner’s Trilogy. I still have to read the third one, and since I heard nothing but great things about it, my hopes are pretty high. I enjoyed the first book in the series too, but this one was sooooooo good, and it reminded me of Game of Thrones at some points.

You can read my full review here.

Book Review: A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom

a-year-and-a-day

Title: A Year and a Day
Author: Isabelle Broom
Publisher: Penguin, Michael Joseph
Date: November 17th, 2016
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: from Publisher for a review

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): From the author of My Map of You

Welcome to a city where wishes are everywhere

For Megan, a winter escape to Prague with her friend Ollie is a chance to find some inspiration for her upcoming photography exhibition. But she’s determined to keep their friendship from becoming anything more. Because if Megan lets Ollie find out about her past, she risks losing everything – and she won’t let that happen again . . .

For Hope, the trip is a surprise treat from Charlie, her new partner. But she’s struggling to enjoy the beauty of the city when she knows how angry her daughter is back home. And that it’s all her fault . . .

For Sophie, the city has always been a magical place. This time she can’t stop counting down the moments until her boyfriend Robin joins her. But in historic Prague you can never escape the past . . .

Three different women.

Three intertwining love stories.

One unforgettable, timeless city.

vrpca

Review:

This year I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to read Isabelle Broom’s debut novel My Map Of You. I complitely fell in love with the story and Broom’s writing style (the book is in my top 5 books I read in 2016), so when I found out her second novel was also coming out this year, I was thrilled.
A Year and a Day immediately became one of my most anticipated releases of 2016.

This novel follows three different stories that intertwine, every story centered around another woman.
The stories take place in Prague, during period of 5 days, around Christmas time.

Megan came to Prague with her friend Ollie who has feelings for her. She doesn’t want to gamble their friendship into becoming something more. Although it could be risky, Prague sounds too good to pass. After all, she might find an inspiration for her upcoming photography exhibition in that magical city.

Hope goes to Prague with her new boyfriend, who gave her a trip to that place as a Christmas gift. She recently left her husband and now is on bad terms with her daughter because of that. She would do anything to make piece with her, but she also has an urge to live the life she never had for the first time ever, to find her indenpendency and to be a part of passionate relatonship.

Sophie came to Prague to be with her boyfriend, who’ll came few days after her arrival.
Prague has a special place in their hearts, as it’s the city where they met each other for the first time.

From those three stories, Sophie’s was one that was the most interesting to me.
Other two weren’t exciting and if I’m being honest, I found them boring at times.

The writing style is simply amazing. Broom captured the beauty of Prague perfectly and I guarantee you, after reading this book, you will probably want to visit that place.

I was in Prague myself years ago, but after reading this book, I’d like to visit it again and see the beauty and culture once again with new eyes. Now when I’m older, I would appreciate everything that Prague offers so much more then I did then.

The writing consists of so many beautiful descriptions, but less character conversations.
I liked it that way, but if you’re looking for a fast paced book, this isn’t the one.
This book is the one you should take your time with.

The story is written in third person.

I wish the book had no overture (or prologue). The first sentence is absolutely astonishing, but in my opinion that part of the book spoils the big surprise that was revealed closer to an end.
I suspected what was going on from the very beginning of the story, and my guess was right.

Every single character of the story is realistic.
You could meet people like them in your every day life anytime.
I can’t say I liked one character more then the other, but I can say who I’d probably get along with and who I wouldn’t, if I ever cross my paths with any of them.
(I’d get along with Sophie, and wouldn’t get along with Megan or Charlie.)

The ending was really good.
I was satisfied with it’s realness.

If you ever decide to go and visit Prague, I would recommend you to read this book prior that trip.
It brings the bauty of the city close to reader and it could be really helpful when you have to decide what places in Prague you’d like to see.

I would recommend this book to readers of general fiction who like for their books to explore human relationships as well as inner thoughts.

Even though it wasn’t as brilliant as My Map of You, A Year and a Day is a nice festive novel that, I trully believe, will be recognized by many readers for it’s delightful writing.

Broom’s third book should be released in April 2017 and I already can’t wait to read it.

3,75

Waiting On Wednesday (#15): A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom

wow

Waiting on Wendesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases we can’t wait to read.

This week I am eagerly anticipating:

a-year-and-a-day

A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: November 17th, 2016

Summary:

Three women. Three love stories. One city.

For Megan, visiting Prague with her friend Ollie is just business. Nothing more. Because if she admits the truth she might lose everything.

For Hope, this trip is a surprise treat from Charlie, her new partner. But she’s struggling to enjoy the city when she knows how angry her daughter is. And that it’s all her fault.

For Sophie, Prague has always been magical. And now she’s counting down the moments until her boyfriend Robin joins her in the city that holds so many of their memories . . .

Why am I waiting?

This year I read Isabelle Broom’s My Map of You and fell in love with her writing style and the story in general. My Map of You is honestly one of the best novels I have read this year, so I can’t wait to read Broom’s future work.
She did such an amazing job describing Greece and making me want to visit there. Now, her new book is taking place in Prague, the city I actually visited once.
I am the most curious about how Broom’s going to describe the beauty of it using words, but am also intrigued by the plot and I can’t wait to meet Megan, Hope and Sophie.

Book Review: My Map of You by Isabelle Broom

my map of you

Title: My Map of You
Author: Isabelle Broom
Publisher: Penguin
Date: April 21st, 2016
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: from Publisher for a review

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Holly Wright has had a difficult few years. After her mother’s death, she’s become expert at keeping people at a distance – including her boyfriend, Rupert.

But when Holly receives an unexpected letter explaining that an aunt she never met has left her a house on the Greek island of Zakynthos, the walls she has built begin to crumble. Arriving on the island, Holly meets the handsome Aidan and slowly begins to uncover the truth about the secret which tore her family apart.

But is the island where Holly really belongs? Or will her real life catch up with her first?

vrpca

Review:

It has been weeks since I first finished reading this book, and days sicne I finished it for the second time and still, I am trying to pull myself together and write the review that will make you see how much I love and appreciate this story.

I don’t have the recipe for the perfect novel (if I did, I’d become a best-selling novelist myself, or any kind of novelist in that matter), but I do know what kind of ingredients I like in my books.
And guess what?
This book has all of them.

I will try not to go into too many details because I don’t won’t for this review to have a lenght of a novella, but I will try to explain what I liked in the best way that I know.

Fist, and the best part of this book is the writer’s ability to describe the place in such a beautiful way.
Her writing style amazed me and the way she used words to express the beauty of Greece, landscape and all those little things that we see in our every-day life, was like she had the ability to transport us there, on those pages, or at least she awoked the desire of a reader to be there, in that story, and see the beauty for himself.

When Holly and Aiden were on the boat, looking at the stars, I wanted to be there with them, and see those stars with my own eyes, because I don’t believe the stars were ever that beautiful as they were in that moment.

Second, Broom described the chemistry between the two characters in very realistic and yet very passionate way. The tension was almost touchable and those swoon-worthy scenes were, in some way, compelling.

Third, the characters were gray. And when I say, I mean they are as gray as they can be. They have many flaws, they make mistakes that they are aware of, they do feel guilty, they do get lost, but they also have dozens of good qualities and everything boiled together in one pot make them realistic.

In one particular scene, our main character finds herself judging and deprecating the other character, but then it hits her she did even worse thing and the guilt washes over her and stops her from saying anything.
That is just one scene, but the book is full of similar situations that show us the nature of characters.

Also (really not key attribute but to me, personally, pretty important) Aiden, one of the main characters and love interest in some way, has ginger hair, which is so rare in books I read that I welcomed that little component whole-heartedly.
I feel like women’s fiction genre is full of dark macho men and every „diversity“ in that aspect I salute!

There’s one more thing I have to stress out: My Map of You is full od secondary characters that I couldn’t help but fall in love with (her boyfriend Rupert especially).

Fourth (and now we come to the hardest part of expressing my feelings), this book covers some really important issues, and one in particular that coused all the emotions to arouse and come over me.
I am not sure how much can I tell without spoiling the story, so I will say that this story doesn’t follow only our main character, but also her deceased mother who’s story we learn, in some parts from Holly herself, and in some parts together with Holly.

Fifth, the way the story is written is amusing. In third person focussing on Holly’s POV, we follow chronological approach with with the glimpse of past, but we also get to read letters that were written by Holly’s mother, aimed for Holly’s aunt.

Overall, My Map of You is the best book I have read this year and I know I will be coming back to it many times in my life.
It is a realistic story presented in a beautiful way.
This book is an example of how a great novel should be done and, in my opinion, it wouldn’t hurt for aspiring authors to check it out.
Stephen King once said that every good (or maybe great) book demands to be read twice: first time to satisfy your curiousity and to enjoy the story, and the second time to analyse everything and see what you missed the first time you read it.

Now, after finishing this book for the second time, I can give it nothing but pure five stars rating because it deserves all the stars (any when I say stars, I refer to those beautiful stars Holly and Aiden were looking at).

5

If You Like This, Try This – Book Recommendations (Bout of Books Challenge)

It is Day 4 of Bout of Books read-a-thon and today’s challenge is to give some book recommendations on the “If you like this, try this” base.

So, without further ado, here are my book suggestions:

 

If you like chick-lit series with clumsy heroines that will get under your skin, books that will make you feel better even if you had a bad day, try I heart series by Lindsey Kelk.

i heart

 

If you like books with time travel that will keep you on the edge and make you want to speed up your reading so you could turn those pages fast enough, try Tempest series by Julie Cross.

tempest series

 

If you like books with setting so well described and mental landscape pictures so tempting that you will want to transport yourself in the story so you could be there and see the beauty of the place with your own eyes, try My Map pf You by Isabelle Broom.

my map of you

 

If you like books that will make you feel emotional and you will think about the story for days after finishing it, try The Second Love of My Life by Victoria Walters.

the second love

 

If you like books that give you glimpse of past while following the present, books that will make you think of other people’s reasons behind their actions, with a chance to wrack judgments you have, try Christmas at Tiffany’s by Karen Swan.

karen swan

 

If you like hot, swoon worthy feel good young adult contemporary reads, try On the Fence by Kasie West.

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