The Books I Read {2016}

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As part of my 2016 Bucket List I promised to read a book a month. Now, I’m not going to lie – I haven’t read a book every month through the year. But, I’ve read more than twelve books through the year so I think I have done a good job.

To put this into perspective, in 2015 I aimed to read just one book through the year. I used to read so much and it was my way of starting to read again. But this year I have made a huge improvement on the reading front so thought I would share with you the books I have read throughout 2016.

The Last Anniversary – Liane Moriarty

One abandoned baby. Two sisters with a secret. One chance to rewrite the past. Over seventy years have passed since sisters Rose and Connie Doughty found an abandoned baby near their home on the island Scribbly Gum. With no one to take care of it, Rose and Connie took the baby in as their own.

Since then the ‘Munro Baby Mystery’ has brought fame and fortune, putting Scribbly Gum on the tourist map, especially for the island’s annual celebration.

But now, with Connie dead and outsider Sophie Honeywell about to move into her home, Rose begins to wonder if they made the right decision all those years ago. How much longer can they cover up the lie that has sustained their community for generations? And what other secrets are about to be revealed?

This book was fantastic, with so many twists and it took most of the book for the full story to be out in the open. It was a book that really kept me guessing – as I usually guess the ending to these sort of books quite early on. A great read and I am now a definite fan of Liane Moriarty.

Too Good To Be True – Ann Cleeves {Galazy Quick Read}

When young teacher Anna Blackwell is found dead in her home, the police think her death was suicide or a tragic accident. After all, Stonebridge is a quiet country village in the Scottish Borders, where murders just don’t happen.

But Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez soon arrives from far-away Shetland when his ex-wife, Sarah, asks him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it – but needs proof.

Anna had been a teacher. She must have loved kids. Would she kill herself knowing there was nobody to look after her daughter? She had seemed happier than ever before she died. And to Perez, this suggests not suicide, but murder . . .

This was a great book too and I was so sad that it was just a quick read and not a full length novel. It really got me immersed in the story and I wish it had been longer. Really gripping until the very end – a bargain for just £1 and a great length to read in one long sitting!

Harry Potter – all of the books.

I have wanted to re-read Harry Potter for years and finally took the plunge this year, reading them all in just a few short weeks. They were just as good as the first time I read them, I still cried at the points that I knew were coming and I still loved the characters as much as the first time I met them. If you haven’t read these books yet you really must.

The Bluffer’s Guide to Social Media

Instantly acquire all the knowledge you need to pass as an expert in the world of social media. Know what to say, what not to say, what to post, what not to post, and what excuses to make if you don’t know the difference between a tweet and a dweet, or even a retweet (which, any tweeple worth their salt will know is always called an RT). Never again confuse a LOL with an ROFL, a selfie with a shelfie, or Godwin’s Law with the Streisand Effect. Bask in the admiration of your fellow social media aficionados as you pronounce confidently on the chances of Facebook going the way of Friends Reunited and Bebo, and why MySpace could be the Casio keyboard of the 21st century. Above all don’t hold back when it comes to saying what you really think of trolls, pointing out that there has never yet been one who had a healthy mental attitude, a steady job and the requisite intelligence to write anything worth reading.

This book I didn’t read to help me bluff but to see if I could learn anything new. It’s a great size book for anyone to read and perfect to dip in and out of. It really does teach you all about each social media platform in just a few sentences each.

If you’re looking for an easy read that’s light hearted, full of humour and may teach you something new then this is for you. Would also be great for anyone without a clue when it comes to social media.

Disclaimer – Renee Knight

What if you realized the terrifying book you were reading was all about you?

When a mysterious novel appears at Catherine Ravenscroft s bedside, she is curious. She has no idea who might have sent her The Perfect Stranger or how it ended up on her nightstand. At first, she is intrigued by the suspenseful story that unfolds.

And then she realizes.

This isn’t fiction.

This was such a gripping book. If you liked The Girl on the Train then this will be for you. But, parts are really graphic, really hard to read and it does deal with sensitive subjects. But, a really well written book that will have you guessing right to the very end.

Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty

It was always going to end in tears, but how did it end in murder?

Single mum Jane has just moved to town. She’s got her little boy in tow – plus the secret she’s been carrying for five years. On the first day of the school run she meets Madeline – a force to be reckoned with, who remembers everything and forgives no one – and Celeste, the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare, but is inexplicably ill at ease. They both take Jane under their wing – while careful to keep their own secrets under wraps. But a minor incident involving the children of all three women rapidly escalates: playground whispers become spiteful rumours until no one can tell the truth from the lies. Which is when the secrets come out – and now someone is going to pay with their life …

This book was another that kept me guessing until the very end. I can almost guarantee now that if you buy a Liane Moriarty book you’ll be in for a fantastic read. This had suspense, twists in the plot and so many oh em gee moments!

I Let You Go – Clare Mackintosh

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn’t have prevented it. Could she?

This book was not what I expected at all. It was heart wrenching, hard to read and so emotive. Once I started reading it I got sucked into the characters and couldn’t put the book down – I just had to know what happened. A really great read.

Maestra – L S Hilton

By day Judith Rashleigh is a put-upon assistant at a London auction house.

By night she’s a hostess in one of the capital’s unsavoury bars.

Desperate to make something of herself, Judith knows she has to play the game. She’s learned to dress, speak and act in the interests of men. She’s learned to be a good girl. But after uncovering a dark secret at the heart of the art world, Judith is fired and her dreams of a better life are torn apart.

So she turns to a long-neglected friend.

A friend that kept her chin up and back straight through every past slight.

A friend that a good girl like her shouldn’t have: Rage.

This is one I wouldn’t even bother with. I have no idea what it was trying to be. I think it was going all out, trying to shock and be more thrilling than any other thriller ever before. I soon found the graphic scenes boring and instead of being thrilling and shocking they got tedius. 50 Shades of Grey with an even worse plot.

Three Wishes – Liane Moriarty

They say trouble always comes in threes. And for sisters Lyn, Cat and Gemma Kettle, the year they turn thirty-three is no exception.

Sensible Lyn is struggling to balance being a mother, wife and businesswoman without losing her mind. Cat, whose perfect marriage is the envy of all her friends, never suspects that her husband has been hiding a secret that will tear her life apart. And directionless Gemma, who changes jobs and boyfriends every few months, has just met a new man who could be the one to unlock her hidden past.

Through everything, the bonds of the sisters are strong enough to withstand whatever life throws at them. That is until the night of their thirty-fourth birthday dinner, when home truths are revealed and things are said that can’t be taken back . . .

And Liane Moriarty strikes again! Another great book with real characters that you can relate to and a story that could be happening to your friends or family.

After You – Jojo Moyes

Lou Clark has lots of questions.

Like how it is she’s ended up working in an airport bar, spending every shift watching other people jet off to new places.

Or why the flat she’s owned for a year still doesn’t feel like home.

Whether her close-knit family can forgive her for what she did eighteen months ago.

And will she ever get over the love of her life.

What Lou does know for certain is that something has to change.

Then, one night, it does.

But does the stranger on her doorstep hold the answers Lou is searching for – or just more questions?

Close the door and life continues: simple, ordered, safe.

Open it and she risks everything.

But Lou once made a promise to live. And if she’s going to keep it, she has to invite them in . . .

This is the sequel to Me Before You, one of the bets books I have read and one I managed to get through in just over 24 hours. I literally couldn’t put it down. After You was a great book, not quite as great but still a really emotional read with plenty of twists and a really good storyline. I really enjoyed it.

Room – Emma Donoghue

Jack is five. He lives with his Ma. They live in a single, locked room. They don’t have the key.

Jack and Ma are prisoners.

I first heard about Room when a lot of bloggers worked on the movie release but I didn’t see the movie at that time and instead took the book on holiday with us. It’s such a graphic book and the story is both amazing and horrendous in equal measure. It’s not based on a true story – but could be and that was in my head throughout. A really hard hitting book but one I’m glad I read.

The Marble Collector – Cecelia Ahern

A box of possessions.
A father with no memory.
A daughter with just one day to piece together the past.

When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father’s belongings, her seemingly uneventful life suddenly alters and shifts.

In the single day she has to search for answers about the man she thought she knew, a man who can no longer remember his own story, Sabrina uncovers far bigger secrets than she could have imagined. And discovers that sometimes it’s the people closest to us that we know the least.

I have loved Cecelia Ahern since I read PS I Love You years and years ago. This is another well written book about family, love and loyalties with so many different pieces to the story that it will keep you guessing, and thinking, throughout.

So that is my year in books. I am pleased that I’ve got back into reading and can’t wait to read more over the next year. If you have any book recommendations I would love to hear them!