{7QT} Seven of My Favorite Books from 2016

I read almost 30 books last year!  29 and a half to be exact.  5 and a half of them were audiobooks, and 5 of them were re-reads. But 19 of them were real, print books that I'd never read before.  Go me!  If I hadn't kept a list I wouldn't have believed it!  Only 3 of them were non-fiction, so 2016 was definitely a year of fiction.  I think all my reading years have always been fiction years. :)  I have always liked to escape into a book.
I did a favorite books of the year post before on the blog and so I thought I'd do one again, since my "reading life" was a healthy one this year.  In this favorites list, I exclude titles that I was re-reading and looked at only the new material.  


1.  Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
Beautifully written, haunting characters and a story that stays with you.  I ending up buying this one to own because it is in my top 3 for this year.  (Anne at Modern Mrs Darcy puts it in her list of books to curl up with this winter!)  

2. Watership Down by Richard Adams
I had always thought this book was about a voyage and a ship!  And then when I knew it was about rabbits, I wasn't sure it was one I wanted to read.  However, it has withstood the test of time and is highly acclaimed so I gave it a try.  It is an exciting, adventurous story, vividly imagined.  Although it is about rabbits, it is not childish, but full of heroism and friendship and perseverance and not a little blood and violence!

3. Big, Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
This was the second book I read by Liane (the first being What Alice Forgot, which I loved) and I enjoyed it very much.  The story and characters were engrossing and I couldn't put it down.  It explores a dark, hidden side of polite, upper-class society with sensitivity, while including scandal, romance, parenting drama, and a death (or was it murder?).  I wouldn't call it a serious read, but it doesn't cross the line into fluff.
   4. Still Life by Louise Penny
A murder takes place in a small village . . . As a murder mystery reader, that's all I really need to be enticed to read a book!  This is the first book of a series and I found the deep insight into human life and relationships, and weakness to be much beyond the average murder mystery.

5. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
I wrote a little about this book here.  There is something about the quality of the writing in this book that is so fine and really puts modern books to shame.

6. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
This was an audiobook, read by the author.  The whole book had such a captivating atmosphere.  The feel and sights and sounds of the lush summer forest just flowed out at me while I listened to this story.  I loved the reverence with which the wildlife and the plants and insects of the southern Appalachian region are described.  I also felt drawn into the lives of the three main characters, who are forced to grow and embrace sometimes difficult changes during that hot summer.

7. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
I read this one in the last days of the year, while nursing my newborn and resting.  It was my favorite of the whole year.  Slow and thoughtful and oh, so wise.  A man looks back on his life. He will die soon and he wishes to share some of who he is with his very young son, who will not remember the man that he was.  It sounds uninteresting, but this is a beautifully crafted book, full of a great love for life, for the world, for the people in the world.  I want to share this book with everyone!

Bonus: Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan -- a children's book that I really enjoyed!

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