Books I Read in 2016

Every year I track the books I read. This year, the best books I read were Contagious, by Jonah Berger, A Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, and Travels with Charlie, by John Steinbeck. My favorite by far was A Handmaid’s Tale. I’ve read Atwood’s The Blind Assassin (twice) and couldn’t stand it, but now I can’t wait to read more by her.

The Ratings

Oh, and I rate each of the books I read in 2016 (and every year) on a personally subjective scale:

• * I couldn’t finish reading it, I hated it so much
• ** I finished the book, but I wish I had the hours back I spent on it
• *** It was about as expected, glad I read it but I wouldn’t recommend it
• **** I really enjoyed reading the book, and would definitely recommend it to others
• **** I MUST OWN THIS NOW! I want to reread it over and over and over

Looking for past years? Here’s 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.

Without further ado, the books I read in 2016:

Books I Read in 2016

• Personal History, by Katharine Graham ***
• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami****
• Dune, by Frank Herbert***
• Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronté***
• Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer***
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Mark Haddon****
• The Martian, by Andy Weir****
• Washington Square, by Henry James****
• Iron King, by Maurice Druon***
• Masters of Sex, by Thomas Maier****
• Mrs. Miniver, by Jan Struthers****
• Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay***
• It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, by dana boyd****
• Girl at War, by Sara Nović***
• Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow****
• Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver**
• Unaccustomed Earth, by Jhumpa Lahiri****
• Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie***
• Next to Love, by Ellen Feldman****
• The Innovator’s Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen***
• How to Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran***
• The Inn at Rose Harbor, by Debbie Macomber**
• Contagious, by Jonah Berger*****
• Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger**
• Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky***
• Star Wars: Path of Destruction, by Drew Karpyshyn***
• Star Wars: The Rule of Two, by Drew Karpyshyn***
• Star Wars: Dynasty of Evil, by Dre Karpyshyn***
• Myst, by Rand Miller, Robyn Miller, and David Wingrove***
• 12 Chairs, by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov****
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby***
• Mistborn: Bands of Mourning, by Brandon Sanderson****
• Mistborn: Shadows of Self, by Brandon Sanderson****
• House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski***
• A Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood*****
• Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck*****
• Stars of David, by Abigail Pogrebin***
• The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, by Sydney Padua****
• Without You, There Is No Us, by Suki Kim**
• Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie****
• Leaving the Atchoka Station, by Ben Lerner**
• Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin ****
• Leviathan Wakes, by James S. A. Corey***
• The Girl On The Train, by Paula Hawkins***
• Still Alice, by Lisa Genova****
• In the Garden of the Beasts, by Erik Larson***
• Caliban’s War, by James S. A. Corey***
• Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie***
• Calamity, by Brandon Sanderson****
• The Awakening, by Kate Chopin***
• All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr***
• The Writer’s Journey, by Christopher Vogel***
• Love in the Ruins,  by Walker Percy***
• Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline***
• Tess of the D’Ubervilles, by Thomas Hardy****
• The Ice Queen, by Alice Hoffman****