It’s that time of year! Time to reflect on how we spent the last 365 days. Did you accomplish all your goals? Did you follow all the resolutions you set back in January? Did you read a lot of books?
Here at the library, we read a lot of books in our spare time, but on top of that, we read a lot about books to keep up with the latest releases. And now that 2016 is coming to a close, it’s time for a recap. It’s fun to look back at the year’s books as a record of where our hearts and minds were during the year. Did we want to escape into fantasy? Learn something new? Be entertained or be made aware? Laugh, cry, or a little of both?
Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most talked about books in 2016. You’ll notice that many of them are still quite popular, so be prepared to spend some time on the wait list. But don’t despair; it’ll be worth the wait because these books are popular for a reason.
What will you find on this list of 50 buzzworthy releases in adult fiction and non-fiction?
Here are a few highlights:
Thrillers are still enjoying their share of popularity after the runaway success of books like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. Don’t You Cry, I Let You Go, All the Missing Girls, and The Woman in Cabin 10, all fit the bill and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
A few biographies stand out every year. Everyone’s favorite Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen released a highly-anticipated memoir, Born to Run, that did not disappoint. When Breath Becomes Air is the moving story of a young neurosurgeon’s experience on the patient side after he is diagnosed with lung cancer. Lab Girl is the memoir of a geo-biologist’s lifelong study of plants, which might just change the way you look at nature.
In addition, Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 is back! The Underground Railroad, a powerful story with imaginative elements, chronicles one slave’s journey as she escapes via an actual railroad system. An equally powerful novel is Homegoing, a lyrical, heartbreaking debut that spans the length of time from 18th-century Ghana to present day.
Historical fiction continues to captivate our imaginations. Everyone Brave is Forgiven, a story of love and friendship based on the author’s grandparents, is set in London during World War II. A Gentleman in Moscow re-imagines the year 1922, when Count Alexander Rostov was on house arrest. The Summer Before the War, from beloved author Helen Simonsen, chronicles life in a small English town on the eve of World War I.
