Top Books of 2016

2016 has been an amazing year for books–both new and old. And it was tough, but we do it every year, so some of the authors and staff at Glass House Press have thought long and hard to come up with our top books of 2016. Following please find some of our favorites this year–we tried to keep it to a top two each!–and our reviews.

Our Picks for the Top Books of 2016




“OH! I know my favorite! Six of Crows! And its sequel Crooked Kingdom! Duh. (I’m not sure Six of Crows was actually published this year but the second one was, for sure). They’re by Leigh Bardugo, and what hit me most was how refreshing and original they were. I’m usually not a multiple POV fan but I LOVED all the stories in there and how they wove together. I loved how broken and beautiful and real the characters were. I loved that the quest’s goal was selfish, yet evolved into so much more. I loved how the redemption/forgiveness theme played out and how (again) flawed and real everyone was. Both books were gritty and dark and poignant… And oddly, unexpectedly, beautiful.” 




“Find Her by Lisa Gardner. Just so well written by such an experienced professional. Intense plot and chilling characters. 5 stars.”





“My signed copy of Lady Midnight Cassandra Clare. Never fails to amaze me with her worlds and characters.”





“Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell: incredibly well done, supremely original, and holy wow was this creepy.”



“This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab. Absolutely wonderful. Haunting and tragic and dark and twisty, with just enough hope thrown in to keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is a slow burn, though–you spend the first two thirds or so falling right into the world and characters, and it’s a very sophisticated sort of journey. Definitely not your standard YA”




“Heir of Thunderepic fantasy about a princess on the run.” 



“The other one(s!) I had in mind was Children of Chaos… actually the whole Chaos Born Trilogy. Amazing world building, fantastic characters, compelling premise… also, it’s a little bit Flynn (dark fantasy), a little bit Fated Stars (epic fantasy).” (For those who don’t know, Flynn and Fated Stars are two of Mary’s very own series!)





“This is a bit of cheat because it came out in 2015 but it’s the closet one I have since I spent most of 2016 catching up on older stuff. I like this book because I’m a history buff and this was a fascinating story that I never knew about. You’ve heard of Lewis and Clark. But just a few years after that voyage, John Jacob Astor (a big wig in the fur trade) sent another expedition to the Oregon coast with the hopes of expanding his fur empire and even creating a new country that he could control. This book tells the story of that disastrous enterprise. It’s nonfiction but reads like a thriller with a little wilderness survival thrown in as well.”

That’s our list. What do you think? What was your #1 read for the year? Leave a comment so we can fill our Goodreads shelves!

Happy Reading, guys! And happy 2016-is-finally-almost-done week (is anyone else as relieved as we are???)!
love, the GHP fam

Leave a Reply