There’s nothing having a baby hasn’t made me great at if not being late to EVERYTHING. Better late than never, right?

I had a decent book year this year… looking back, I read 12 more books than last year. I shall try to read even more next year, although I make no promises to myself.

Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch

I flew through this series like it was literary crack. It’s not great literature, but it had me at the edge of my seat and gave me nightmares. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, but it was a great read.

The Help by Katheryn Stockett

I finally read this book and it had me crying great big tear balls. I highly recommend, and it made me want to rewatch the movie. The end makes you want to fist pump.

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

This is another book that made me immediately go find the movie after reading it. I loved the way this was written. The plot is simple, but the writing and setting are beautiful.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

As much as the third book descends into the realms of chaos and is at times meandering, the first two have a soft spot in my heart. I love the cast of characters and the story.

As You Wish by Cary Elwes

This was written so lovingly and I learned much about the actors and making of the movie. It was fascinating and sweet.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

This is a sneak peek into next month’s reviews, but I loved this book. I could not put it down, and it was so interesting and disturbing.

These are the books that left me with the most feeling even months after reading them, although I enjoyed many this year. I hope I can catch up next month to share what I’ve been reading, since I missed a month or two.

I’m linking up with Steph & Jana for SUYB / Favorite Reads of 2016.

2015 was a good year for books. I did a lot of rereading this year, with Harry Potter! I reread each one, and it was one of my favorite things about books this year.

I think everyone is familiar with Harry Potter, already, so I won’t introduce you to that one. I’ll always post about Harry Potter if I get the chance, though. You never know when you’ll need some in your life.

I read some other fabulous books, which you may or may not have heard of.

1. Trigger Warning – Neil Gaiman

I love fantasy and sci-fi short stories. In fact, that’s almost the only short stories I’ve read. Besides that fact, though, is that Neil Gaiman is my favorite author, and anytime he puts out a new book, I feel excited.

Part of my excitement this year was that I ordered a signed, first edition copy of this book. Neeerrrrrrd. He signed it in purple pen. This was even better than that one time he accepted my friend request on Last.FM.

It is a collection of his short stories. He has several, and I recommend them all. If you’ve never read any, Smoke and Mirrors is a good place to start, although you could start with any of them.

2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

While I’m on that note, I might as well mention American Gods. This was a reread for me, and another of my favorites.

They are supposed to make this into a TV series at some point. Is this still happening? It needs to happen.

The story is that Shadow, recently released from prison, comes home to unexpected news about his wife and is then pulled along as a player in a plot amongst almost-forgotten gods.

3. Attachments – Rainbow Rowell

This is the only book I’ve read by Rainbow Rowell, so far. Man, was it sweet.

It is about a guy working in IT who begins reading emails from a coworker as part of his job to filter emails. Before he knows it, he learns about things going on in her and her coworker’s lives.

I liked the conversations between two best friends through email. If you ever talk to anyone through email at work, you will see similarities. I also cried huge tears at the end.

4. Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

This is a book about how the creators of Pixar run a team of creative people and how they have done business. I enjoyed learning some of the background of Pixar; the Disney-Pixar merge part was especially interesting.

It’s also about lessons in business, and although I’m not in business, it gave me a good idea of how managers should do things. It also kind of spoiled me, because I compare other employers to Pixar and think that it’s not the way Pixar would do things.

5. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

I’ve recommended this before, but you should check it out. It’s a book about love and communication in the modern world. It surprised me with interesting discussions and made me laugh.

6. Rags and Bones

This is a short stories collection, with retellings of classic tales. I mentioned that I am a fan of fantasy and sci-fi short stories, and this has both. Some are much better than others, but I enjoyed them all.

Also enjoyed:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Martian by Andy Weir
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
You’re Never Weird On the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

I’m linking up with Steph today for Show Us Your Books.