What I read in 2016

I set myself a target to read 50 books in 2016, just like I did in 2015. Although I fell 4 books short of that figure, I'm still pleased that I managed to read 46 brand new books during a pretty busy and turbulent year.

Rather than giving a mini review of each book like I did last year, I thought I'd use a traffic light system to categorise the books I've read. I love categorising and I love colour coding so this is the perfect solution! All the books I loved and raved about fall under the 'recommended' category, books I didn't fall in love with but which others might enjoy fall under the 'unsure' category, and books I thought were either terrible all the way through or had an awful ending which rendered the whole book a waste of time fall under the 'not recommended' category.

As you'll see from the extensive list below, I read lots of my usual crime fiction books in 2016. Also, as a result of Kindle recommendations and daily deals, I read quite a few psychological thrillers last year. It turned out my mind was a little too fragile to deal with those types of books at the time but hopefully I'll be able to go back to that genre at some point. Due to being so stressed out during the second half of the year and unable to read anything too frightening and/or twisted, I regressed to my childhood and read a few teenagers' books as recommended by Liz over at Distract me Now Please. These books kept me entertained before, during and after the recovery from my operation and they were perfect for my traumatised mind. I also read a few non-fiction books last year, as well as a screenplay, so it's fair to say that last year's books were a very mixed bag of genres, formats and recommended age ranges!


1. Only the Innocent, Rachel Abbott - Recommended

2. Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking, Susan Cain - Recommended

3. Sleep tight, Rachel Abbott - Recommended

4. The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson - Unsure

5. The Back Road, Rachel Abbott - Recommended

6. Nowhere Child, Rachel Abbott - Recommended

7. The Disney Book - Recommended

8. Kill me again, Rachel Abbott - Recommended

9. Dead Lost, Helen H Durrant - Recommended
10. Someone to watch over me, Madeleine Reiss - Not recommended
11. Behind closed doors, B A Paris - Recommended
12. Between you and me, Lisa Hall - Recommended
13. The Accident, C L Taylor - Recommended
14. While my eyes were closed, Linda Green - Recommended
15. Into thin air, Jon Krakauer - Unsure
16. Clean and Lean Diet, James Dulgan - Not recommended
17. Forget me not, John Hemmings - Unsure
18. The Darkest Secret, Alex Marwood - Recommended
19. Play Dead, Angela Marsons - Recommended
20. Dark Houses, Helen Durrant - Recommended
21. Gone, T.J.Brearton - Not recommended
22. Grey, E L James - Not recommended
23. Not quite dating, Catherine Bybee - Unsure
24. Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging, Louise Rennison - Recommended
25. A year of Marvellous Ways, Sarah Winman - Unsure
26. Out of bounds, Val McDermid - Recommended
27. Playing with Fire, Tess Gerritsen - Recommended
28. It's ok, I'm wearing really big knickers! Louise Rennison - Recommended
29. Knocked out by my nunga-nungas, Louise Rennison - Recommended
30. Dancing in my nuddy-pants, Louise Rennison - Recommended
31. And that's when it fell off in my hand, Louise Rennison - Recommended
32. Then he ate my boy entrancers, Louise Rennison - Recommended
33. Startled by his furry shorts, Louise Rennison - Recommended
34. Luuurve is a many trousered thing, Louise Rennison - Recommended
35. The little bookshop of lonely hearts, Anne Darling - Unsure
36. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins - Recommended
37. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, John Thorne - Unsure
38. Murder most unladylike, Robin Stevens - Recommended
39. Go set a watchman, Harper Lee - Recommended
40. Tell me no lies, Lisa Hall - Not recommended
41. Dead and Buried, Helen Durrant - Not recommended
42. Dead Nasty, Helen Durrant - Unsure
43. Blood Lines, Angela Marsons - Recommended
44. The Forgotten Woman, Angela Marsons - Recommended
45. Stop in the name of pants, Louise Rennison - Recommended
46. Are these my basoomas I see before me, Louise Rennison - Recommended


So those are the books I read in 2016... I'm looking forward to reading many more in 2017!