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Marissa’s 2016 Reading List

Posted on: 27th Dec 2016  /   Categorized: Book Love

As per blog tradition, it’s my annual Reading List post!

 

Despite feeling like I never have time to read these days, I’m quite proud of myself for having crossed a grand total of 64 books off the TBR list in 2016. Of course, I have fabulous audiobooks to thank for that, and the fact that I’ve gotten past my aversion of reading on my phone which I always hated to do before, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

 

 

2016 was definitely the year of non-fiction… especially books on productivity and creativity. As my resolution at the start of the year had been to teach myself new habits for tackling my to-do list and the bajillion writing projects I had in the works or waiting on the back burner, and I simply couldn’t use our twin toddlers as an excuse anymore, I read as much as I could about time management and prioritization. And it’s really made a difference! I feel like 2017 might be my most writing-filled year yet, and I am super excited about it.

 

Breakdown by Genre:

Young Adult: 27

Productivity & Writing Guides: 16

Other Non-fiction: 6

Graphic Novels: 6

Middle Grade: 4

Other Fiction (Non-YA): 4

Poetry: 1

Total Books Read: 64

 

 

Top Recommendations

 

Usually I do a Top 10 Favorite Books post at the end of the year, but because this year was more segmented by genre than usual, I thought that I would instead highlight those that most stood out to me in their genre.

 

For Productivity and Writing Guides: I discovered so many fantastic new techniques from The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey, Getting Things Done by David Allen, and From 2K to 10K by Rachel Aaron.

 

In the Graphic Novel sector: I devoured both The Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld (releasing later in 2017) and Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke.

 

In Middle Grade: Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate made me cry in public, and I am in love with Lintang and the Pirate Queen by my long-time beta-reader Tamara Moss. (It’s coming out this summer from Penguin Random House Australia and OH I HOPE I HOPE it gets picked up soon in America, because it’s fantastic.)

 

And as for my beloved YA, there are a LOT of fantastic books on the below list, but the ones that have stuck with me the most are Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig, First & Then by Emma Mills, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo.

 

 

The Complete List

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

How to Make a Living as a Writer by James Scott Bell

The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey

Now and Again by Jennifer Ellision

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Hatch! Brainstorming Secrets of a Theme Park Designer by C. McNair Wilson

Secrets from the Eating Lab: The Science of Weight Loss, the Myth of Willpower, and Why You Should Never Diet Again by Traci Mann

A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers, and Other Badass Girls, edited by Jessica Spotswood

I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time by Laura Vanderkam

How to Write a Novel by Nathan Bransford

Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Emma by Jane Austen (graphic novel adaptation by Po Tse and Crystal S. Chan)

Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind, edited by Jocelyn K. Glei

The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (audiobook)

Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

These Vicious Masks by by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

The Stark Naked 21-Day Metabolic Reset by Brad Davidson

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Valor, edited by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton (graphic novel)

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (audiobook)

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (audiobook)

The Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld (graphic novel)

Off Balance: Getting Beyond the Work-Life Balance Myth to Personal and Professional Satisfaction by Matthew Kelly

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero (audiobook)

2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron

The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia

The Now Habit by Neil Fiore, Ph.D. (audiobook)

Nemesis by Anna Banks

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

First & Then by Emma Mills

Joyride by Anna Banks

The  Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

Poisoned Apples by Christine Heppermann

Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly

Unsubscribe by Jocelyn K. Glei

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Kiss Cam by Kiara London

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham (graphic novel)

Battling Boy by Paul Pope (graphic novel)

Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke (graphic novel)

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (audiobook)

Lintang and the Pirate Queen by Tamara Moss

5 Comments

  1. Zoey commented on:

    Sometimes I forget writers are readers first (:
    64 books?! That’s amazing!
    Speaking as someone who read half that much… ‘^^
    I had a terrible case of reading slump in the beginning of 2016 and it took a lot of my reading away. Sad, really, but I’m hoping for better luck in 2017 (:

    It looks like you read so many amazing books this year!
    I absolutely loved Carry On, The 5th wave, and so many more you mentioned.

    Happy new year, Marissa Meyer!
    I hope you’ll have a great year in 2017 (:
    Read, write, and most important of all: be happy!

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  5. Talesha Lance commented on:

    Interesting article. Thanks Author

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