2016 Year In Books

The books I read in 2016 are listed below.  For my thoughts on (some of) them, check out my 2016 Reading Highlights.

2016 FICTION
How to Write a Novel by Melanie Sumner
(ebook)

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
(ebook)

The Lake House by Kate Morton
(audiobook, narrated by Caroline Lee)

Paulina and Fran by Rachel Glaser
(ebook)

The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell
(ebook)

O, Pioneers! by Willa Cather
(audiobook, narrated by Barbara McCulloh)

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
(audiobook, narrated by Zach Villa)

Mrs. Engels by Gavin McCrea
(paperback)

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
(audiobook, narrated by Simon Prebble)

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
(audiobook, narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Lorelei King)

Dear Thief by Samantha Harvey
(ebook)

The Past by Tessa Hadley
(audiobook, narrated)

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
(paperback)

Any Human Heart by William Boyd
(audiobook, narrated by Simon Vance)

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
(ebook)

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
(audiobook, narrated by Tavia Gilbert)

The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley
(audiobook, narrated by Erica Sullivan)

The Book of You by Claire Kendal
(ebook)

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
(library book)

This Was Not the Plan by Cristina Alger
(library book)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
(audiobook, narrated by Hillary Huber)

Listening Valley by D.E. Stevenson
(audiobook, narrated by Emma D'Inverno)

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
(audiobook, narrated by Kirsten Potter)

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
(paperback advance copy)

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon
(ebook)

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
(hardcover)

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
(audiobook, narrated by Kathleen Early)

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
(audiobook, narrated by Mia Barron)

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle
(library book)

Nora Webster by Colm Toibin
(hardcover)

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
(audiobook, narrated by Fiona Hardingham)

The Girl with All the Gifts
(audiobook, narrated by Finty Williams)

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
(hardcover)

Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
(library book)

After I Do by Taylor Jenkin Reid
(audiobook)

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
(hardcover)

Elizabeth the First Wife by Lian Dolan
(ebook)

Three-Martini Lunch by Suzanne Rindell
(audibook)

Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen
(hardcover)

The Decent Proposal by Kemper Donovan
(library book)

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
(ebook)

Nobody's Fool* by Richard Russo
(audiobook, narrated by Ron McLarty)

The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan
(library book)

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee
(audiobook)

Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo
(hardcover)

The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian
(ebook)

Tremarnock by Emma Burstall
(ebook)

Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh
(audiobook)

Because She Loves Me by Mark Edwards
(audiobook)

The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene
(ebook)

The Widow by Fiona Barton
(hardcover)

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
(ebook)

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
(audiobook)

The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett
(library book)

Letters for Scarlet by Julie Gardner
(ebook)

Here's to Us by Elin Hilderbrand
(audiobook)

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
(hardcover)

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
(library book)

Paradise Lodge by Nina Stibbe
(audiobook)

No One Knows by J.T. Ellison
(hardcover)

The Children by Ann Leary
(hardcover)

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
(audiobook)

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
(library book)

Riders by Jilly Cooper
(ebook via EPL)

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
(ebook)

Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan(paperback)

Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt
(audiobook)

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood
(ebook)

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale
(ebook)

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin
(audiobook)

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
(ebook)

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
(audiobook)

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
(hardcover)

The Inseparables by Stuart Nadler
(audiobook)

We're All Damaged by Matthew Norman
(audiobook)

When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker
(audiobook)

The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close
(library book)

Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry
(ebook)

Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan
(audiobook)

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
(ebook)

Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller
(audiobook)

Siracusa by Delia Ephron
(library book)

Belgravia by Julian Fellows
(audiobook)

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
(audiobook)

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
(audiobook)

The Girls by Emma Cline
(ebook)

The Dinner Party by Brenda Janowitz
(ebook)

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
(audiobook)

The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer
(hardcover)

The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
(ebook)

The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang
(audiobook)

Bridget Jones's Baby: The Diaries by Helen Fielding
(hardcover)

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
(paperback)

The Fall Guy by James Lasdun
(hardcover)

The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
(hardcover)

Sarah Morris Remembers by D.E. Stevenson
(audiobook)

The Gilded Years by Karen Tanabe
(audiobook, narrated by Janina Edwards)

Excellent Women* by Barbara Pym
(audiobook)

The Guise of Another by Allen Eskens
(audiobook)

The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris
(audiobook)

Young Mrs. Savage by D.E. Stevenson
(audiobook)

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
(library book)

Invincible Summer by Alice Adams
(ebook)

A Day at the Office by Matt Dunn
(ebook)

The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane
(ebook)

Winter Storms by Elin Hilderbrand
(library book)

The Nix by Nathan Hill
(audiobook)

Junior Miss by Sally Benson
(hardcover)

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
(audiobook)

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
(ebook)

2016 MEMOIRS, ESSAYS, and OTHER NON-FICTION

It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell

(ebook)

The World's Strongest Librarian:  A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne
(audiobook, narrated by Stephen R. Thorne)

How to Be Interesting: An Instruction Manual by Jessica Hagy
(library book)

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
(library book)

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
(paperback)

Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia by Harriet Brown
(ebook)

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
(hardcover)

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber
(ebook)

Never Broken: Songs are Only Half the Story by Jewel
(audiobook, narrated by the author)

When We Were the Kennedys:  A Memoir from Mexico, Maine by Monica Wood
(ebook)

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family by Kathleen Flinn
(audiobook)

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
(ebook)

After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir by Christina McDowell
(audiobook)

Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
(ebook)

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist
(hardcover)

Keep It Shut:  What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All by Karen Ehman
(ebook)

Forever, Erma by Erma Bombeck
(ebook)

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer
(library book)

Come to the Edge by Christina Haag
(ebook)

No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering by Clara Bensen
(audiobook)

String Theory: David Foster Wallace on Tennis by David Foster Wallace
(hardcover)

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
(hardcover)

Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin
(audiobook)

Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing by Jennifer Weiner
(hardcover)

Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne
(ebook)

The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell
(library book)

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
(audiobook)

Tree of Treasures: A Life in Ornaments by Bonnie Mackay
(library book)

Boys in Trees by Carly Simon
(ebook)

Girl Trouble: An Illustrated Memoir by Kerry Cohen
(library book)

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
(audiobook, narrated by author)

Besties by Leah Reena Goren
(library book)

Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill
(ebook)

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
(library book)

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
(library book)

The Bridge Ladies by Betsy Lerner
(ebook)

An (*) indicates a reread.  Unless otherwise noted, my ebooks are read via the Kindle app on my phone or iPad.  EPL = Elmhurst Public Library.

Merry Christmas

 Our nativity at home.  One of the loveliest and most special wedding gifts we received.

I was proud of my kids for remembering to place Baby Jesus in his manger first thing this morning.

 One of the nativity scenes at our parish.  

Our grade school's Christmas card, designed by a class of fourth graders.  I just love it.

Finally, a poem that I discovered earlier this year when my daughter was on a poetry reading (aloud) kick.  I can envision a sweet heart-shaped Christmas ornament with the poem on one side.  Will file that idea away in the room mom folder in my brain.  Here's the poem ...

MY GIFT

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am;

If I were a shepherd,

I would give Him a lamb.

If I were a wise man,

I would do my part.

But what can I give Him?

I will give him my heart.

Christina Rosetti

Gift Idea -- Nora Fleming

 

That's our elf, JJ, sittin' pretty on a pile of cinnamon-scented pinecones in the middle of my Nora Fleming salad bowl.  Nora Fleming, you say?  Tell me more.  If you are seeking a gift for a woman who loves to entertain and collect, a woman with a soft spot for cute stuff, consider Nora Fleming serving pieces.  All the pieces are simple and cream colored with a little beaded detail.  There's a little hole in each (I should have photographed this) where you can stick an adorable mini--like the woody wagon with tree on top featured above--to suit the occasion.  Having made it known that I am a woman who likes to entertain and collect, I have received some Nora Fleming pieces (platters, bowl, napkin holder, cheese board) and minis over the past five years.  I have also treated myself to some more minis now and again.  They are so cute that it's hard not to.

See what's I'm talking about?  So stinking cute.  

 

Fun, fun, fun.

Where to find Nora Fleming platters and minis?  I'm lucky because the best gift shop here in Pleasantville (Uptown Shop, Elmhurst, IL) sells them.  I believe they are also available at Von Maur.  Nora Fleming lives in a neighboring suburb, I think, and must be a generous lady as I have also seen Nora Fleming gift collections on auction for good causes (one of which I won -- woo hoo!).  

I totally get it that this kind of thing is a "me me me!!!" for some and an "eyeroll" for others.  Some like the idea of basics that can be jazzed up.  Others are not at all tempted by more stuff.  We all like what we like and do what we do.  I'm just sharing this gift idea in case you need something to add to your own Christmas list or need inspiration for someone you love.  I seem to have aged out of the wedding shower circuit and didn't know about Nora Fleming back when I was on it, but for the "me me me!!! I love cute stuff" bride, I think a basic platter and a couple minis would make a great gift.

My Tree of Treasures -- New and Fair Trade Additions

Inspired by Bonnie Mackay's Tree of Treasures, I'm going to share the history of two of my tree treasures.  I'm kind of cheating because I bought both ornaments just last weekend, but why not start with a task that won't task my increasingly iffy memory? 

The gorgeous cardinal ornament above now has a perfect eye level spot on my beloved cardinal tree.  Made in India, the ornament was purchased at our parish's free trade artisan market, which takes place each year in December.  The purpose of the market is to bring a variety of artisan goods to buyers who pay fair prices for them and help support artisans and families all over the globe.  It's made of fabric, and I fell in love with the cording and beading details.  With many cardinals already perched on my tree, new additions have to be very unique and beautiful (see above) or welcome gifts from friends.

This beautiful ornament featuring the Holy Family was (surprise surprise) also purchased at the fair trade artisan event.  If I could get a decent photo of our family tree, you'd see that we need another ornament like a hole in the head.  However, I fell in love with this nativity tucked inside a hollowed out gourd from Peru.  Who can argue with a new and beautiful reminder of the true meaning of this Christmas season?

Both ornaments were purchased from the vendor Gracias Free Trade.  I know they'll grace our trees for many years.

Kindle First -- Whatdya Think?

I've been an Amazon Prime member for about ten years, I think.  I joined for the free, fast shipping.  A few years ago, our family began accessing the Prime videos for streaming television shows, movies, and original series.  I downloaded the Prime Music app on my phone, but I'm not exactly sure what's going on there yet.  The idea of Prime Photo Storage is appealing.  However, the whole arena of digital photo storage, clouds, etc., makes me feel anxious.

My awareness of the Kindle First book offerings for Prime members was only foggy.  Basically, Prime members can choose one book each month for free that is going to be released the following month.  I always assumed the books wouldn't be any good so didn't follow up until a friend of mine told me she had gotten a book we ended up selecting for book club for free via Kindle First.  I started paying attention. 

Now, checking out the Kindle First selections and choosing one has become another monthly ritual.  I've read a few books so far, my favorite of which was Kerry Lonsdale's Everything We Keep -- crazy mystery/romance page-turner.

Here are screen shots of this month's offerings.  I couldn't fit the Amazon-provided tag lines in my collage, but I will list them below.  By the way, I'd love to be able to write these kind of tags.  I should practice.

Sister One, Two, Three by Nancy Star -- CONTEMPORARY FICTION

Three sisters.  Three Memories.  One chance to reunite them all.

Hope's Peak by Tony Healey -- THRILLER

Detective Jane Harper is learning that secrets in Hope's Peak don't just die hard.  They kill.

The Missing by Caroline Eriksson -- PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE

When a father and daughter vanish during a family trip, Greta questions her sanity.

Fate of Perfection by K.F. Breene -- SCIENCE FICTION

A corporation made her.  Now it wants her child.

Into the Thickening Fog by Andrei Gelasimov -- LITERARY FICTION

A state of emergency turns wickedly funny for a famous Russian director in his hometown.

The Original Dream by Nukila Amal -- MAGICAL REALISM

What happens when life is like a dream and dreams are like real life?

So what did I choose?  One of the three translated novels on offer ...  A novel that is not magical realism or science fiction...  A novel that sounded compelling, funny, and smart...  The one set in Russia ...

Drumroll please.  I chose Into the Thickening Fog by Andrei Gelasimov, who is apparently a popular writer in his own land.  Russia's been on my mind since reading A Gentleman in Moscow, and reading a book where cold features prominently seems like a perfect activity for January (on comfy couch with warm blanket).

If you're Prime, it will cost you nothing but a few minutes of your time to treat yourself to a Kindle First selection.  Enjoy!

Tree of Treasures

I'll save my November NaBloPoMo wrap-up for another day.  Here's a sneak preview for December here at Books and Carbs.  I found Bonnie Mackay's Tree of Treasures on a new release kiosk at the library.  It's the perfect library book, not something I need to own, but something I am so glad to have read.  Mackay owns many, many ornaments and has been in the ornament business for much of her professional career.  

The book pairs photos of some of her favorite ornaments with stories about their origin and significance.  As her subtitle promises, it's "a life in ornaments."

I want to write about some of my favorite ornaments this month (not every day, I promise).  Mackay's book made me think of how cool it would be for adult children to photograph and write about some of their favorite ornaments for a family ornament book that could be given to parents as a keepsake gift.  Maybe I'll take some pics of my parents' tree when we're home for Christmas and recruit some writers of all ages.   

What if I could get my kids to write about one ornament each year starting NOW and collect the photos and write-ups in an album?  Am I getting carried away?  We'll see.