My Fiction Choices of 2016

As best as I can tell, I read 112 books this year (plus a few that I didn't count as they were quick re-reads when I needed something familiar and easy; I don't often record those ones). Here are my top picks for fiction, in no particular order (remembering that these are books I read this year, not necessarily books that were published this year).

1. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was interesting, and a frightening look at who we would be if all our evil was allowed to run free.
2. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. One of my Sunday School girls recommended it as the best book ever. It isn't, but it's pretty good and I enjoyed it. It was a nice, quick read.
3. Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson. I just like Dee Henderson. Her books are generally categorized as romance, but I find them to be so much more: mystery, intrigue, and real people with real issues leading real lives.
4. Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye. This one was recommended by my nephew. I enjoyed it, although it was a bit predictable (fantasy, an orphan, a world to save).
5. Agatha Christie: Masterpieces in Miniature, The Sleeping Murder. Five Little Pigs, Sparkling Cyanide, Death in the Clouds, Murder at the Vicarage. What can I say: I'm an Agatha Christie fan. I like that her mysteries are not too obvious, but also possible to solve if you try hard enough.
6. Terry Pratchett: The Wee Free Men, The Wee Free Men, A Blink of the Screen. I'm also a Terry Pratchett fan.
7. My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve, translated by Tammi Reichel. I think it was the characters, how they played off one another, and how they changed that won me over. Also, the ending is not too stereotyped.
8. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. A friend was shocked that I hadn't read this yet, so I read it. It was really good. Spoiler alert: it actually does end!
9. Classic Tales and Fables for Children by Leo Tolstoy. Listen: if you need to read something by a Russian, Tolstoy's children's stuff is the way to go. Some of it is autobiographical, some of it is fiction, and all of it is interesting.
10. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. This one looks and feels like it should be old, but it was published in 2005. It's just a nice book, and reminded me of The Golden Name Day or Caddie Woodlawn or Understood Betsy in that it doesn't try to be "literature" or preachy or moralize. It's just a fun book about a family one summer.

There were others, some good and some less good, but these are my favourites. Another day soon I'll give you my fiction list.