Our Favorite Fiction of 2016

Now that 2017 is almost here, it’s time to look back at our favorite books of 2016. We read a lot of great books this year, and shared our favorites in our annual fiction and nonfiction booklets, which you can get at the library. But for those of you who can’t make it in, I’ve broken down the lists for you here with links to the catalog and the names of the staffers who recommended them.

I listed our favorite fiction in the following categories: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thrillers, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult/Graphic Novel. There is some overlapping, such as when a book is both young adult and fantasy. Tomorrow I will provide a breakdown of our favorite nonfiction books. So start placing your holds to get you through the long, cold months to come!

CONTEMPORY FICTION

• Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson, recommended by Jo, Ellen, Becky, Jane and Cyndi
• Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, recommended by Jo
• The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood, recommended by Jane
• Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman, recommended by Jo
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, recommended by Andrea
• Everybody’s Fool by Richard Russo, recommended by Jo and Jane
• The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee, recommended by Haley
• First Comes Love by Emily Giffin, recommended by Jane
• First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, recommended by Andrea
• Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst, recommended by Sonia
• The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close, recommended by Jane
• LaRose by Louise Erdrich, recommended by Ellen
• Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley, recommended by Andrea
• Long Way Gone by Charles Martin, recommended by Sonia
• Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen, recommended by Jane
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett, recommended by Becky and Haley
• Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt, recommended by Lindsay
• The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald, recommended by Dave, Andrea and Jo
• This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell, recommended by Jo
• Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple, recommended by Andrea
• What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi, recommended by Lindsay

HISTORICAL FICTION

• Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, recommended by Jo
• Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, recommended by Ellen, Becky and Jane
• Belgravia by Julian Fellowes, recommended by Jane
• The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, recommended by Jane
• The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis, recommended by Jo
• Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave, recommended by Ellen and Sonia
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, recommended by Andrea
• The Girls by Emma Cline, recommended by Becky and Andrea
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, recommended by Andrea and Ellen
• It’s. Nice. Outside. By Jim Kokoris, recommended by Ellen
• Last Days of Night by Graham Moore, recommended by Ellen
• My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, recommended by Ellen, Jo and Andrea
• News of the World by Paulette Jiles, recommended by Jo
• The Nix by Nathan Hill, recommended by Ellen
• The One Man by Andrew Gross, recommended by Becky and Andrea
• The Past by Tessa Hadley, recommended by Ellen
• Jane Steele: A Confession by Lindsay Faye, recommended by Jo
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, recommended by Andrea
• The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, recommended by Ellen, Jane and Jo
• To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey, recommended by Jo
• Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon, recommended by Haley
• The Turner House by Angela Flournoy, recommended by Haley
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, recommended by Jo and Ellen
• The Vegetarian by Han Kang, recommended by Becky
• The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, recommended by Ellen

MYSTERIES, SUSPENSE AND THRILLERS

• Arrowood by Laura McHugh, recommended by Jane
• Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, recommended by Ellen, Becky and Jane
• Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase, recommended by Becky, Ellen and Jane
• Brighton by Michael Harvey, recommended by Becky
• Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley, recommended by Jo
• The Couple Next Door by Sheri Lapena, recommended by Becky
• Dodgers by Bill Beverly, recommended by Becky and Andrea
• The Defense by Steve Cavanagh, recommended by Becky
• End of Watch by Stephen King, recommended by Mark
• Fields Where They Lay by Timothy Hallinan, recommended by Jo
• Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben, recommended by Jo
• The Great Reckoning by Louise Penny, recommended by Jo, Ellen, Sonia and Andrea
• The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens, recommended by Mary Ann and Ellen
• Inherit the Bones by Emily Littlejohn, recommended by Andrea
• Jane Steele: A Confession by Lindsay Faye, recommended by Jo
• The Killing Kind, Michael Hendricks Book 1 by Chris Holm, recommended by Jo
• Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, recommended by Cyndi and Andrea
• Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner, recommended by Becky and Haley
• My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier, recommended by Cyndi and Mark
• The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton, recommended by Andrea and Ellen
• Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson, recommended by Jo and Jane
• Red Right Hand, Michael Hendricks Book 2 by Chris Holm, recommended by Jo
• Redemption Road by John Hart, recommended by Jo, Ellen and Becky
• The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton, recommended by Jo
• Shattered Tree by Charles Todd, recommended by Jane
• Skies of Ash by Rachel Howzell Hall, recommended by Haley
• The Trespasser by Tana French, recommended by Ellen
• The Unseen World by Liz Moore, recommended by Sonia
• Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry, recommended by Andrea
• The Verdict by Nick Stone, recommended by Becky and Haley
• What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan, recommended by Becky
• When the Music’s Over by Peter Robinson, recommended by Jane
• Where It Hurts by Reed Farrel Coleman, recommended by Jo
• Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman, recommended by Jane
• The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly, recommended by Jane

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND HORROR

• Arcadia by Iain Pears, recommended by Ellen
• Crooked Kingdom, Book 2 by Leigh Bardugo, recommended by Andrea and Cyndi
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, recommended by Andrea and Ellen
• The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, At the Edge of Empire  by Daniel Kraus, recommended by Mark
• Death’s End by Cixin Liu, recommended by Joe
• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, recommended by Lindsay
• The Fireman by Joe Hill, recommended by Mark
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, recommended by Cyndi, Jocelyn and Jo
• League of Dragons by Naomi Novik, recommended by Jo and Susie
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, recommended by Joe
• Six of Crows, Book 1 by Leigh Bardugo, recommended by Andrea and Cyndi
• A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir, recommended by Cyndi and Andrea
• The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, recommended by Ellen
• My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, recommended by Mark

YOUNG ADULT AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Bitch Planet, Volume 1 by Kelly Deconnick, recommended by Lindsay
• Crooked Kingdom, Book 2 by Leigh Bardugo, recommended by Andrea and Cyndi
• The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, At the Edge of Empire  by Daniel Kraus, recommended by Mark
• Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick, recommended by Cyndi
• Faith, Vol. 1, Hollywood and Vine by Jody Houser, recommended by Mark
• The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis, recommended by Cyndi
• Filmish by Edward Ross, recommended by Nate
• Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown, recommended by Cyndi
• Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow, recommended by Cyndi
• Groot by Jeff Loveness, recommended by Mark
• Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley, recommended by Cyndi
• Mooncop by Tom Gauld, recommended by Nate
• My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, recommended by Cyndi
• My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier, recommended by Cyndi and Mark
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, recommended by Andrea
• The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner, recommended by Cyndi
• Six of Crows, Book 1 by Leigh Bardugo, recommended by Andrea and Cyndi
• Step Aside Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection, recommended by Lindsay
• The Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin, recommended by Cyndi
• A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir, recommended by Cyndi and Andrea
• The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith, recommended by Cyndi