Top Ten Tuesday - My Best Books for 2016

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is My Best Books for 2016.  2016 was a good reading year.  I read a little more outside my comfort zone than normal and I think because of that most of my reading was really enjoyable.  My list this year is just based off the books I read IN 2016 and not what was released in 2016.  One thing that surprised me is the lack of non-fiction on this list - only 2.  I think in my effort to widen my reading genres I stepped away from nonfiction which is typically one of my favorite.

1. Love from Boy: Roald Dahl's Letters to His Mother by Donald Sturrock - I loved this book of letters from Roald Dahl to his mother!  I especially loved the biographical information that Sturrock added so that not only did I get an idea of what was going on in Dahl's life at the time of the letter writing but how it appears in his books later on.

2.  Matilda by Roald Dahl - I finally got around to reading (well listening) to this book this year and I absolutely loved it.  I went the audio route which was read by Kate Winslett and it was such a treat.  It definitely lived up to expectation.

3.  Moonraker by Ian Fleming - This is the third James Bond and by far my favorite.  I loved getting a sense of Bond in his personal life and I loved the character of Gayla Brand.  This was really a fascinating mystery.

4.  The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan - This was the ultimate comfort read.  It was cozy and fun and heartwarming and by the end I wanted to surround myself with books and move to Scotland!

5.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - This one had been on my TBR for years but I really didn't know what it was about.  I listend to the audio and was absolutely blown away by it.  The voices were wonderful and the story was at times heart wrenching and at times laugh out loud funny.  The characters have stuck with me long after I finished the book.

6.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer - This is another one I'd been wanting to read for ages and that I finally got around to reading.  I loved how Meyer managed to combine cyborgs and fairy tales and make it fresh and interesting and it completely hooked me!

7.  Iris and Ruby by Rosie Thomas - Normally when I read a book with 2 separate timelines I absolutely adore one and just suffer through the other while I wait to get back to the one I like.  This one was different because I absolutely loved both.  I loved seeing Egypt during World War 2 and I loved watching the interactions of Iris and Ruby in modern day.

8.  The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn - I read one of Flinn's books last year and loved it so was curious about her first book about her time at Cordon Bleu.  It was fascinating and entertaining and made me never ever want to attend class while still being a book I just couldn't put down.  I have one more book by her left to read and I can't wait!

9.  In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware - This was one of those books where the audio made it amazing.  The mystery was interesting the setting was terrifying without being obvious and I couldn't wait to see how it all unraveled.  However, what made it absolutely amazing was Imogen Church's narration which was unbelievable.  I was so excited to see that she is narrating Ware's newest book.

10. Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts - I have no idea how many books Roberts has written but it's a ton.  The last few years I've been underwhelmed to say the least - especially with her trilogies.  I didn't have particularly high expectations for this one and only got it because it was displayed at the library one time when I was there. And I really enjoyed it!  It was so nice to really enjoy a Roberts again as it had been so long.  I picked the 2nd book in the trilogy up at the library the other day and can't wait to get started!

What were your favorite books this year?