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The Annual Top 10 Reads List

It's that time of year again! The best time of the year is when I review the top 10 books that I read from January to December. Note: these books were not necessarily published in 2016, in fact most of them were not. These are just my literary recommendations for my fellow book nerds.



10. Gulliver's Travels (1726) by: Jonathan Swift
Favourite quote: "I cannot but conclude that the bulk of your natives, to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth."
Reason to read this book: it's a classic, and it will make popular references to this book make so much more sense
I had to include this book on here. I read it at the beginning of the year for an English class I was taking, but I totally fell in love with the tale. The whole story mocks the society in which we live. Gulliver is too big in one world, too small in the next, and is made slave to horses in one of the worlds! A bizarre and darkly humorous story that you must read in your lifetime.



9. Charlotte Gray (1999) by: Sebastian Faulks
Favourite quote: "Memory is the only thing that binds you to earlier selves; for the rest, you become an entirely different being every decade or so, sloughing off the old persona, reviewing and moving on. You are not who you were...not who you will be."
Reason to read this book: it puts a new spin on the damsel in distress character (hint: she is really not a damsel)
I know, typical, I had to include a Faulks novel on here. I just love the guy. This story surrounds Charlotte, a female spy during World War II. It is a heartbreaking romance story, but also so much more than that. We look up to Charlotte throughout the whole novel as a woman of independence and bravery, going after what she wants. You should read it if you're into feminist writing, or war, or romance. Just read it.



8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) by: Stieg Larsson
Favourite quote: "Sometimes they were together so often that it felt as though they were really a couple; sometimes weeks and months would go by before they saw each other. But even as alcoholics are drawn to the state liquor store after a stint on the wagon, they came back to each other."
Reason to read this book: it's a book featuring a badass hacker goth lady
The book started a little slowly in the beginning, but the mystery/ drama/ romance/ thriller really picks up midway through. Although Blomvkist is a main character, Lisbeth Salander is the heroine of the story. She is independent, doesn't care about society's norms, is insanely brilliant, and, frankly, just doesn't put up with people's shit. You may have seen the movie, but trust me, the book is just so much better.
                                                         
                                                
7. The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2012) by: Jonas Jonasson
Favourite quote: "You'll see that things will turn out like they do, because that is what usually happens- almost always, in fact."
Reason to read this book: it's optimistic, a light read, and genuinely, darkly humorous
A darkly humorous book about a 100-year-old senior citizen who is simply tired of life in the retirement home, so he sets out on some (criminal) adventures, while somehow always retaining his innocence. He teaches us a lesson: don't take life too seriously! An uplifting read that is sure to warm our heart, but also cringe at times due to the messiness of life.


6. Twelve Years A Slave (1853) by: Solomon Northup
Favourite quote: "I ask no paradise on high, with cares on earth oppressed; the only heaven for which I sigh, is rest, eternal rest."
Reason to read this book: it's a heartbreaking masterpiece that shows the grim realities of slavery
An incredible read that is comparable to Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Except this book is a first hand account of an American freeman who got kidnapped into slavery. The tales he tells are gruesome, disturbing, and even the more shocking because they are based on true events. A must read, but not an easy or light one (also, miles better than the movie remake).


5. Fifteen Dogs (2015) by: Andre Alexis
Favourite quote: "You can't know what a life has been until it is over."
Reason to read this book: it is a very unique concept and will also make you see dogs differently
This is a quirky, sad, profound tale about fifteen dogs who are granted intelligence by the gods. All of a sudden, their simple hierarchy of bigger, stronger dogs at the top and poodles at the bottom is flipped upside down, as the "weaker" dogs begin to communicate with humans by learning their language. Violence prevails, and one dog becomes a poet and is ostracized by the rest of the pack. This is quite a bizarre tale, but is also deeply philosophical and existentialist, making you question what you know about the complexities of being human.


4. The Goldfinch (2013) by: Donna Tartt
Favourite quote: "A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don't get to choose our own hearts. We can't make ourselves want what's good for us or what's good for other people. We don't get to choose the people we are."
Reason to read this book: if you like Dickens, you'll like Tartt even more
This is a heartbreaking tale about a boy who loses his mother, and steals a painting (of a goldfinch) that reminds him of her. The story is all about fate: do we really get to choose our life's path, or are there forces in the universe that choose it for us? This is a deep and difficult read that has many layers and parallel plot lines, but it is definitely worth it. Seeing the slow demise of this troubled boy will make you weep. Trust me.
               


                                       

3. Sophie's Choice (1976) by: William Styron
Favourite quote: "This was not judgment day- only morning. Morning: excellent and fair."
Reason to read this book: it will make you cry
This story is told in the first person by Stingo, and his recollections of Sophie, an Auschwitz survivor. Sophie tells him the story of her horrible past, and he listens, longing for her, only to lead her to her utter demise. This book will haunt me forever, as it is laced with all the worst human atrocities: war, violence, rape, alcoholism, torture, suicide. On top of it all, Sophie, ironically, never has a voice of her own in the novel. She relies on Stingo to tell us, the reader, her story, but we are forced to see Sophie through Stingo's eyes: as a sexual object. It is a modern classic that you really must read.
       

                                      

2. Cat's Eye (1988) by: Margaret Atwood
Favourite quote: "Vanity is becoming a nuisance...I can see why women give it up, eventually. But I'm not ready for that yet."
Reason to read this book: if you've ever been bullied, you can relate to the protagonist
If you're Canadian, you'll enjoy this book, especially if you're familiar with downtown Toronto. It's nice being able to relate to landmarks mentioned in a novel. Also, the tale is poetic and powerful, told in the first person perspective by a Torontonian artist. She recalls her youth and adolescence, and the struggles of transitioning from girlhood to adulthood. Oh, and also she is bullied horribly by her friends, which leaves her with self-confidence issues all the way into her adult years. The book is beautiful and disturbing, which is a classic combination, really.



1. We Need To Talk About Kevin (2003) by: Lionel Shriver
Favourite quote: "You can only subject people to anguish who have a conscience...You can really only punish people who are already a little bit good."
Reason to read this book: you like twisted tales about a murderer's psyche
This is my #1 book of 2016, hands down. A messed up tale about the innate workings of a criminal just would be at the top of the list! This is a chilling and honest story from the first person perspective of the killer's mother. The mother blames herself for what her son has turned out to be, and, in gruesome detail, recalls every moment of Kevin's childhood that indicated his psychotic tendencies. But, in the end, a mother always loves her son. This book will make your spine tingle and your blood boil, so be prepared!


2016 Honourable Mentions (yes, I read a LOT):
The Girl on the Train (Hawkins)
An Astronaut's Guide to Life (Hadfield)
Dark Places (Flynn)
The Widow (Barton)
Doctor Sleep (King)

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