I’m linking up at with the lovely ladies at The Broke and The Bookish for this mid-way check-in on the best books of the year…so far!
I was in a massive reading slump for the first few months of the year and my reading has just recently picked up. Last year, exactly half of the books on my June Best Books I’ve Read So Far This Year list ended up being among my overall favorite books of 2015. I suspect that percentage will fall this year.
Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe
Starring a seventeen year-old girl that I adored…
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
The first book I read in 2016…and also my first 5 star book of the year.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington
A Southern coming of age story that reminded me a bit of My Sunshine Away (one of my favorites of last year).
Shelter by Jung Yun
The dark and serious kind of family dysfunction…
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
The most recent book that blew my mind…
Tender by Belinda McKeon
Made me feel completely uncomfortable, but I couldn’t look away…
The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee
Surprisingly dark with spot-on social commentary…
The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
I debated about this one since it’s light and probably considered frivolous, but it is also well done and I completely enjoyed reading it!
The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder
Totally underrated musings on life by a bunch of middle-aged dudes participating in a bizarre ritual…
Why They Run the Way They Do by Susan Perabo
My favorite short story collection of 2016 so far…
I’ve only read The Swans of Fifth Avenue but I want to read several others.
That was a fun one!
i have read seven of them and agree with your comments. However, you should read Grace by Natashia Deon
Wow – 7 is a pretty good overlap!
Dear Fang, With Love looks very interesting – that cover instantly caught my eye from that bunch of books. 🙂
Happy reading!
It is a gorgeous one!
I’m not familiar with any of the books that you mentioned this week, but I’ll have to go to Goodreads and check a few of them out. Have a great week!
TTT
Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
Lucy Barton is one of my favorites too. What a thoughtful book. The Portable Veblen was another of my favorites. I’m curious about Sweetbitter.
I agree – especially the second half!
Lucy Barton was one of my favorites last year. I’m looking forward to Shelter and Swans of Fifth Avenue. Great list!
You’re the one that got me to read Lucy Barton! And Shelter is probably my #1 of the year so far, so I hope you get to it!
I just got Dear Fang from the library and I’m so excited! I totally agree about Tender – its on my list too – so awkward at moments and I couldn’t put it down. Great list!
Yay – hope it works for you!
I definitely enjoyed Only love Can Break Your Heart more than I thought I would going into it. I added Dear Fang With Love to my TBR and will probably read it based on the cover alone!
I wasn’t a fan of the title…maybe b/c I wasn’t familiar with the song it was named after!
So many of these are on my to-be-read or wish list, particularly The Throwback Special and Why They Run the Way They Do. I put them on my list and then forget where I’ve heard about them, so I’m guessing it was your reviews that won me over. I even got Throwback from the library and just didn’t have time to squeeze it in. I’m going to push them up the list! Making a best of (even at the halfway point) is a big deal.
I’d love for you to read those two – they’re probably the 2 I really wish would get more attention!
I’m also a bit partial to favorites that don’t get much publicity, so they are certainly higher on the list than others that are getting tons of word of mouth. I like the underdog. 🙂
I’d say you’ve read more good books than you feel like you have – these books don’t feel at all like you’re scraping the barrel – most of are still on my to-read list! 🙂
May the second half of the year be even better!
My goodness, I haven’t read a single one of these. I’m especially curious about Shelter and, of course, all the raving I’ve heard about Sweetbitter. 😉 I’m a bit of a foodie, so I feel like I’ll really dig the latter.
I’ve a few on your list that are some of my favorites but didn’t make my list. I’ve been more critical this year of the books I read, and I think that’s why it seems I haven’t read a lot of great books. I really have, but I’ve reserved the 5-star appointment for those exceptional ones. I only have three of those, so far.
I’ve definitely been more critical this year too…only 4 5 stars vs. 15 for all of last year, so at this rate I’ll finish far behind that!
Excellent – I have a couple of these in my TBR stack (Swans and Only Love).I also really want to read Tender.
Yay – hope you get to them!
I’ve only read Swans and Only Love…on this list but most of the others are on my holds list at the library, especially the short stories.
Oh my gosh – please please the short stories! They’re so good and I want them to get some more love!
I haven’t read any of these so far, but I have been eyeing Sweetbitter and My Name is Lucy Barton. I think I’ve been reading too many backlist titles…not enough of the new stuff!
And I’m trying to read more backlist! Maybe we should just combine our stats at the end of the year…
Nice! Haha. We’d certainly balance each other out!
I haven’t read any of these but I really hope to read Tender. I love your comment about how it made you completely uncomfortable. Gotta love books like that!
Oh my gosh – I was so embarrassed for the characters so many times! Hope you get to it!
I somehow missed your original thoughts on Shelter, but it has now been added to my wishlist – sounds like a great read!
It’s so so good, I hope you get to it! It’s running in the top spot for my #1 book of the year…at least at this point.