Favorite Reads | January-March 2016

In the past I've compiled a list of my favorite books at the end of the year. This year I've decided to do something different. Since I tend to have more thoughts on things after I've had some time to consider them more deeply (meaning that books read in November/December either get too much attention or not enough on that list), I will be doing these little quarterly favorites.

Out of the 23 or 24 books I've read between January 1st and March 31st, here are my favorites and a little bit about why. Note: These are in no particular order.

Mara Dabrishus became a favorite last year when I read Stay the Distance and so of course I read Finding Daylight as soon as I could. And I was not disappointed. It's set in the world of horse racing, but there is so much more going on than just a girl trying to make it as a jockey. There are ruined families, twisted friendships, a complicated romance, and every type of real drama you can think of. It's a great read whether you like horses or just want a good contemporary romance/drama.


 

The most recent book in the world of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson left me in love, as usual. The Bands of Mourning was everything that I hoped it would be. There were great action scenes. The characters really grew individually and together. Some sweet touches of romance were thrown in and the ending was insane! I think this is my favorite of the year so far. 

If you've read the original Mistborn trilogy and the Wax and Wayne books by Brandon Sanderson, then Secret History is something you need to check out. It can't be talked about without too much being given away. It doesn't really stand on its own. It's this odd little hybrid book that works perfectly to fill in pieces of the Mistborn world as well as the Cosmere in general.

It's been a while since I've read either Steelheart or Firefight, but I'm pretty sure that Calamity takes the prize for my favorite in the Reckoners trilogy. David as hilarious, as usual. Megan was awesome. Prof was...well. There was a lot going on where that is concerned. A lot of crazy stuff happened and I loved every word of it. This is possibly the only book I've read this year that I just literally could not put down.

All the Light We Cannot See is a great piece of historical fiction that weaves together fairy tales, mystery, and the devastation of war beautifully. It's told through several perspectives, jumping forward and backward in time to weave the story into a whole. There was so much about this that I loved. I still think about it often.

This collection of poetry for children from Dean Koontz is brilliant. And the illustrations by Phil Parks were perfect. The Paper Doorway is going to be a collection that I read over and over again. And when I have kids in the future, I'll read this with them. There are so many great poems. Some are just humorous, but others carry deeper messages that I loved. It's just great.