Favorite Books of 2016 (#FaveReads)

Welp, that year is over. Not to say that a specific space of time can be a crapshow but hell if 2016 wasn't. That said, I think it showed more than ever the importance of books. You can find solace in them as well as inspiration. As per usual, my initial blog posts for the new year are to celebrate what I enjoyed in the previous year: Books and Dessert. So here's the latest in terms of the best books I read in 2016 (not ones that necessarily released that year). 

When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz (2012) - Lemme preface for you that this was the year of poetry for me and you'll be seeing a bunch of it on this year's list. I had heard of Natalie's work before and read a piece here and there to which I quickly understood her genius in painting a powerful image with her words. But dang if this collection as a whole didn't blow me away! The titular piece alone is enough to make you delve in but pieces like "The Last Mojave Indian Barbie" and "How to Go to Dinner with a Brother on Drugs" show a wonderful dexterity of prose, poetry, metaphor, and imagery. If you haven't read this collection I'll sit here and wait until you do.

Blue Hallelujahs by Cynthia Manick (2016) - Cynthia was a guest on my podcast in it's first year and it's amazing to me this is her debut though her work has been published widely. This book is an introduction into the familial life and also the struggles and mostly the joys of a Black family. I gobbled this book up after leaving her launch party and quickly recommending it to friends. 

The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter by Kia Corthron (2016) - As I've said again and again, do not be scared off by the 796 page count of this tome. It's a sweeping story of brotherhood over several generations from the beginning of the second World War through the Civil Rights movement to a few years ago. It's at once heartbreaking, engaging, and holds a mirror up to ourselves in terms of the duplicity of being on a side of history that means you can do horrible things and still survive it but lose a lot in the process. The research and people Corthron presents on the page are fully fleshed out, and for me, if you can hook me into your characters I'll stay for the entire ride. I had no problem on this journey and eagerly suggest others join in on it. After this year it's a tome we need.

March (Books 1-3) by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell (2014-2016) - Book Three won this year's National Book Award for Young People's Literature, but in all honesty the content and presentation of March transcends all ages of readers. This book got me emotional, John Lewis is one of the last living of the Six Civil Rights Leaders at the height of the Movement. He's seen a lot and endured just as much and he's a man who loves books and people. His strength gives you strength with each panel and to see the dedication of him and so many others in history gives us a blueprint for the future and insight into our past. I'm thankful for John and for this series. Seriously, if you haven't read it and I do not know WHY you have not now is the time. RIGHT now. 

Saga (Volumes 1-6) by Brian K. Vaughn and illustrated by Fiona Staples (2012-2016) - This was a comic book series that was hyped up to me soon after it's publication. And you know how I feel about things that are hyped up: Suspicious. Is it really that good? I went ahead and splurged on the first available six volumes of the series so I could binge on it up to mid-2016 to see how the forbidden Romeo/Juliet style romance between Marko and Alana is realistic, fantastical, and tugs at the heartstrings. You root for them as a struggling couple and new parents. How far will they go for their child and to save each other when at their worst and best? This series shows that you don't have to do a lot of bells and whistles for science fiction, you can give us the human element, diversity, and a great bit of action all in one that builds up to who-knows-what at the end of the day.

Poet: The Remarkable Life of George Moses Horton written and illustrated by Don Tate (2015) - In the debate on "smiling slaves" in other picture books I think Don's book was not given as much visibility as it deserved. What Don accomplishes in the telling and illustration of the life of George Moses Horton is that he does not dumb down anything at all. George is never truly "free" until very late in life. There is a reality behind the pain of slavery but also the personal satisfaction and vindication of knowing that you can succeed on your own and in certain ways despite your situation. In that sense, while a slave, George is always human and a man who is worthy of the voice he shares. 

Booked by Kwame Alexander (2016) - Dare I say I loved this book more than The Crossover? Dare I say it??? This is a book I was so happy to get an early peek at and the life of Nick, the pending separation of his parents, his ever widening vocabulary while at the same time he has a lot of trouble communicating with the girl he likes, the soccer championship, his own insecurity and having to go against his best friend in said soccer championship is a welcome read with PoC kids at the center that is so relatable it makes me so very glad it exists. 

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (2015) - The titular jumbies are no joke folks! Baptiste does not pull punches when it comes to writing this middle grade novel about demons that have different characteristics on an island in Trinidad. Corinne La Mer will learn her connection to these creatures as well as the history as well as how that also ties into Caribbean folklore and our own in the United States. Fast paced and creepy The Jumbies is a book I'd heartily tell you to read and share with your kids...with the lights on.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (2016) - Heilig's debut spans time, history, and many continents. Time travelers with a lot to lose make this a unique story weaving real history with an imagined one, the rules are clear and possibly a big issue for the main characters in this text. I enjoyed this book from start to finish even with the possible intro of a love triangle, at no point does Heilig ever pacify the reader but her intent is clear and works very well throughout. I'm looking forward to the sequel due out later this year. 

The Cross of Redemption: Uncollected Writings by James Baldwin (2010) - When you have the opportunity to read a bunch of Baldwin be it speeches, essays, interviews, and so on you do it! There's so much to take from Baldwin's words and to have this overflow of interests as well as considerations from Baldwin on race, sexuality, writing, locale makes this a book a must have if you already (or don't) have Baldwin on your shelves. 

The Fire This Time edited by Jesmyn Ward (2016) - After reading this collection I went back on a Baldwin blitz . I read the above as well as what this book responds to of Baldwin's The Fire Next Time. Every piece in this collection is strong as heck especially the poetry interludes from Jericho Brown, Natasha Tretheway, and Clint Smith. Mitch Jackson's "Composite Pops" and Carol Anderson's brief "White Rage" are just a few of the essays that talk to the wider scope of pain that Blacks feel but don't simply put it up for show but analyze and dissect it so that those of us who already understand find solace in this piece while, hopefully, others find understanding.

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz (2014) - This is one of those books that'll piss you off after reading it. But it's a necessary read to hear about the massacres of Native American people within the United States and Mexico at the hands of colonialists. This is the history lesson we don't hear about. It's the lesson that's swept under the table to protect feelings for some and keep many of us in the dark. It's a book you need to seek out and read to learn what forced assimilation and genocide really mean and how this nation was built on it. It's what will help you understand the audacity of the mindset of many that this is their land when really that narrative is fictional in so many ways.

Counting Descent by Clint Smith (2016) - I was introduced to Clint's work after reading his poetic contribution to The Fire This Time. It gutted me, so when I heard he had a new book coming out I needed to have it. Like Manick's debut Clint's also looks at the Black family dynamics as well as the personal, relationships are at the heart of this collection and he weaves these poems with a clarity that doesn't weigh you down.

Look by Solmaz Sharif (2016) - Told you there'd be a bunch of poetry on this list! A 2016 National Book Award finalist in poetry, Solmaz's debut has been lauded and for good reason. Look forces you to see the issues and doesn't hold back in terms of the political climate as well as how war, racism, and patriotism among other themes featured. This is a book you need to read more than once and it's also a book you need to sit with because there are a variety of poems you'll find yourself saying "umph" after finishing that last sentence.

Other very notable books I read this year include American Street by Ibi Ziboi, Delicious Foods by James Hannaham, Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis, Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung, Blackass by A. Igoni Barrett, Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie & illustrated by Yuyi Morales, and The Last Interview Series from Melville Press. 

Fave Reads 2013 Edition

This year I read some books that disappointed by authors I like, but I was also introduced to some fab reads by new and established authors, and am very much looking forward to a new year of new books as well as new characters and worlds to get immersed in. Bring. It. On. Literature. My standout reads read in 2013 (not necessarily published in 2013) are as follows and are in no particular order:

• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (2013): A friend lent me the ARC for this one. Holly was a big draw at BEA this year and this was my introduction to her writing. It's one of the first YA books I've read with vampires. Yes, the first. I have to say the standout characters in Coldtown definitely make this a solid standalone book to the fantasy arsenal while showing a narrator making mistakes, reflecting on her life and losses, and willing to do what it takes when she realizes what she truly wants. The alternate POVs and narrative voice that goes from Tana to the company she keeps is enthralling from page to page.
• The Best American Magazine Writing 2012 (2013): Since I was introduced to this anthology reading the 2009 collection I have made it a point to read each year's anthology and enjoyed this one with the variety of journalistic perspective from those taken advantage overseas and attempting to gain justice to those just trying to get by to race as it stands for Asian Americans in the U.S. Nonfiction brings a truth to our lives that we don't normally see/hear about and every year this collection engages and increases my knowledge and thirst for more knowledge about what goes on not just around me but in the world.
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (2012): This was the book that almost everyone I know has read and enjoyed or partially enjoyed, but the fact is everyone was talking about it. So of course I read it to see what the hype was about. I enjoyed it, even knowing an important fact about the story I enjoyed the utter despicableness of these characters and people willing to do whatever it was to get what they felt they deserved. I get that some people would be turned off because it's about "privileged White people" in a way, but it's not because these people were on a pedestal and then promptly had that pedestal kicked out from under them to reveal their truest selves. And that, was enjoyable to see play out.
• This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz (2012): Yes, Diaz is a genius. Yes, Diaz has a great style. Yes, Diaz's latest collection is good, very good. And yes this is one of the few literary books I read this year by a writer I admire that did not disappoint, but had me like him even more. My favorite story of this collection was the "Pura Principle." Diaz shows characters at their worst and also shows people fighting day by day to survive and admittedly has some people come to terms with who they are through others problems and faults. Junot is a great artist and a respected person and I look forward to whatever else he contributes to the literary cannon. I don't care if it's a haiku.
• Tampa by Alissa Nutting (2013): Another hyped up book because of the content mainly. This book is about a female pedophile. This book may make you cringe and throw the tome away. This book may make you feel a lot of things but it will make you feel something. The prose is directly from Celeste. A well off, beautiful, and yes conceited woman who knows who she is. Celeste knows her desires are bad but she doesn't give a damn and she goes after them with so much force you are thrust into the craziness of her situation and mind for the full ride. Nutting's success is in getting you in there and understanding Celeste. Not liking Celeste or relating to Celeste but understanding her need and that's what makes this book successful. I have not read Lolita. And there's been extensive comparison of it to this book but I think Nutting did something on her own here and the fact that it's a woman in 21st-century America may make people biased but hey it's not like there aren't other books with similar subject matter out there.
• Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie & Clyde by Jeff Guinn (2010): This was a bookclub pick so I may not have found it had it not been on our list. But I am glad I did. Guinn reveals the true Bonnie & Clyde to be hapless, lucky (and unlucky in their demise), unorganized, flashy criminals who are villainized a heck of a lot more in their death than they were in actuality. Accidents resulted in their infamy but really they loved their families and just couldn't get a break. That's not to say they, mainly Clyde and his gang, didn't do bad things and people didn't get hurt. But when push came to shove they were not cold-blooded killers as portrayed in film and even in the miniseries that came out late last year. It's good to have extensively researched material like this to provide a glimpse of reality to characters who were real people.
• The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (2013): As far as series go I'll admit that I am getting kind of tired of them. BUT, 5th Wave for me was a standout that got me excited again because of Cassie and Zombie. The gradual reveal of how the waves took down society and how each of these characters lost their families, the feeling of kids being brought up for killing and rage. So many things keep you interested in what the larger war will end up being in this book that I wanted more and I wanted it ASAP and I will gladly, but impatiently, wait for the next two books in this trilogy. Keep up the good work, Mr. Yancey!
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (2013): More hype! More deserved hype! E&P as it's been affectionately known as was something I heard spread through wildfire via Twitter from book bloggers and avid readers who loved this book. And Rainbow is so sweet and has such a nice Twitter presence, and that cover!, so I bought the book and totally saw what everyone else did. Eleanor & Park is a love story that takes place in the 80s between a red-headed girl and a biracial boy trying to find themselves in high school and thus find each other and love and heartbreak and so many things! It's a tender story that anyone can relate to on so many levels between Eleanor hating her body and hiding it to Park feeling like his family doesn't understand him and rebelling and each of them losing a lot in that time period they find each other. Such a sweet and compelling read I urge you to delve in.
• The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (2013): 2013 was a good year in YA as far as I'm concerned and as you can see from this list. Maggie's sequel to The Raven Boys had me staying up to reread sections and going on Twitter to ask who else read it so I could discuss and Maggie herself saying "I read it." And me gushing how much I loved it and went back to book 1 to see her subtle hints. Well played, Maggie. This book follows Ronan primarily and while he was a sullen, angry man in book 1 you learn why in book 2 and see so much potential for heartbreak with him and others as the story careens to it's last two books. Man, I am getting ready for heartbreak myself but with Maggie's literary style and way with characters I think I'll enjoy the ride.
• Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan (2013): Long-listed as a finalist for the National Book Awards in Young People's Literature Levithan wrote a beautiful and elegiac story with a chorus of deceased gay men to a younger generation in this story that winds separate lives during one event that feels huge for these teenage boys. It's just beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful. For some it may be too "preachy" or too "hopeful" I think we need more books like that done this well. Not everything should be dark. And I should know, I write a lot of dark stuff.
• Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed (2013): This is the collection of questions and responses from when Strayed was Dear Sugar for the Rumpus. If you've heard Cheryl read live she has a soothing, maternal voice that you want to just have her hug you and promise everything is okay. She maintains this voice in Tiny Beautiful Things but also hits you with some realness and tough love as well. Her experiences really aid in understanding her responses and in fact make her one of the most perfect people to have been Dear Sugar for her thoughtful and careful responses to serious and sometimes not so serious questions, but all are reflective and will lead you, they did me, to really sit and take her advice to heart and learn from it.
• Icefall by Matthew Kirby (2011): I had the ARC for this middle grade novel for a bit and finally delved in and enjoyed it thoroughly. Icefall follows a group, some we'll note are Vikings, as their world comes to war but is narrated by eleven-year-old middle child, Solveig, who does not know her place in her family. Her older sister is the pretty princess to be married off and her younger brother is heir to the throne, but what is Solveig's place in her family? Kirby does a great job of keeping up the tension and building the mistrust of those Solveig cares for and is unsure of resulting in some surprising results. Interspersed with the action of hiding in ice while awaiting news from her father are the stories told by the Storyteller who has a role in not just being entertaining but building morale. It's a really good coming-of-age novel that shows growth of a character and the realization of close ties.
• Ayiti by Roxane Gay (2011): I was mainly amped that I got to meet Roxane Gay at AWP let alone get a signed copy of her first book. This is a collection of stories and you know I love my collections but Roxane does different styles with each not just telling you actions with prose but giving you poetry or lists or sections/scenes like a screenplay, journalistic versions and so forth that succinctly get into the minds of these characters and their experiences. I read all of Ayiti during my train ride home from Boston and have to say the standout to me that had me smacking myself with "How the hell did she do that?!" was "You Never Knew How Deep the Waters Ran So Cruel So Deep." That is a story in LIST form. Read it. Fantastic.
• The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (2012): It took Harbach 10 years to finish this novel and it was well done in that time. Fielding isn't about baseball it's about people. It's about being scared of growing up. It's about failure. It's about realizing your limits and not taking it seriously. There's a robustness to Fielding and the characters in this text that makes it standout as a debut and may also be considered, by some, a coming-of-age novel for the collegiate characters it follows. I think the main female character of Pella could've been given a bit more in terms of strength but she carries herself and grows into herself and Harbach shows that growth, in a way. I love Schwartz. Love him. I want to date him and marry him. That's rare in fiction.
• Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande (2002): This was the first book I read last year in full and it was fantastic, and scary. A National Book Award Finalist in Nonfiction, Gawande writes about why and how physicians can make mistakes. He's a doctor writing about how things can happen, how illnesses can be overlooked, how much residents push to try and be taken seriously but will often be passed over by experienced doctors who can still make the tiniest of errors that can be quite costly. I was into this book from page 1 to the acknowledgments and want to read everything by Gawande now.

Other notable reads for me this year were Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward (2013), The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins (2012), How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr (2011), Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh (2013), and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (2013).

Happy reading all!