The Best Books I Read in 2016

As 2016 is coming to a close, I was looking back (on Goodreads) at the twenty-six total books I have read this year. Many were bleak and monotone, and others just plain terrible, but there were a few stories that became some of my favorites and will certainly remain with me beyond the page. Here are the best books I read in 2016!

The No. 6 Series by Atsuko Asano (2003-2011)

This series was unique, attention-grabbing, and moving. After watching the anime and thoroughly enjoying it, I discovered that it was based off of nine short novels and immediately began reading them. Despite already knowing the basics of the story, I found myself entranced by Asano’s writing—even through translation. This series and its two contrasting main characters offer intriguing philosophical viewpoints of which most other YA dystopian literature falls short. I recommend this series to any YA readers looking for something that somewhat resembles the work of Susanne Collins and Veronica Roth but is also remarkably unconventional.
Read the English translation

The Martian by Andy Weir (2011)

By now I’m sure almost everyone has seen the movie adaptation starring Matt Damon—and the book contains the same excitement, peril, and humor, but raised to a much higher level. Andy Weir makes all the confusing math and science involved with this story not tedious to read, but fascinating and engaging. I don’t read a lot of science fiction, but I do love a sarcastic narrator and a captivating, action-packed plot, and that’s what I believe makes this book accessible for just about any audience.
Buy it on Amazon

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan (May 2016)

I couldn’t end this list without including a Rick Riordan book, of course. He wrote two this year—The Hidden Oracle, the first Trials of Apollo book, and The Hammer of Thor, the second in his Magnus Chase series. In deciding which one I should review, I realized that while HoT was fun and lovable, The Hidden Oracle was more well-written and laid a great foundation for the rest of the series. I loved reading from Apollo’s point of view—he was so different from all of Riordan’s other narrators—I loved the development we saw in him throughout the story, and I think his adventures will be a great way to tie up this huge Camp Half-Blood universe with a nice, neat bow. For now, of course. I was also dying to catch up with all of my favorites that we hadn’t seen since 2014—it was nice of Rick to give us a glimpse into their lives and let us know how they’re doing without making them the main characters of the story. Apollo and Meg and the other new characters were still at the forefront, and they’re all great additions to the PJO cast. To anyone out there who has kept up with all of Rick’s previous works but was let down by Blood of Olympus and is now scared to read this—I promise you, this book makes up for his mistakes.
Buy it on Amazon

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (October 2015)

I’m beginning to notice a trend, here—I’m describing all the books on this list as “different,” “unique,” and “unlike anything I’ve ever read before.” Well, Carry On fits right in. The background of the characters and setting was originally based heavily off of Harry Potter, almost to the point of being a fanfiction—but Rowell’s individual perspective on it gives it a personality of its own. At first, you will feel like you’re reading a silly spinoff. Once you reach around the sixty-page mark, however, you’ll become so immersed in the sharp but poetic writing style and the intriguing personalities of Simon, Baz, Penny, and Agatha that its true unique identity will be uncovered. This story, mostly due to the characters, was lovable, heartwarming, and moving. I’ve read it three times already since June. Any YA reader, whether they prefer realistic fiction or fantasy, will find something to enjoy in this.
Buy it on Amazon

Honorable Mentions:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany (July 2016) - had a lot of potential and started off well, but was a bit disappointing

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan (October 2016) - fun and hilarious but nothing special

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (January 2015) - enjoyable but felt a little immature

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999) - rather boring and repetitive until the end, but well-written and thought-provoking

What were the books YOU enjoyed the most this year? Any recommendations for 2017?

"In A Bookstore"

Another short piece I wrote for class; enjoy :)

In a Bookstore

You are surrounded by thousands of stories, millions of words, some of which could be just a few weeks old and others published hundreds of years ago. They say to never judge a book by its cover, but each one of them transports you into a different universe from a single glance. Once you step in, you immediately become lost in the maze of shelves, but you never really want to find your way out. You become enveloped in the familiar woody scent of the newly-printed book, and it occupies your senses like a drug. You might run your hands along the spines covers—some feel smooth and glossy, others more rough, almost sticky. Some have raised designs and letters that you trace with your fingertips. It is peaceful, quieter than other stores, because it is full of readers looking for an escape from reality. You could stay in there for hours, simply browsing, because who knows—the next book you pick up could end up as your favorite.

"The Truth Behind Leadership" (Essay)

This is an essay I wrote from a prompt by Institute for Excellence in Writing that asked how I "strive to be a leader". My topic of choice was the importance of diversity and representation in children's literature.

Prompt: President John Quincy Adams observed, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” In what ways do you strive to be a leader by serving and inspiring others?

The Truth Behind Leadership

When you think of the word “leader,” what is the first image that comes to mind? Perhaps you imagine a king or an emperor, someone who has total power and control over a group of people. Maybe you picture someone a bit less commanding, like a president or the head of a company. All these people are skillful in government and management, but they are not necessarily leaders. A true leader is someone who motivates and encourages others to reach for their dreams and develop to their full potential, someone who doesn’t directly tell people what to do, but rather energizes and excites them. Anyone can be a leader, if they have an open mind and willing heart, and I would certainly like to inspire others in such a way.


The first step in becoming a leader is to identify an issue you see in the world around you—or experience yourself—and how you can stand up against it. You could decide you are frustrated with the way animals are treated, or sick of watching bullies torment kids at your school. I have encountered many of such problems in my daily life, but one in particular has stood out to me time and time again over the past few years.

I’ve been reading books since I could write my name. Fictional stories have always had a way of capturing my imagination like nothing else can. When you need to escape reality for a little while, books provide the perfect hiding place. An issue that I often find in them, however, is a lack of diversity in the cast of characters. The reason most readers become hooked on a story is because they can identify with the main protagonist—but sometimes that sort of connection is simply not possible because children, teens, and adults in minority groups often have trouble finding characters in books who represent them.

To many, this may not seem like much of a problem. After all, if a reader is white, for example, they’re used to having the privilege of seeing people like them portrayed in the media, and they often don’t take notice of the lack of representation of other races. However, it is extremely important for everyone—especially children and young teens—to be able to identify with people they look up to, whether they’re real or fictional, and it doesn’t just affect the minority group—others can be influenced by seeing variance in characters, too. If a little girl picks up a storybook about knights and princesses, it is likely that the knights will be depicted as strong, courageous, and kind-hearted, and the princesses as lowly, submissive, and reliant on others’ help. In every story the girl reads, the characters possess these same traits, and that’s what she becomes used to. She grows up in a society that tells her that women are worthless and dependent on men, and even if she learns better when she’s older, part of that mindset stays imprinted in her for the rest of her life. On the other hand, a little boy could read the same stories, and gain a false sense that men are always braver and tougher than women, which can and will lead to sexism, self-hate for not acting “manly enough," and an assumption that he has control over girls. If all of this is rooted from a simple children’s story, there must be an easy way to change it.

As a leader who has recognized an issue, the next step is to figure out how you can bring about change. My personal goal is to write stories and books for children and teens that inspire and connect with them in the same way my favorite authors have written novels that strike a chord in me. If I can educate and influence someone, even if it’s just one or two people, from something that I write, perhaps they will then go on to do the same for others in their own way. It’s a chain of events that leads to the world becoming aware of an issue, and it all needs just one spirited and determined person to start. Most people don’t expect simple things like books to change their lives. They can, however, whether through subtle messages or a more major statement. All it takes is a tiny spark to start a wildfire. 

John Quincy Adams also once stated that “courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” A leader’s job is to bring about that courage in the hearts of others and inspire them to persevere and achieve what they want. This is what I hope to accomplish someday, even if it just affects a few people. A leader doesn’t need to be extremely famous and popular with everyone—a leader can be anyone who is brave enough to take a stand for what they believe in.

"Backstage"

A little descriptive piece I wrote for class; enjoy :)

Backstage

You close your eyes as you feel your stomach tighten. It is caused partly by your tight, itchy costume but mostly from nerves. Your brain is working overtime, and all your senses are hyperaware. You take a deep breath in and the fragrant but sickly-sweet scents of perfume and hairspray filter into your nose, stinging your sinuses. You hear a bottle spray to your left and get a full, fresh blast of the smell. You exhale through your mouth, and when you close it again you taste your chalky lipstick. Your mind immediately jumps to the fear that all your makeup needs to be checked and re-done, but you breathe in and out again, pushing away all your irrational worries and focusing on the task at hand. From what seems like a distant land, you can hear the audience chattering—adults laughing, children asking questions, and babies crying, all blending into white noise. There are people all around you, too, but they are whispering and humming under their breath. Then, suddenly, a hush falls as someone begins speaking in a booming voice. Their words echo around your head, going into both ears multiple times each. Then they are finished, and applause erupts, a sound not unlike thunder or rain on a tin roof. As it dies out, a soft piano melody begins playing, and a flute soon joins in as well. You open your eyes, and notice all the familiar faces around you doing the same, visible only by a dim blue light coming from in front of you. Some are smiling, some frowning in concentration, but all are shaking from head to toe with nervous excitement. You take another deep breath, inhale and exhale, grounding yourself to the floor with your snug-fitting shoes but holding your head high. You tell yourself you are prepared. You are ready.

"Mistakes" (Reverse Narrative Story)

In English Comp. 1 we were challenged to write a reverse narrative (a story told in backwards chronological order). Some people found it easier to first plan out their story from beginning to end, the opposite of how it was finally written, but my technique was to write a short paragraph (a single event) and then try to think of what could have possibly caused that event. Then I would write a paragraph for that previous event and continue with the same process. This was a type of writing I had never tried before, and I loved it! Enjoy :)

Mistakes (by Sarah McLaughlin)

A girl knocks on a door she hasn’t touched in two years. A man opens it, and he immediately embraces her. She cries, her tears staining his shoulder. She is home. She is happy.

A man had broken her heart. He told her it wasn’t her fault, that he still loved her, that it was just something he needed to do. She didn’t respond. He stared, watching her run—far, far away, until her body was just a faint speck of dust in the distance.

A woman had shouted at him. She yelled, cursing him and his life and his choices. Why had he dropped out of college? Why was he living with a girl he barely knew? What about his little brother? Her voice hit him like shards of ice, attacking every area she knew was weakest. She was only satisfied when he finally flinched and bowed his head. She couldn’t bare to make the same mistake twice.

A child had come home from school in tears. He rushed into his mother’s arms, screaming that he didn’t want to go anymore. His brother didn’t have to, so why should he?

A tall boy had pushed him. His best friend. The boy backed away, calling him a freak, telling him he wasn’t normal. He didn’t mean any of it.

A man had disciplined him. He taught him not to think, not to have opinions, not to fall in love, to just follow the rules and never question them. He taught him who he was supposed to be and who he could never, ever turn into. He couldn’t bare to make the same mistake twice.

A girl had abandoned him. At eighteen, she ran away from her father, and nothing could stop her. There was a man she loved, but her father disapproved of, and she chose one over another. He stared, watching her run—far, far away, until her body was just a faint speck of dust in the distance.

He only began crying after she was gone.