What's your favourite book of 2016... so far.

Lots of great recs on here - All the Light we Cannot See and A God In Ruins are mine

Striped - I loved about 93% of that, and then was really disappointed with the ending. Otherwise, it would definitely have been a contender for this thread!

Arewenearlythereyet - Totally agree (and I've read an awful lot of them!).

Remus - yes!!!
The Worst Journey in the World is the best piece of writing about Antartica ever.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is wonderful.

I also loved The Master by Colm Toibin.

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma was utterly brilliant.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I can't possibly restrict myself to those two books. I'd like to post my favourite so far of every genre I've read this year, but I'll confine myself just to saying Robin Hobb and all her Farseer books. Oh Em Gee is she brilliant or what?

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. It's science-fiction, possibly in the space opera sub-genre, and it was an absolute delight, in the style of Farscape. I would say it's ideal for anyone who likes to see futuristic settings and exposure to alien species used as a different light to examine human foibles by, rather than having the science itself be the focus.

If you would prefer a touch more emphasis on the gears and workings, or at least some maths, then that provides me the opportunity to neatly segue into Here and There by Joshua V Scher. The detail and scope of this novel is incredible. This novel is the antithesis of every badly-written, had-to-write-1000-words-by-9am-essay there ever was. It may have been a labour of love, but by jove, he deserves remuneration!

Agree with The Secret Life of Bees. I've just finished it and would happily start reading all over again - wonderful book.

A dictionary of mutual misunderstanding sounds really interesting.

Merricats - hard to say where this one is going but yes I did find the first two depressing but brilliantly written. This one Patrick claims to have kicked his drug habit. Will wait and see. Things have moved on 8 years.

-To Say Nothing Of The Dog by Connie Willis (comedy time travel)
-Land of Green Ginger by Winifred Holtby (1920s domestic angst in the Yorkshire Dales)
-A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly (YA historical in turn of century America)
-Sterkarm Kiss by Susan Price (YA again, time travel again, to 16th century Borders where the natives are dangerous)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd was completely absorbing. It got me through a very tough weekend. Totally took my mind off things that and the gin would recommend as a brilliant holiday read.

A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding - the story of one family impacted by the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

I'm only going to say books of 2016 that I loved, otherwise i'll be here forever

The kept Woman - Karin Slaughter

The City of Mirrors - Justin Cronin

A Game For All the Family - Sophie Hannah

Might have a look at those Ferrante books since they seem popular!

The Light Between Oceans stands out for me. Also The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney. And A God in Ruins.

I've kissed a LOT of book frogs this year, but Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet has more than made up for it. Started in January with breaks in between, and am now on the fourth and final book as of yesterday. Just brilliant - can't quite explain why but I find it very hard to put them down once I start. I will miss them when this one is over.

And A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - just wow. I still can't talk about it

Mermaid I read the first Patrick Melrose novel a few weeks ago - I thought it was very good but can't say I enjoyed it because of what happened. Are the later ones less depressing?

Has anyone else read the Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St Aubyn? I'm on the third one, of five, at the moment and am enjoying them very much. Once I've finished the series they will be on my favourites list for 2016.

I'm off to make a list of what to read next based on this thread now too!

My two favourite holiday reads this year were:

The Little Red Chairs, by Edna O'brien
and
At Hawthorn Time, by Melissa Harrison

..Both brilliant

I'll probably read either The Word by Wyl Meinmuir or A God in Ruins next .

One I strugged with on holiday and didnt read more that the first few chapters is The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.. Has anyone else read this ? DH liked it , but.. I really cant like the main character , She just doesnt seem convincing to me .. I may have to go back to it later ...

I'm loving black rabbit hall, just finished Kate Mortons the lake house which was nice!
Listening to love Nina on audible right now and am surprised how much I'm enjoying it

Minsmum V glad to see HHhH on here!

One of my best reads so far this year was a re-read, and I'm always recommending it on here - The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. It's Garrard's account of Scott's doomed Antarctic expedition, and is superb.

Playing to the Gallery by Grayson Perry - The 'Tranny potter' as he calls himself ruminates on what art is. Loved this.

The Ghosts of Berlin - a book about Berlin's architecture, and how the urban landscape has been changed by war, post-war decisions etc. Fascinating.

Wolf of the Plains Conn Iggulden - a novelisation of Genghis Khan's childhood and rise to power.

Complications by Atul Gawande - a surgeon describes various cases and considers the moral and ethical role of medics. Excellent.

Mine is Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver.