As 2016 draws to a close, it’s time to stand up and cheer for your favorite book! We’re willing to guarantee that our list of 50 titles, which ranges across genres, includes something for everyone.
1. News of the World by Paulette Jiles
2. Swing Time by Zadie Smith
3. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
4. The Mothers by Brit Bennett
5. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
6. My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
7. Miss Jane by Brad Watson
8. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
9. Evicted by Matthew Desmond
10. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
11. Truevine by Beth Macy
12. Loner by Teddy Wayne
13. The Nix by Nathan Hill
14. I’m Supposed to Protect You from All This by Nadja Spiegelman
15. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
16. Innocents and Others by Dana Spiotta
17. The Girls by Emma Cline
18. Barkskins by Annie Proulx
19. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
20. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
21. Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt
22. Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves
23. The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies
24. American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin
25. Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett
26. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
27. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
28. Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett
29. The Fortress by Danielle Trussoni
30. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
31. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
32. American Housewife by Helen Ellis
33. The Vegetarian by Han Kang
34. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
35. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
36. Patient H.M. by Luke Dittrich
37. Mad Enchantment by Ross King
38. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
39. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple
40. Dodgers by Bill Beverly
41. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
42. The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach
43. When in French by Lauren Collins
44. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
45. The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
46. Mercury by Margot Livesey
47. Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard
48. My Father, the Pornographer by Chris Offutt
49. Will & I by Clay Byars
50. The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie
This article was originally published in the December 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
