Reflections of 2016 – My Year in Reviews!!
Now that Christmas and New Year’s Eve have come and gone, I wanted to spend a few minutes reflecting on 2016 and the books I read. I didn’t read and review as much in 2016 as I did in 2015, and I need to do a better job in 2017. Still, in keeping with my belief that writers want to know what readers think about their work, I managed to read and review 32 books last year. Without further ado, here is a roll call of my reviews from 2016!
January 2016:
I started 2016 with my review of The Ruby of Helios by Scott Larson. This book is the 3rd installment of the Scepter series. If you are looking for a good fantasy series, check out this one!
I discovered many new authors last year. One of my favorites was Tamie Dearen. I read the first book of her Alora YA fantasy series aptly titled Alora: The Wander – Jewel and gave it 5 stars!
Iron Mike by Patricia Rose rounded out my January 2016 reads. Aliens and the dystopian aftermath of an invasion of Earth entertained me!
February 2016:
My February reviews kicked off with a cool YA fantasy from L. R. W. Lee called Blast of the Dragon’s Fury. Book 1 of the Andy Smithson series, it was a blast to read!
Tacenda by Christine Vann was the next February read. A sci-fi novel with a unique set of characters made this an interesting read.
February’s last book was Blott (The Canvas Chronicles Book 1) by Daniel Parsons. I thought the concept of this novel was brilliant and enjoyed the read immensely!
March 2016:
I was happy to read a short prequel to Doug J. Cooper’s Crystal Series as my first book in March. I read the first 2 books of the series in 2015, and Crystal Horizon gave me more background on the characters. Give this series a try if you like sci-fi!
Switching reading gears, I picked up the second book in Terry Maggert’s Halfway Witchy series. Book 2 is Halfway Bitten and was a wholly satisfying read!
April 2016:
April found me reading outside my normal fantasy genre starting with Lorrie Farrelly’s Dangerous. While romance novels aren’t my thing, this book is a Reader’s Favorite selection, so give it a try!
I moved to another genre to wrap up April. This time, a thriller by Bill Ward finished out a month. Deception (Powell Book 3) was a good read. My only regret was that I didn’t start with Book 1 so I had a better feel for the characters!
May 2016:
Greek mythology inspired my first May read. Author C B Pratt created Eno the Thracian as a Hero for Hire and The Stone Gods is the second book in the series. I completely enjoyed Eno’s second adventure and look forward to reading more!
I wandered back to the fantasy genre and was pleased to be able to finish David Wind’s amazing series Tales of Nevaeh. The third and final book is Trinity: The Battle for Nevaeh. As with the first two, it didn’t disappoint! Read this one if fantasy is your thing!
My fantasy reading continued with the second book of Laura DeBruce’s YA fantasy series The Quicksilver Legacy. The Temple of Paris was a good read and I’ll be reading the next installment!
June 2016:
Paranormal romance isn’t normally my thing, but Jada Ryker’s Carr-Maah Consulting Agency series seemed like a good place to give the genre a try. Dog Days of Karma was a pleasant surprise!
I returned to fantasy for Andi O’Connor’s Silevethiel. An excellent start for The Vaelinel Trilogy!
Readers of this blog know I have a thing for mysterious things and conspiracy theories. I think Bigfoot falls into the category and I also read my first Bigfoot-inspired novel in June. Revived (Snoqualmie Valley Sasquatch Book 1) by J. M. Northup was an interesting read and one that I recommend to Bigfoot (or Sasquatch, if you prefer) enthusiasts!
July 2016:
July brought another first for me – English cozy mysteries. Point of No Return by Diana J. Febry was my first read in the genre. While not my favorite genre, it was nice to branch out and explore something new.
Though I read mostly Indie authors now, occasionally I return to the traditionally published authors I’ve read for years. In June 2016, I attended a Brad Thor book signing and picked up Foreign Agent. Brad Thor’s event was excellent and he is a nice guy. The book was great, too!
August 2016:
The second book of the Ben Whittle series started August for me. Eyes of the Accused by Mark Tilbury continues the excellent (though dark) thriller mysteries!
Bentwhistle the Dragon in a Threat from the Past got me back to the fantasy genre. Written by Paul Cude, this engaging start to the Bentwhistle the Dragon series was a fun and refreshing read!
I stayed in the fantasy genre for my next read. Mary Anne Yarde’s The Du Lac Chronicles follows Lancelot Du Lac’s descendants and their battles. Good stuff!
In yet another first, I reviewed a non-fiction book. Written by Daniel Parsons (remember my Blott review above), #Art of Twitter provides valuable insights into using Twitter to grow your author (or other creative) platform and meaningfully connect with others on social media.
September 2016:
Jada Ryker made my TBR list for September with the second Carr – Maah Consulting Agency book Equi Knocks of Karma. As with the first book, this was a fun read!
Gordon Brewer’s Shield of Skool was my final September book. An old school (no pun intended) fantasy that is a good start to the Clovel Sword Chronicles, give this one a try if fantasy is your genre!
October 2016:
Artifact by K. T. Bowes was a different book for me. Again a romance, but with distinct New Zealand and English roots. Different, but an excellent story!
I’ve read a few of Jada Ryker’s books and when I found out her novel Take the Body and Run was a candidate for the Kindle Scout Program, I wanted to read it and cast my vote! As with her other books, I completely enjoyed the story!
November 2016:
To start November, I went back to the fantasy world and read Vanna Smyth’s Protector (Anniversary of the Veil Book 1). Another good start to a series I will continue!
Doug Cooper released the 4th book of his Crystal Series and it went straight to the TBR list. Crystal Rebellion was an excellent continuation of the story!
December 2016:
December was a busy month, but I managed to get a few reviews in to end the year. I started with Suzanne Burke’s Acts Beyond Redemption. A disturbing dark thriller filled with twists and turns, it held my attention for sure!
A friend challenged me to once again read outside my favorite genre. Challenge accepted and I read Lorrie Farrelly’s action romance The Guardian’s Angel. As with Lorrie’s other books, this one was an entertaining read!
The third book of Terry Maggert’s Halfway Witchy series caught my eye and I wasn’t disappointed. Halfway Hunted was a wonderful addition to the collection!
My last review for 2016 was Dragon Dreams (The Chronicles of Shadow and Light Book 1) by Dusty Lynn Holloway. Dragons, elves, and the fate of the world makes this the start of a good series I will continue to read!
So, there you have it. Reflections – my reviews for 2016. Despite not reading as much as 2015, I will strive to do better this year. Join me and review the books you read. The reviews don’t have to be long involved analyses. Simply saying things like “I enjoyed this book and recommend it to others” is sufficient. I know I enjoy discovering what readers think of my work and I do my best to return the favor to other authors!
Connect with me:
Do you have recommendations for me to add to my TBR list? If so, leave them in a comment, or send them to me in email at bill@williamlstuart. Connect with me on the socials, too! I’m on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to the blog!
Happy New Year and happy reading!
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