Books to usher in 2016
Many of us have a New Year’s resolution, some being to work out more, eat healthier or fit into that new swimsuit when summer comes along. Well, if your resolution is to read more, here are 10 books recommended to get you started in 2016.
“All the Bright Places” by Jennifer Niven
“All the Bright Places” is a young-adult fiction novel about two teens, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey, who learn about the importance of life and death from each other. Theodore, better known as Finch, is seen as a freak at school because of his obsession with dying. Violet is popular, but doesn’t like the attention. After her sister’s death, she’s trying to find a reason to live. The two meet on their school’s bell tower, not sure who saved the other, and begin a journey discovering the natural wonders of their state, Indiana, as a school assignment. As they learn about each place, Violet begins to live while Finch is starting to die.
“The Naturals,” “Killer Instinct,” and “All In” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
“The Naturals,” “Killer Instinct” and “All In” are three books in an unfinished series about a group of teens who use their abilities to solve crimes. Cassie Hobbes has a talent for reading people and figuring out motives for everything they do, which comes in handy when she’s recruited by the FBI for the “Naturals” program. They find teens with talents similar to hers to help solve cases. She soon moves into a home where the others live. But Cassie’s motives are personal – she’s hoping to work her mother’s case. Along the way, she meets an interesting group that makes the story extremely compelling. Described as “The Mentalist meets Pretty Little Liars,” there is humor, romance and drama through the entire series.
“Out of My Mind” by Sharon M. Draper
“Out of My Mind” is a fiction novel that’s an interesting story for teens and adults about an 11-year-old girl named Melody who has a photographic memory. She’s incredibly bright and is probably the smartest kid in her school, but she can’t tell or show anybody. Melody has cerebral palsy; she can’t talk, walk or write. She has all these thoughts in her head she wants to share, but they’re stuck there. Melody has been learning at a preschool level for years and nobody thinks she’s capable of learning. Then she discovers a machine that can finally give her a voice and let others know what she’s had going through her mind all along. But, she finds some people don’t want to know.
“Side Effects May Vary” by Julie Murphy
“Side Effects May Vary” is the story of 16-year-old Alice, who is diagnosed with leukemia. Since it seems like she only has a short amount of time left, she uses it to seek revenge on those who did her wrong, and also right some of her own. Alice seeks help from her best friend, Harvey, and after she’s given everyone a taste of their own medicine, Alice goes into remission. Now she has to deal with the results of her actions, no matter how much damage was caused.
“I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson
“I’ll Give You the Sun” is about a set of twins, Noah and Jude, who, at first, are extremely close. Noah is a shy introvert interested in drawing and takes an interest in the boy next door. Jude likes adventure and excitement and only wants what’s best for her brother. The story starts off narrated by Noah, and the other half by Jude, later in life. The thing is, each only has half a story and something went wrong in between. They haven’t spoken in years. Jude meets two boys who soon lead her back to her brother, but will they reconnect or just separate again?
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” “The Heroes of Olympus,” “The Kane Chronicles” and many short stories in between, written by Rick Riordan, seem to always be a favorite. Each revolves around either Greek, Roman or Egyptian gods. The one thing about these series is that they all intermix, so be prepared for a lot of reading. The heroes in the series are everyday teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, known as ADHD, who find out they’re somehow related to gods that are supposed to be myths. Each installment is filled with humor, adventure and plenty of character development.
“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher
“Thirteen Reasons Why” is a novel about Clay Jensen discovering the 13 reasons his best friend and crush, Hannah Baker, committed suicide. Clay comes home one day to discover a box with his name on it, filled with several tapes. Each tape includes reasons Hannah chose to end her life, one of them being him. The tapes lead him to different places Hannah had been and holds secrets she never shared with anyone. He learns about how much pain she actually felt and what each place meant to her. Each reason might have caused Hannah to end her life, but it ends up changing Clay’s.
“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews
“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” is a story about a boy named Greg Gaines who, during his senior year, wants to find a way to make it through his last year without any attention. All he wants to do is get through high school, make films with his friend, Earl, and stay out of sight of anyone else. This all is going well until his mom forces him to become friends with a girl at his school who has cancer, Rachel. Greg starts out not wanting to become friends with her, but in the end, doesn’t want to lose her.
“The List” by Siobhan Vivian
“The List” is the story of eight girls in high school, four of the “ugliest” and four of the “prettiest,” at least that’s what the list says. Each grade chooses two girls; all the girls in between have nothing to worry about. In the novel, you learn how each girl is affected and how our views of ourselves compared to each other are connected. You see how each girl changes after the list is put up and how it can affect other people around them.
“Ten” by Gretchen McNeil
“Ten” is a murder mystery novel. Ten teenagers go away to an exclusive house party on an island for three days. Two main characters, Meg and Minnie, who happen to be best friends, only have one thing on their minds: T.J. Fletcher. Suddenly, three fun days turn into a nightmare when a storm hits and they end up stranded without power, phones, internet or a way home. On top of everything, there is a murderer on the loose.
These are just a few books to add to your reading list this year, but there are plenty more out there. Some of these are a bit darker than others, but this list offers a nice variety for all tastes.
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2016, with many amazing stories to read, live and share with others.
By Amanda Reilly
Freshman, Washington