Top 10 Tuesday: Top 10 2016 Releases I Didn’t Get To, But Want to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event sponsored by the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, participants are tasked with coming up with a Top 10 list based on a theme. This week, the theme is 2016 releases you wanted to read, but didn’t get to. I always seem to have a lot of books like this every year, so here goes nothing!

1. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

This book was SO buzzed about last year, and won a ton of awards. I can’t believe I haven’t gotten to it yet! I look forward to reading this tale of a slave who decides to escape and has to take a literal railroad in order to do so. I’m sure it will live up to the hype. No worries about that.

2. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

I’ll admit, I was never a HUGE Star Wars fan growing up. I’m not even sure I saw the entire original trilogy until I was in graduate school. BUT, I’m becoming more and more of a fan since then. I still haven’t seen the prequels (I’ve been told they’re non-essential), but I did see The Force Awakens, and it made me love Leia even more. I also greatly admire the late actress, and can’t wait to read not only this, but all of her previous books as well. I’m hoping to get my hands on the audio version very soon!

3. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

I heard so many good things about this book last year, and I just never seemed to get my hands on it. It follows a Cameroonian immigrant family, as well as the rich white family who employs them. The rich family’s patriarch works for Lehmen Brothers, and the novel also follows the fallout of the Great Recession and its impact on both families. I’m excited to read it!

4. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I LOVED Yoon’s debut novel Everything, Everything, so I was of course stoked when I saw she had another novel coming out. I acquired from Book of the Month in December, but just haven’t gotten around to reading it quite yet. It follows one day in the life of two teenagers, one a Jamaican immigrant who is about to be deported and the other a cute boy (the good student) who she encounters on the NYC street. If it’s anything like Everything, Everything, I’m sure I’ll love it.

5. The Wangs vs. the World by Jade Chang

The Wangs vs. the World is another story about the Great Recession that I just kept hearing wonderful things about. It follows a Chinese immigrant family who is financially ruined after the crisis. So, the father and stepmother and two of the children embark on a road trip to see the other kids, with the father’s focus on getting back to China to start over again. It’s supposed to really smart and funny and was much talked about.

6. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

This adult novel from the author of Brown Girl Dreaming is the story of August and her childhood in Brooklyn of the 1970s. It was shortlisted for a few awards, and I heard a lot of good things.

7. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Okay, first of all, this is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice from The Austen Project. I couldn’t pass that up on a normal day, but I was even more invested after I saw the author read a portion of it at the Southern Festival of Books. Soon I will pick this one up. Definitely.

8. A World Without You by Beth Revis

I also saw Beth Revis at the Southern Festival of Books. I even got this book from the library after and it’s been staring at me for awhile. It follows Bo, a teenager who has delusions that he can travel through time. His parents send him to a school for “troubled” youth, which Bo thinks is a school for teenagers with superpowers. He falls in love with Sofia, who is deeply depressed and eventually commits suicide, leading Bo to believe she is stuck in time and he must rescue her. I am always interested in reading YA that deals with mental health issues, and this one sounds unique, especially after hearing the author talk about her own background in dealing with her brother’s mental health issues.

9. “They Can’t Kill Us All”: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery

A very timely nonfiction read, this book is written by a Washington Post reporter who interviewed victims’ families (including Michael Brown’s) and activists to give the story of how this happened and what needs to happen in order for this epidemic to stop.

10. You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson

Another nonfiction pick I really wanted to get to, this book is written by a stand-up comic and includes observations on race, gender, and pop culture. I’ve heard it’s really funny, and very well-written.

I’m sure there are MANY more 2016 books I didn’t get to, but these were the first 10 that came to mind. What’s on your list this week? Let me know what you think of mine & feel free to link up to yours in the comments!