Best of 2016

My Top Ten Books of the Year:
(these were all published in 2016)

1. The Awakening by Brett McBean
[Coming-of-Age/Horror]
*this was an out-of-print book that was re-printed, this year, hence its inclusion.

2. Bane County: Forgotten Moon by J. R. Rice [Horror/Werewolf]

3. The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer [Action/Thriller]

4. The Conjurers by David Wade [Historical Fantasy]

5. Dreaming at the Top of My Lungs by Israel Finn [Horror/Short Stories]
*this is a book of 10 short stories, all written by Finn, and all terrific!

6. A Facet for the Gem by C. L. Murray [Fantasy]

7. The Fireman by Joe Hill [Apocalyptic Horror]

8. The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone [Apocalyptic Horror]

9. Nest by Terry Goodkind [Thriller]

10. Tijuana Donkey Showdown by Adam Howe [Pulp Fiction]
*while this one is basically an oversized novella, it is too good not to include!

So there are my top ten novels - depending upon your genre preference, I am confident that you will enjoy any of the above listed books.

For those who enjoy Short Stories:
My Top 3 Short Stories (published in 2016)

1. Empire of the Tooth by Iain Rob Wright [Apocalyptic Horror]
* A sequel to Wright's novel Animal Kingdom

2. The Incredible Zilch Von Whitstein by Thomas S. Flowers [Horror]

3. Spiders in from the Garden by Jason R. Davis [Horror]
*A short story that links to Davis' novel Hatched

Honorable Mentions:
(these are books that I read this year, not published in 2016)

Animal Kingdom by Iain Rob Wright [Apocalyptic Horror]

The First Hostage by Joel C. Rosenberg [Action/Thriller]

Joe Coffin (Season One) by Ken Preston [Crime/Horror/Vampire]

Leviathan (Book One of the Antediluvian Legacy) by R. M. Huffman [Biblical Fiction/Fantasy]

The Minus Faction (Book One: Breakout) by Rick Wayne [Action/Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller]

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah [Historical Fiction]

A Noble's Quest by Ryan Toxopeus [Fantasy]

The Ultimate Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse by F. Kim O'Neill (aka David Dubrow) [Self Help]

Again, depending on your genre preference, any of the above should tickle your fancy!

Honorable (non-2016) Short Story Mentions:

Dawn: A Dwarven Creation Story by Ryan Toxopeus [Fantasy]

Dreadedin Chronicles by David Dubrow [Horror]

Lanmò: A Tale of Southern Horror by Thomas S. Flowers [Horror]

So there you have my favorite reads of this year. I hope that you discover some new authors. . .

My Top Ten Movies of the Year:
(Released in 2016)

1. Captain America: Civil-War
2. The Conjuring 2
3. DeadPool
4. Doctor Strange
5. Don't Breathe
6. Keanu
7. Kubo and the Two Strings
8. Nerve
9. The Revenant
10. The Shallows

These are the movies that entertained me the most this year. Which was my favorite? That honor goes to:
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
(by far my favorite film of the year!)

Honorable [Non-2016] Mentions:

Blood Diamond
Coherence
Crossroads
Deathgasm
The Hateful Eight
I'll Follow You Down
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
The Walk

Now, you will notice that both The Hateful Eight and The Revenant were separately listed. I believe that both were released around Christmas, last year. I saw The Hateful Eight last year, and The Revenant was not released here, locally, until the beginning of the year, hence their separation.

I hope that you find something new from my lists above, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and an extremely Happy New Year!!

Jason