Saturday, December 31, 2016

Five Star Books 2016


QR Codes Kill Kittens: How to Alienate Customers, Dishearten Employees, and Drive Your Business into the Ground
This book was the first book in a long time to make me laugh out loud. The lessons are a good reminder of what it is to be the gatekeeper of social media for an organization. Marketers who have been doing this for a while will laugh, while those are new to social media will learn.

Saga, Vol. 1
There is nothing I can say about this series that hasn't been said. Amazing artwork and an incredible story. These authors can do no wrong.

The Realist
This won the Eisner for a good reason. This book is modern despair in art form.

You'll Grow Out of It
I have been a Klein fan for a while, but was upset because I rarely get to see her perform. This book scratches that itch. You will laugh out loud.

Paper Girls Volume 1
More great work by Vaughn. I need to catch up with this series. This one is not for the kiddos.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Read this now, it will open your heart. If you were at all outraged by Making a Murderer, you need to read this. Stevenson discusses the state of our criminal justice system with compassion and bravery. If you are in any profession where the goal is to help people, he will be an inspiration. He uses a mix of true cases and statistics to portray what is wrong with our criminal justice system. I cried more than once reading this, but Stevenson is a true hero and will be an inspiration in my career.

Mislaid: A Novel
An author I discovered through book club. Zink's characters are strange and real at the same time.

The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin
This book has great tips, but it is also an interesting cultural lesson. She actually has gotten me to do the double-cleanse.
Much like Korean skincare, this book is cute, but don't mistake it for being all substance.

The Handmaid's Tale
This book is more relevant than ever. My first Atwood and I will definitely be reading more.

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl: Fiction
Awad is very skilled at making the reader inhabit Elizabeth's world. This book is about her relationships and how her weight has affected those relationships, whether it's her mother, husband or a shop clerk.
One particular highlight of the book is Awad's description of the late 90s early 2000s and her ability to write about not just the important relationships in Elizabeth's life, but the passing relationships.

The High Mountains of Portugal: A Novel
Martel is no stranger to writing about long journeys. Though some of the story feels similar to the journey in Life of Pi, the connecting thread for each of these stories is grief and how the characters live with it.
Thoroughly enjoyable with surprise after surprise.

Be More Chill
This book is so cute and just a fun read.
Jeremy is a high school nerd; no car, too much porn and no girlfriend. Then he finds out about squips, a computer program that will run in his brain constantly and tell him how to be cool.
Some of the conversations Jeremy had with his squip made me laugh out loud. In a lot of ways, you feel that it was almost written to become a movie, and that's not necessarily a horrible thing.

The Girls
I am actually not finished with this one yet. However, I know it will be on the five star list whenever I finish it.

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