It’s the holiday season and my favorite thing to buy for friends and family is books, books, and more books!

If you’re a big book giver for the holidays and are looking for some great suggestions for the kids, teens, adults, and writers in your life … then look no further. Keep reading for my 2016 monster list of books to buy for the holidays!

Don’t forget that the beautiful new paperback version of All We Left Behind hits the shelves on December 6th! Be sure to check it out. It has a gorgeous new purple and pink cover with a firefly jar, PLUS the jar is printed in spotgloss so it looks like glass. Too sexy! Whether you order All We Left Behind online or pick it up at your favorite indie bookstore, the paperback is here in time for the holidays.

Onto my other favorites …

My Three Favorite Books I Read This Year

Hands down these were the three best reads for me this year. They didn’t all come out in 2016 … but they are still FABULOUS!

Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

YA Contemporary

If you loved All We Left Behind then you’ll also enjoy one of these compelling, moving, and important contemporary YA stories.

The Girl Who Fell by S. M. Parker
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
Underwater: A Novel by Marisa Reichardt
What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler
How to Be Brave: A Novel by E. Katherine Kottaras
This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

YA Fantasy

I’m a sucker for brilliant world building, gorgeous prose, and a plot that I can’t put down. For the fantasy-lover in your life, pick up one of these beauties.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
Chime by Franny Billingsley
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Lotus and Thorn by Sara Wilson Etienne

YA Paranormal

Some say YA paranormal is out … but I beg to differ. Here’s a few more to add to your paranormal YA reader’s stack!

As I Descended by Robin Talley
Sanctuary by Melle Amade
Lumière by Jacqueline E. Garlick

YA Books for Boys

Honestly, boys don’t really need their own category … and girls will love these books as much as the guys. But if you’re feeling like you aren’t sure what your teen boy will enjoy this season, these are some of my favorites.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi
Tilt by Alan Cumyn
King Dork by Frank Portman
Breaking Sky by Cori McCarthy
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Middle Grade

If you’re looking for something in the nine to twelve-year-old age range, these won’t disappoint.

Fat & Bones: And Other Stories by Larissa Theule
Gertie’s Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley
A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder
The Tiara on the Terrace by Kristen Kittscher
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
The Maypop Kidnapping by C. M. Surrisi

Books for the Writer in Your Life

If you’re reading this blog, then you’re probably a writer or you have a writer in your life. These are my top three writing craft and inspiration books that I read this year.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Art of Character by David Corbett
Life Without Envy: Ego Management for Creative People by Camille DeAngelis

Life Changing Books

These are books I think everyone should read. They will change your life.

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Books You Must Pre-Order

I want soooooooooooooooooooo badly to put these books on your holiday list … but alas, they aren’t published yet. These are some AMAZING reads that you have to wait till 2017 to get your hands on. That said. Go pre-order them RIGHT NOW!

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough
A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl
Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin
Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie J. Fishbane
The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo! by Stephen Bramucci
But Then I Came Back by Estell Laure

Have an absolutely wonderful holiday and a fabulous New Year!

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