Looking Back To 2016 In Books

Have you seen the social media trend over the last few weeks about looking back to 2016?

Over the last week or two, I have seen so many people jump on the trend to share pictures and information about themselves from 2016 on social media.

I have lots of thoughts on trends like this on social media and the motivations behind them, but I will let you do your own research on that.

So, I did not share any look back at 2016 pictures on social media.

However, when I was thinking about 2016, I realized that was the year Grace and I started From Our Bookshelf!

10 years! Wow, a lot has changed, yet our love of reading has not.

So instead of sharing about myself on social media, I decided it would be fun to take a look back at Grace and my reading life in 2016.

If you are a new reader, Grace is my daughter. She loves books and reading. Back in 2016, she was in high school, and you could almost always find her reading.

I think her record reading year was 200 books. It was when she was in high school, and she wasn’t reading just light-and-fluffy books.

She read nonfiction, history, biographies, sci-fi, and more. Her reading was over 50% nonfiction, and she still managed to read that many books.

At the time, I had been writing about food, blogging, and developing recipes at Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures for eight years. Eighteen years later, that is still my main job. But reading is something I also love and am passionate about, so Grace and I talked about it a lot.

I was very familiar with the online world, so we decided to start From Our Bookshelf and started posting reviews, book lists, and more here on our site.

Ten years later, our love of books continues. Grace and I are both still avid readers. Grace’s life looks a little different, though.

Grace is now a college graduate. She hopes to become a published author one day, but in the meantime, she works full-time as a history teacher while pursuing a graduate degree.

For years, Grace helped write book reviews and content for From Our Bookshelf and our social media.

There are many of her posts and reviews in our archives, but life right now doesn’t allow her much time for From Our Bookshelf. She still does occasional book reviews or book lists, but her time is limited.

My reading life has also changed in the last ten years. Back in 2016, I was homeschooling three kids, writing at Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures, helping at my husband’s business, and doing all the other things that a busy mom does.

I looked back at my 2016 reading, and I only read 65 books, but I actually shouldn’t say only 65 books. I am not sure how I managed to read 65 books back then, given how busy I was. I am guessing most of them were read while waiting for kids at music lessons, doctor’s appointments, etc.

My reading life looks totally different now because my kids are all grown with lives and careers of their own.

I have way more time now to read than I did ten years ago. That also means I have way more time for working on From Our Bookshelf.

Both are things that I love doing.

So some things have changed on From Our Bookshelf, but so many things haven’t.

Grace and I still love reading and books. We still love sharing great reads with you, and we love hearing what you have been reading. We hope to continue sharing about books for many more years.

Now that we have taken a look back at our reading lives and given you a look at what Grace has been doing, let’s take a look back at what Grace and I were reading in 2016.

What Grace Loved In 2016

I thought it would be fun to highlight some of Grace’s favorite reads of 2016. When I was looking at her list, I thought it was fun to see that they are all books she still loves to recommend.

Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery – After Grace read this classic book, she convinced me to read it, and I loved it. Such a great classic book that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1 – I remember how much Grace loved Sherlock Holmes.

Cup of Dust by Susie Finkbeiner – Grace has told me for years that I need to read this one because I love historical fiction. I really need to add it to my to be read list.

All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein – When I look back at what Grace was reading in 2016 while in high school, I am always amazed. This WWII book, published in 1995, is an example of that. I have no idea how she found out about this book, but she read and loved it.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – I am pretty sure that Grace was the first one in our family to read Shoe Dog. She then convinced the rest of the family to read it. My husband and I still talk about and recommend this one.

Reading Grace’s 2016 review also made me realize how far we have come in our book reviews. Our old reviews were so short and to the point.

Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers – This book was published in 2013. Grace read it in 2016, when the movie was released. This book got a lot of attention with the movie release, but I feel like this book has kind of been forgotten about.

Upstairs at the White House by J.B. West – This is another one that Grace read first and then told me about. We both read and loved it in 2016.

What Lynn Loved In 2016

It was so fun to look back at the books I enjoyed in 2016. The books on this list are all ones that I still enjoy and love to recommend ten years later.

Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay – This is the first Katherine Reay book that I read, and I have read almost all her books since then. I still think about this book. I think it might be time for a reread, but maybe on audio.

Charles Lenox mystery series by Charles Finch – 2016 was the year that I discovered one of my favorite historical mystery series. This is also the series that reminded me how much I love mysteries. I had gotten away from reading mysteries, but this series, back in 2016, brought back my love for them.

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth– Did you know the well-known T.V. series is based on a series of memoirs? I have only watched the first season of the show, but I really enjoyed the book.

Upstairs at the White House by J.B. West – A book that both Grace and I enjoyed.

Alice’s Piano by Melissa Muller – This is one of my favorite WWII books. Ten years later, I still think about it. This is one of those books that needs more attention. If you love music and history, this is a good one.

A Thousand Miles to Freedom by Eunsun Kim – There are not a lot of people who have escaped North Korea, let alone written a book about it. Eunsun Kim’s story is one you won’t forget.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls – This was written twenty years ago, so it was a backlist book when I read it in 2016. If you enjoy memoirs, especially about dysfunctional families, and haven’t read this one, you should add it to your list to read.

Do you remember any of the books that you read in 2016? I would love to hear about them if you do.