Let's Talk 2016 || best releases & new recommendations

And then 112263 I think is fantastic and would take any opportunity to recommend.

I really liked 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl. I wouldn't necessarily recommend. It was uncomfortable. Perfect for me.

And then I was thinking 84 Churning Crossroad. That one came out in like the 70s, so it's not one more recent than the 2016 one, but there's something about the correspondence between the people and just connecting over their love of art and wanting to help each other.

It is A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malererman. It's very short. It's cosmic and unexplained and ambiguous and weird and just right up my alley.

And then Ascension, I love the concept of this so much. sciency scientists going to discover this mountain that has suddenly appeared in the Pacific Ocean.

some things that gave me similar feelings are autobiography of red by Anne Carson. in this one, it's a poem, but it reads like a novel. I was obsessed with this.

This one should not be a surprise. It's Beartown by Frederick Bachman. This one has become an entire series and I think a lot of people have really connected with it.

This was a five star for me last year and it came out 10 years ago. This is a fantastic example of a story about perseverance in the face of adversity and it's entertaining as hell.

And then my number one recommendation all the time in like millions of different situations is biased uncovering the hidden prejudices that shape what we see, think, and do. still an essay collection, but just by one person who has a career in putting on like lessons and seminars about bias and racism.

One of my favorites from 2022 was Black Cake. This is about a woman who dies and leaves behind a message, a story about a young girl fleeing her island nation for the USA.

And then Blanca Roa or Blanca and Roa is my favorite from this author. it's more insular. just following a couple characters rather than having a lot of people on the periphery.

Born a crime, memoir of identity from Trevor Noah.

Also reminds me of a botanical daughter by Noah Medlock. This is a 2024 release and we're often dealing with like the morals revolving around magic.

Candelaria I just read, but this came out in 2023 and it has a family. Henry McLemore often does family dynamics and in here it's more horror, but these sisters all have gone down different paths and they're coming back together.

If you've already read this one, I also would recommend Catalina. This is a 2024 release. It is about a teenage girl also living in New York. She's undocumented and just trying to live her life.

Next up, I cannot talk about 2016 without talking about Dark Matter because this was really a darling at the time and I've seen people still picking it up to this day, so I know people love it.

Elato is more YA speculative kind of fun but also heavy at the same time. Beautiful illustrations in there.

Elegy for the Undead from 2020 is a queer love story during the apocalypse. And similarly to We Are the Ants, it's about like grieving the life that you thought you would live.

I would also recommend Emily Wild's Encyclopedia of Fairies to people who love that series because there's just something whimsical and questy about it.

Empire of Wild I cannot find on my shelves. This one is indigenous myth as well. colliding with the contemporary world and a werewolf-like creature.

One of my absolute favorites from 2016 is Every Heart Adore by Shaunie Magcguire. It's so crazy to think this came out 10 years ago and definitely holds up because the series is still being published to this day.

I would recommend Exit West. This is a 2017 release. It follows a couple also with very strong personalities. though they most of the book they are living and actively fleeing from a war torn country and trying to find somewhere to be.

Exit pursued by a bear for its reproductive rights.

Freshwater from 2018 by a quickie would be another easy recommend. More identity and spiritual stuff.

and then a couple like gothic kind of fairy tales in the middle world. Furthermore, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Oh, and one more I cannot find my physical copy of is The Goddess of Filth by V. Castro that came out in 2021. It's a nolla and it's a possession story, a bunch of girls connecting to their Aztec ancestors.

Next up, we've got Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Sheddderly. Of course, this one holds up. It is a little bit dry of a book. but gaining the history, absolutely worth it.

If you've never heard of these, if you don't know what The Husbands is and you like the kind of cutesier things, then I would definitely recommend these.

Even though this only came out in 2024, I was a Teenage Slasher by Steven Graham Jones. It's a really unique slasher.

some weird ones that I think are worth trying that I didn't love. The hike and I'm thinking of ending things I think could definitely be for you.

And then of course, one of my recent favorites, 2023's Knock Open wide. This one has a relationship. It's like Irish folklore and there's a couple different timelines and it messes with your mind a little bit.

So, a couple things though that came to mind were Legends and Lattes. very different vibe. But I just think platonic soulmates is something that definitely exists in here.

It's Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time, an indigenous LGBT sci-fi anthology. I read this right when it came out, and I was just obsessed with it.

Middlegame by Shauna Magcguire also like comes up in my mind as something that is about a connection between two people in here. They're siblings.

It's Mong Girls by Steven Graham Jones, my favorite author. There's so many wolfy stories out there, werewolf stories, and I don't know that there's that many that I would actually say are super similar to this because he's just doing something so unique.

We've got My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendris. I really like Grady Hendrix. I think this stands up.

Night's Sky with Exit Wounds, a fantastic poetry collection.

Oh, I guess another queer adult story I would definitely recommend in tandem with its like heaviness is On Earth Were Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Wong.

The things that first came to mind are any kind of time travel, any type of different reality stuff like Una Out of Order and The Seven-Year Slip.

And then one that is kind of unrelated, but I still would recommend because of just the weirdness of the stories is Kate Folks Out There. This one came out in 2022.

P.S. I Love You, a very light-hearted pen pal kind of romance.

but Pew by Katherine Lacy, I just think that the community, it's a little bit weirder. or from the perspective of someone who has just entered the community and all of these people at the church and in the surrounding area don't really know how to respond to this person, how to support them.

And then also, if you've never picked up Project Hary, this is just like the darling of the book world. Like, I don't know very many people who read this and didn't love it.

and then if you're just looking for a queer anthology of short stories, queer little nightmares, I'm obsessed with, these are all monster stories that most of them are so good.

Radio Silence by Alice Ozman. I think this stands the test of time because finding your comfort person, finding a connection with someone when you feel a little bit lost, that's just a universal feeling for a lot of people, especially in high school.

If you already read this one, I would recommend Ringshout. This came out in 2020. This is equally about oppression and power as people are taking down these beasts.

and then for another non-fiction that I know people have loved that has more, I think, narrative of a vibe to it, is Rise of the Rocket Girls.

2023's Reversing Me Home, I think would be a good comp. it also deals with enslavement and the misconstruing of freedom. and this woman who is still being controlled flees to find the children that she had taken from her.

Sai, the YA dystopian. people who are selected have to take other people's lives.

This 2024 release Sky of Elephants is what if all the white people on the planet suddenly died? How would that impact everybody else?

And then Such Sharp Teeth is also a werewolf story. And this is more of the expected story about hunger and a woman changing and a lot of family stuff within that one too.

Talking as fast as I can. Gilmore Girl is still very relevant. If you want to read some, Lauren Graham's memoir, there's that.

Keeping it moving with number five is The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Laval. This one definitely holds up. It was republished with a new cover in 2022.

And then The Calculating Stars is apocalyptic, also following mathematician astronauts, very much at this exact same time, highlighting the same people.

This one, The Everlasting, is definitely more of a love story, but there's something about the writing and the fairy tale vibes of it that I think I would connect.

If you loved A House at the Bottom of a Lake, I would recommend a brand new release to you, The Extra. This is equally ambiguous.

The fire this time a new generation speaks about race edited by JZmine Ward. This is a collection of essays, some previously published, some specifically for this. Very pointed discussions full of anger and hurt but also hope.

and then a couple like gothic kind of fairy tales in the middle world. Furthermore, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

There's something about The God of the Woods by Liz Moore that also makes me think if you love Beartown, you could love this. It's slower following a bunch of different people.

As far as following a relationship and the dynamics and the impact of a house on people, The Grip of It is one of my favorite haunted house kind of stories.

some weird ones that I think are worth trying that I didn't love. The hike and I'm thinking of ending things I think could definitely be for you.

The Known World by Edward P. Jones is another recommendation. This one came out in like 2003 though, but I don't think it's quite as popular. I actually read these at the same time.

The marath is fantastic. it's futuristic but also historical in nature at the same time where indigenous folks are being hunted.

I think if you love that type of story you could also love something like the measure by Nikki Erlick. The what if in here is what if you woke up and there was a string on your doorstep that told you exactly how long your life was going to be.

The one by John Mars definitely stands the test of time. I remain this is a really entertaining cliffhangery kind of thriller that's just so fun.

the possession of all the Diaz just came out in 2025 is fantastic and my favorite from this author.

The raw shark texts, that one came out before dark matter. but that is equally like a man who wakes up and everything is different and there are these notes to tell him who he's supposed to talk to and how he's supposed to understand the science of what's happening to him.

I think The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is something I like to recommend. I really loved this.

The things that first came to mind are any kind of time travel, any type of different reality stuff like Una Out of Order and The Seven-Year Slip.

Of course, the soulmate equation is basically like if you took the one and took out the thrillerness of it. It's much more romance focused.

And then if you want more overt fantasy, A Spear Cuts Through Water. I think a lot of people will a lot of people do love. This is from 2022. and it's a journey of identity and belonging.

the 10,000 Doors of January, which I didn't love, but a lot of people do. so I would recommend this is another kind of portal fantasy.

Next up is The Underground Railroad by Coulson Whitehead. This is one I didn't read when it came out. I just read it a couple years ago and it was on my TBR probably since 2016 though. Definitely met my expectations.

The Female of the Species for Talking about rape culture.

the first time she drowned is about trauma, going off to college.

The Smell of Other People's Houses, that is a community like full of secrets.

The Vanished Birds is about a woman who lives outside of time and there's a child who doesn't speak. There's something about it that gives me dark matter vibes.

Book number four is We Are the Ants by Shawn David Hutchinson. This was one of my absolute favorites of the time. It's so tenderly written. It gives space to topics surrounding assault, abuse, forgiveness, and healing.

Back to YA I have When the Moon Was Ours by Anamarie Mcleammore. It's magical realism. It's whimsical. this author's writing is so beautiful and descriptive.

And then I would recommend When the Reckoning Comes by Latona McQueen. This came out in 20121. It's following ghosts haunting a plantation where they were formerly enslaved.

I would also recommend for an inventive wolf kind of story, When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy. I can't talk too much about what this is, but it's a dark fairy tale where there is a wolf.

I would recommend this essay collection called Why I Love Horror, because more than so many of his other books, you just get such a good idea of why he loves horror. And I just love this.

So, The Wild Ones by Niza Assad. This is a 2021 release where this kind of girl gang comes together. and they live in a fantasy world.

Wild Beauty is really similar as far as vibe and just the, you know, nature of it all.

And then the wonder state from 2023 is one that I don't think enough people are talking about. This has the perfect amount of realism with a little bit of weird magic with a bit of mystery.

I've recently read Woodworking. This is a 2025 release by Emily St. dreams and it's equally in a small community with a lot of judgment and we're following a trans teacher and a trans teen who are connecting with their identity when no one else around really understands them.

There was also something about yours for the Taking that made me think maybe because I love the one I love this one as well.