December being the Season of Lists, on December 5 I heralded the return of my Avid Reader guest series, which proved very popular in 2015.

Paul Weimer kicked off in style last week and today I am delighted to welcome Karen McMillan, who like Paul is one of the most indefatigable readers and reviewers I know, as well as being an author herself. 🙂

As noted last week, the post parameters are for books read in 2016, not necessarily published this year.

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Karen McMillan’s Top 5 Reads Of 2016

It was difficult choosing my top five books for 2016 as I have read so many fabulous books this year. In the end, to help with my decision making, I’ve limited myself to fiction books only. So in no particular order, here goes:
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Days are like Grass by Sue Younger

Literary fiction – New Zealand, current day

Convinced by her partner to leave London to return to New Zealand’s shores, pediatric surgeon Claire Bowerman finally agrees – as long as he promises not to bring up her family. But when parents refuse to let her operate on their son – even though without surgery the boy will die, Claire finds herself in the media, accused of bullying. But this becomes the least of her worries when people from her past emerge, bringing to life painful events she would rather forget. Is her father innocent or guilty of murder? Sentenced to prison, but then pardoned, has justice really been served? Sue Younger writes beautifully, and she has created complex characters to care for. The plot is fast-paced, but there is also a quiet elegance to the story that sparks many questions about how childhood shapes us as adults and how the past impacts on the present – even if we try to keep these worlds apart.
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Truly, Madly, Guilty by Lianne Moriarty

Commercial fiction – Australia, current day

Liane Moriarty is the queen of the slow tease. Right from the get-go, the reader knows that something happened on a regular Sunday afternoon barbecue. There were six responsible adults, three lovely children, and one yapping dog. But the ‘something’ is not revealed until near the end of the novel, and in the intervening period, there is plenty of time to get to know – and to fall in love with – the main characters. There is Clementine, the talented cellist who is preparing for an audition that is making her even more nervous than normal. And her usually supportive husband seems to be having a crisis of his own. The complicated relationship with Erika, Clementine’s supposed good friend, becomes even more fraught after the events of the barbecue, and old hurts are brought to the fore. But uptight and very proper Erika can’t remember very much about the afternoon in question – except that Erika and her husband had asked the other couple for a significant favour. Meanwhile, their hosts, the expansive and social Vid, and his wife Tiffany with her unusual past, host an event that turns to disaster, through no real fault of their own.

Part of the pleasure of this book is the reading to find out the mystery at its heart. Excellently plotted, superb characters and a truly fabulous book.

 

Ladder to the Moon by P.J. Fry

Historical fiction – Lebanon, 1977

A story of love and war, this debut novel is stunning in its realism, and emotionally engaging in its moving love-story.  In 1977 John Ferris, a New Zealand Army captain is serving as a UN military observer on the Israel-Lebanon border. He meets Leila Ashrawi, a beautiful Palestinian woman. Despite the violence and confusion surrounding them, they fall passionately in love with each other – and they must risk everything to start a new life together. The day-to-day reality of war had me on the edge of my seat, and the convincing but complicated love story had me reaching for tissues. P.J Fry is an excellent writer, and he brings all facets of this particular conflict to life, from all sides of the fence, ultimately showing how futile and destructive war is in many and varied ways. This is a gripping, intelligent novel with plenty of heart.

 

False Hearts by Laura Lim

Speculative Thriller – San Francisco, the future

This futuristic novel is set in San Francisco, in a world where crime has been eradicated, and people look perfect and seem to live flawless lives. But twins Tila and Taema already know that life is not perfect. They escaped a cult as teenagers to join this unspoiled world, but as conjoined twins they had major surgery to divide their shared heart. Ten years on they have created independent lives for themselves, but then Tila is accused of murder, and Taema goes undercover in a drug syndicate to see if she can find out what really happened and save her sister. This is a very cool book, with shades of Blade Runner. I really enjoyed the sense of San Francisco in the future, and the characterisation is excellent. My only complaint? That the book had to come to an end. This is a great, emotional, roller-coaster of a read. Highly recommended for anyone who likes a novel that is fast paced with a great story.

 

The Muse by Jessie Burton

Historical fiction – Spain 1937, London 1967

A beautiful, lyrical novel of art and creation, love and legacies. It is the story of two young women and a painting that ties the two stories together. Olive is the daughter of a Viennese Jewish art dealer, and in 1937 she arrives in Spain with her parents in a poor village on the southern coast. She grows close to her young housekeeper, and falls in love with the housekeeper’s half-brother, Isaac Robles; an ambitious painter caught up in revolutionary fervor. Olive is herself a talented painter, but her father is unaware of her great potential. In 1967, Odelle is a Caribbean immigrant trying to make her way in London. She gets a job at the prestigious Skelton Art Gallery and discovers a painting that is the work of Isaac Robles. He is famous for his art, but even more so for his mysterious death. The Muse is beautifully written with overarching themes of art – the making of art, the importance of art, and what people sometimes sacrifice when creating them. This is an enthralling tale.

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About Karen McMillan:

Karen McMillan is the author of Unbreakable Spirit, The Paris of the East, and The Paris of the West — but despite this typically modest bio there is a great deal more to Karen’s writing and industry career, which you can read about in more detail here. She is also on Twitter: @KarenMcMillanNZ

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To read the previous  instalment in this Top 5 series, click on:

An Avid Reader Special: Paul Weimer’s Top 5 Reads of 2016