CRP's Blog

In our first Staff Reads post of 2017, we look back on some of our favorite books from 2016 to remind ourselves of the shiny moments in a challenging year.

Share your favorite 2016 titles in the comments or on Twitter using the hashtag #CRPreads

Is it ok if this is also my staff rec at Anderson’s right now? Because when I think of my 2016, I think of 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write: On Umbrellas and Sword Fights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater. This was a graduation gift from my boss, and it was so perfect for that transitory month after graduation when I felt too busy to read. The essays were short and sweet, poignant and thought provoking, and quick enough to read while waiting at the dentists or in line at the grocery store while still feeling like a complete experience. —Ashley Alfirevic, publicity associate

I began 2016 by reading Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín, and I adored it more than any other fiction I went on to read later in the year. But the book that stayed with me the longest after reading, and that I probably talked the most about with others this year, had to be Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. What a beautiful and heartbreaking testament. —Caitlin Eck, publicity manager

Looking back at my Goodreads (which I really should be better at maintaining #2017resolution), and because I love to find loopholes so I can offer up more than one choice, I have 4.5 “best ofs” for 2016.

• Most enjoyable: Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older. The worlds Older creates are fantastic in every sense of the word. Sierra and her friends leap fully formed off of the page.
• Best listen: In the Shadow of Frankenstein. Some of my favorite narrators read this collection of Frankenstein-inspired short stories.
• Favorite CRP title: Investigating Lois Lane by Tim Hanley, in no small part because I loved the marketing piece I had created for it (reporter notebooks!) and the great event we had at Women & Children First.
• Favorite comic (single issue): The Sixth Gun #50. It’s an emotional favorite but it was an amazing farewell to the series. It just edged out Midnighter, and that title’s follow-up miniseries Midnighter and Apollo, which are must-reads.  —Mary Kravenas, marketing manager

I couldn’t pick just one, so my three favorite books from 2016 are Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings, Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and Patti Smith’s Just Kids. My favorite CRP book was The Hospital Always Wins by Issa Ibrahim.  —Emily Lewis, editorial and marketing assistant

My favorite CRP book of 2016 was Immunity: How Elie Metchnikoff Changed the Course of Modern Medicine by Luba Vikhanski. It is an absolutely delightful read about a truly charming and vivacious character, which one perhaps wouldn’t entirely expect from a biography of a Russian microbiologist. —Michelle Williams, managing editor