Notable Reads of 2016 — Dead End Follies

I've had the craziest reading year once again: 146 titles and the way things are going, I'm going to clock at 150 by December 31. I wouldn't say there was as much tremendous material as the previous years, but I've read some life-affirming books again in 2016. The books in this list didn't quite make my year's best, but were significantly better than average and were deserving of a special year-end mention. The difference between these books and the book that will be announced on December 20 is somewhat a question of personal taste. They are awesome and you might very well enjoy THESE better, so make sure to read both!

Shout out to Lauren Beukes' Broken Monsters, Kristopher Triana's The Ruin Season, Andrew Armacost's The Bohemian Guide to Monogamy and the Lost Signals anthology, which were cut last and are also worth checking out.

And now...

NOTABLE READS OF 2016

Bones are Made to be Broken, by Paul Michael Anderson - Read the Review

A timeless and passionate love letter to the craft of storytelling.

Esctatic Inferno, by Autumn Christian - Read the Review

A bold mythological reimagining of mid-century pulp science fiction where the sacred lives in parasitic symbiosis with the profane.

December Boys, by Joe Clifford - Read the Review

An inherently moral crime novel that's graceful both in style and substance and an exciting new beginning for the sympathetic and believable Jay Porter.

White City, by Seb Doubinsky - Read the Review

A somber commentary on the legacy of George Orwell and the true nature of oppression.

The Deep Blue Good-By, by John D. MacDonald - Read the Review

Travis McGee was a man before his time, yet a man before our time still. A hidden treasure of mid-century literature that deserves to be discovered again.

Nameless, by Grant Morrison - Read the Review

Fearless and savage. An important milestone in experimental storytelling.

The Secret of Ventriloquism, by Jon Padgett - Read the Review

An open challenge to other contemporary horror writers. Padgett is raising the bar and develops new ways to latch on to his audience's nightmares.

I Will Rot Without You, by Danger Slater - Read the Review

Gorgeous and gut-wrenching. Beautifully reappropriates the legacy of Franz Kafka for a new generation of writers.

Hard-Boiled Heart, by Will Viharo - Read the Review

Shrewdly and shamelessly reintroduces the classic PI novel at the age of sexual politics with infectious gusto. Vic Valentine will dare you not to fall in love with him.