Favorite literary fiction of 2016

Continuing my posts of favorite books of the year… up next I decided to talk about literary fiction.

One of the main genres I tend toward is literary fiction, and that has been since my undergrad English lit major days. It’s more of a time investment for various reasons, but the perfect mix of character and prose can be so rewarding. Here are my favorite literary fiction books that I read in 2016 (also they all came out this year, but that was a coincidence). Five of the seven were either nominated for or won a literary prize this year.

What I’ve Read – February 2016

First off, where did February go?! This past month I decided (too late in the month) that I would try to read more books by ethnically and racially diverse authors. Reading diversely is something I always try to do; according to my reading spreadsheet for this year so far I’m at 62% female authors so far this year, and that’s without really trying. But my reading of POC authors is a bit low, so I will slowly rectify that situation.

In February I read:

Salt to the Sea – Ruta Sepetys

Salt to the Sea
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publication date: February 2nd, 2016

Salt to the Sea tells the story of several refugees in World War II who cross paths and end up on a ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff. It is based on real events, and a quick google of that ship will tell you why it is important and why Sepetys chose this subject, but that might fall into spoilery territory. It is pretty clear where this story will end up, however.

The Little Stranger – Sarah Waters

I’ve never read anything by Sarah Waters before, and knowing that The Little Stranger is a departure from her usual style makes me a little sad because I really want more where this came from.