Going back ten years to 2016, Sarah and Catherine Gilmore (@GilmoreGuide) dive into the annual Bookish Time Capsule episode and revisit the book world from that year. They cover big bookish highlights — from the buzziest books of the year to the award winners — along with what was happening in the wider world at the time. They also look back at their own reading from 2016, including their favorite releases, and share a quick round-up of listener-submitted favorites. This episode is overflowing with great backlist titles to add to your TBR!

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• The big news that was going on outside the book world
• Book stories and trends that dominated 2016
• The 2016 books that have had staying power
• Big books and award winners for the year
• Reading in the blog years before the Rock Your Reading Tracker
• Sarah's and Catherine's personal 2016 reading stats
• Listener-submitted favorites from 2016

2016 Bookish Time Capsule [1:45] The World Beyond Books

• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou (2018)| Amazon | Bookshop.org [3:09]
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [4:59]
• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [5:11]
  • Ferrante's true identity has never been confirmed, despite multiple attempts by journalists and various theories pointing to different people.

Book Industry Sales and Trends

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:02]
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:10]
• Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:21]
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:36]
• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:40]
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:45]
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:57]
• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:12]
• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:16]
• StrengthsFinder 2.0 from Gallup (2007) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:20]
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:30]
• The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:33]
• After You by Jojo Moyes (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:49]
• The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:52]
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [11:59]
• Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter (2016)| Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:36]
• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (2004) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [12:49]
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:04]
• Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:05]
• The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (English Translation, 2015) | Amazon| Bookshop.org [13:32]
• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (English Translation, 2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:39]
• In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:51]

Big Books of 2016

• It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [15:47]
• A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, 2) by Sarah J. Maas (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [16:28]
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:25]
• Pines (Wayward Pines, 1) by Blake Crouch (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [17:57]
• Recursion by Blake Crouch (2019) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:17]
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[18:34]
• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [18:58]
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [19:29]
• James by Percival Everett (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:42]
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:51]
• Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:10]
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:28]
• Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [22:46]
• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:19]

Award Winners of 2016

• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:54]
• The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:06]
• Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:35]
• The Sellout by Paul Beatty (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [24:51]
• Let Me Die In His Footsteps by Lori Roy (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [25:50]
• Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [25:56]
• All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:05]

Catherine's Top Books

• Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:46]
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[28:11]
• The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:35]
• The Windsor Affair by Melanie Benjamin (June 2, 2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:03]
• Before the Wind by Jim Lynch (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:57]
• Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:57]
• Miss Jane by Brad Watson (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:48]
• Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [31:57]
• Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:08]
• Adnan's Story by Rabia Chaudry (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:40]

Sarah's Top Books

• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:45]
• Shelter by Jung Yun (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:58]
• All the World Can Hold by Jung Yun (2026) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:06]
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:16]
• My Name Is Lucy Barton (Amgash, 1) by Elizabeth Strout (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:22]
• Oh William! (Amgash, 3) by Elizabeth Strout (2021) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:38]
• Tell Me Everything (Amgash, 5) by Elizabeth Strout (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:47]
• Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:05]
• Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:30]
• Tender by Belinda McKeon (US Release, 2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [41:44]
• The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:03]
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[42:05]
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:31]

Listeners' Top Books

• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[44:14]
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:19]
• A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, 2) by Sarah J. Maas (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:35]
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:47]
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:01]
• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:24]
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:30]
• Beartown by Fredrik Backman (English Translation, 2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:32]
• Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:40]
• The Unseen World by Liz Moore (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:45]
• Long Bright River by Liz Moore (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:58]
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:00]
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:16]