My Favourite Books of 2016

Into the „draw“ for my ultimate FAVES came all my Books of the Month of 2016:

January:

·      Our Song by Dani Atkins

February:

·      Fix You by Carrie Elks

- Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

March:

·      The Second Love of My Life by Victoria Walters

- Dear Thing by Julie Cohen

April:

- My Map of You by Isabelle Broom

- Trivial Pursuits by Aven Ellis

May:

·      Summer at Rose Island by Holly Martin

·      Summer at Oyster Bay by Jenny Hale

June:

·      The One We Fell in Love With by Paige Toon

July:

·      Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan

-       My Husband’s Wife by Amanda Prowse

August:

·     Green Tea Latte to Go by Aven Ellis

·      All About The Hype by Paige Toon

-       Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

-       Christmas under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

September:

·      We Were on a Break by Lindsey Kelk

October: 

·      Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

November:

·      A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom

December:

·     On Thin Ice by Aven Ellis 
·     Sugar and Ice by Aven Ellis 

So, here are my books of 2016, in no particular order, it wasn’t easy, but I’m happy with my choices:

·      On Thin Ice by Aven Ellis

·      Trivial Pursuits by Aven Ellis

·      The One We Fell in Love With by Paige Toon

·      Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

·      Summer at Oyster Bay by Jenny Hale

·      A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom

·      Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

·      Manhattan With Love series by Sarah Morgan

·      Our Song by Dani Atkins

·      My Husband’s Wife by Amanda Prowse
·      Sugar and Ice by Aven Ellis

On Thin Ice by Aven Ellis

OMG, I just loved this book!!! It’s part of the Dallas Demons series, it includes hockey, love, family, passion, friendship, hot men and much more ;). It’s the perfect story with some amazing main characters who make each other better and are made for each other, even if it’s not obvious for the people around them. I love the fact that we get to read about characters, who were in previous books, like Nate or Kenley. The storyline is very clever and the book just hast he perfect title. I devoured this book and didn’t want to leave it again! INCREDIBLE!!!

My review

Trivial Pursuits by Aven Ellis

More hockey and love! Livy and Landon have so much chemistry and I just adored their moments so much. I saw the scenes vividly playing in my head and that’s always a good sign. So, this truly another incredible, amazing and touching book by Aven Ellis. FABULOUS!!!

My review

The One We Fell in Love With by Paige Toon

Three sisters and one man! This story is full of touching moments and lots of emotions. It actually has a really unexpected storyline, which was really exciting. A touching story with a deep meaning. Paige but herself on a whole new level with that! I can’t stop thinking about the story and how clever the idea behind it is. Her writing adds a lot of sparks to the storyline and creates a beautiful atmosphere.

My review

Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky by Holly Martin

This book ist he perfect magical and festive read. It will make feel warm and cosy and you will fall in love with the characters, the setting and the atmosphere in this book. Thanks Holly for creating such an amazing, magical, festive, adorable, wonderful and cute story full of autentic characters and an amazing location.

My review

Summer at Oyster Bay by Jenny Hale

This story is full of wonderful moments and scenes, especially between Charlie and Emily, but also within the family and they way Charlie was with her family. Jenny’s writing is on point. She catches the scenes from a beautiful angle, makes you feel like you’re there with the characters and lets you vanish into that world. She describes everything in a vivid, realistic, bright and sweet way. The story combines family, love, passion, romance and a wonderful setting and it also shows the difficult sides of all these aspects.

My review

A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom

This book is full of love, romance, warmth, comfort, but also touching and moving moments. I was able to dive into this story immediately and Isabelle’s gripping writing made it hard to leave the characters again. This book is not just about there women meeting each other, it also covers heartache and goes really deep. And then there is Ollie, you will fall in love with him. A captivating and incredible story written with so much passion, warmth and love. I loved every second of this book. BRILLIANT!!!

My review

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Throne

I know this book got mixed review, but I loved it. Yes, there ist he fact that it’s actually a theatre script and that for me is fab and another way of reading a story. I read this book in one go and loved reading about all these familiar characters again. I think that the emotions came across even better in the script, it also kind of leaves more space for your own imagination.It’s full of twists and turns and even some surprises. The Harry Potter world is so fascinating and I don’t ever want it to stop. AWESOME!

My review

Manhattan With Love Series by Sarah Morgan

I just had to go with the whole series here, because I love all three books so much. The characters and the couples are so unique in their personality, their chemistry, their relationship and also in the way they get together. Ando f course they all build a big group of friends as well, so we get to read about all of them in every book. And they are all set in NEW YORK CITY!!!

Sleepless in Manhattan: I couldn’t put this book down. It might seem like a normal rom com, like every other, but it’s not! Sarah takes it to a whole new level with her writing. It’s so vivid, passionate and full of life, I felt like being there with the characters. I adore the storyline, it flows beautifully and the characters? Well, every single one of them is awesome!

Sunset in Central Park: In this one I adored how every chapter started, with with a quote from either Frankie, Paige or Eva, describing love and ither situations and perfectly fitting each chapter, without giving away too much, so sweet.

Miracle on 5th Avenue: The scenes and moments between the main characters were my favourite in this book, they included so much passion and I just got hooked. Their chemistry is amazing and Sarah found a great way to describe it through her writing. There is a mystery behind him, which made him even more attractive and then there was the way he treated her and they way he spoke to her that made my heart melt.

My review

Our Song by Dani Atkins

This story touches your heart and goes under your skin. Dani created a real MASTERPIECE here. The writing, the characters, the emotions, the plot – just perfect. This is a touching, clever, heart-breaking and beautiful book.

My review

My Husband’s Wife by Amanda Prowse

Amanda has a real gift of creating an emotional, heratbreaking, addictive and touching story. If I were only allowed to use one word describing this book, it would be UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! I read it in one go and fell in love with Amanda writing once more. She creates these atmospheres full of emotions and manages to make it unique for the characters.

My review

Sugar and Ice by Aven Ellis

Sugar and Ice marks the start of Aven's new hockey series Ringside in the Rockies. I completely fell in love with the two main characters from the start, they are so authentic and just great. Cade and Jojo have amazing chemistry and they share some wonderful moments. Aven has captured it all beautifully in her writing. 
REVIEW COMING SOON

My Highlights of 2016

I have seen a lot of people say that this has been a shitty year and yes I see where they are coming from. A lot of famous and great people died, there have been more terror attacks, Trump is America’s new president etc.

I’m not saying it hasn’t been bad, because we went through a lot this year when it comes to family. I had to say goodbye to my grandpa and that was very hard, grandma has been difficult ever since. However, I’m a strong believer in positivity and I’m also an optimist.

You yourself decide how bad something is for you, how much impact it has on your life and how you want to deal with a situation. I just think that complaining all the time is not the solution. Having a great day or experience starts with you and your way of living. It can be small things, but do something good for you from time to time. I know it’s easier said than done, but get away from the negativity and focus on the good things. Sometimes you need courage to make the next step, but changes are good!

Anyway, let’s cut to the chase here, I would like to share my highlights of 2016 with you guys.

-       In April I travelled to New York, Dallas and Chicago and it was amazing! I went all by myself and was able to finally explore new (to me) American cities. I love the States, so this trip was a dream come true. I went to New York, because the city is just awesome, the shopping is great, the sightseeing is fab, there is Broadway and hockey! Then I went to Dallas to see my dear friend Wendy and to enjoy some hockey. Last but not least, Chicago. Such a wonderful city!!! So this trip and all three cities have been a big highlight this year.

-       My second highlight is meeting my second momma Wendy in Dallas. We have been close friends ever since I started reading her books and she is just amazing! Thanks for showing me around Dallas momma and thanks for your friendship.

-       NHL hockey: I got to experience some great NHL hockey in the States. I saw two games and went to a Dallas Stars practice and I got to see so many players play live!!! The Dallas Stars are my fave team and I was able to sit right by the rink, we had first row seats!!!

-       London with mum: In July I went to London with my mum for a few days. The city is your second home. We went shopping, saw some shows and explored the city of course. I also got to stand in front of the Palace Theatre where the show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child :).

-       London trip to finally meet Lindsey Kelk: Lindsey is one of my fave authors and when I saw that she is coming to London, I booked the event immediately, it was fabulous. I also got to meet the lovely Giovanna Fletcher and Mhairi McFarlane. The rest of this trip was great too. I went to the House of Mina Lima, explored the St. Paul’s area and also did some shopping.

-       Singing a Christmas concert in one of the most famous concert halls in Switzerland, the KKL. The hall fits so many people and it’s just wonderful to sing in a festive atmosphere like that.

-       I got elected into the committee of my choir. I’m responsible for the website and part of the communication to people outside the choir. It’s a lot of work, but I really enjoy it and the other members of the group are great to work with.

-       Working up on a mountain has positive and negative sides, but let me share why I love it so much: The sunsets are amazing and the view is just beautiful and it’s different every single day.

-       CHESS: I got to perform CHESS The Musical with an amazing group of people.

-       I also travelled to Munich, where I met the lovely Alba and explored the city.

-       My bestie’s Mary’s engagement and being asked to be her bridesmaid!!!

-       Skype and What’s App conversations with Mary and Wendy!!!

-       Being a beta reader for Aven Ellis (Wendy), her books are just brilliant!!!

-       One day, when I walked through Zurich, I bumped into Roman Josi, one of my fave hockey players, that was a fab highlight!

-       Ellie Goulding concert!

-       Being a practice coach for future teachers has taught me so much. And if feels great to pass on my experience.

-       Talking to my lovely author and (book) blogging friends online.

-       All the Sushi nights with my ladies!

As you can see, there are a lot of travel related highlights here, but that’s what I love. Can’t wait to see what 2017 holds for me.

What are your highlights of the year? Big or small?