I loved learning so much about octopuses in this wonderful book! These creatures may look like aliens, but they are smart, curious, and full of personality. Sy Montgomery’s engaging storytelling made me feel like I was right there with her behind the scenes at the New England Aquarium and diving in the Pacific Ocean to study these fascinating creatures.

This read like a slow-burning mystery for me — Belle Boggs gathers stories from a wide variety of situations where the potential parents are put through a series of tests, either scientific or in their everyday lives, alternately telling us how she and her partner came to discover their own route to conception. What’s beautiful is her lack of judgment in the journeys taken; each exploration and outcome is valued equal to her own. A brave and intimate collection.

Haunting, heartbreaking, and yet uplifting. World War II can be overwhelming to read about, but author Ruta Sepetys makes history graspable by telling the small, intimate tales of four young adult strangers. Tossed together by the messiness of war, these strangers learn to watch over each other as they struggle to the coast of Prussia to attain what they hope will be safety and freedom aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff. (Salt to the Sea was inspired by maritime WWII history.)

While I was reading it and for days after I finished, I dreamt about this book. Wang's debut novel checks off a lot of boxes for me: it's a family saga, it's a sympathetic and realistic rendering of mental illness, and it's both beautifully written and deeply disturbing. Wang's characters follow their internal compasses down paths that seem to be somehow unexpected and preordained all at the same time, and they come to devastating ends. The Border of Paradise absolutely captivated me; I can't recommend it highly enough.

Bunnies, bullies, a killer on the loose… Kathleen Lane’s The Best Worst Thing is not your run-of-the-mill middle-grade novel. Told through the unique and infectious voice of Maggie — Lane’s smart, curious, and beautifully neurotic narrator — this story about the multitudes of middle-school worries and one girl who just wants to save the whole world is at once breathless and funny and heartbreaking and joyous — and a delight for any reader who is, or ever has been, a kid.

Portland author/illustrator (and former Powell's employee) Kate Berube's first picture book is a gem. Hannah is a young girl with a youthful fear, and Sugar is your neighborhood dog. Then one day, Sugar goes missing. The best scene soon follows, when Hannah is sitting by herself, out on her front porch, wondering what it must be like to be lost, hungry, and alone — that quiet moment is special. Hannah is a strong girl character (she overcomes her fear!) who you'll love, and that last illustration of her and Sugar as new friends will make you absolutely melt.

This nonfiction anthology is a mix of prose, comics, and illustrated stories. These geeky love stories are written by over 50 women, including women in the comic book industry, women in the video game industry, women of color, and women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, queer, or trans. It's funny and cute and will make you have all the feels. If you're as geeky as I am, then you will love The Secret Loves of Geek Girls.

I picked up In the Country We Love with little awareness of Diane Guerrero's acting fame (maybe I've watched one episode of Orange Is the New Black?). Guerrero's amazing narrative — in the same league as The Sound of Gravel, my #2 pick — is a truly heartbreaking story of her immigrant family being torn apart, and her determination to remain in the United States and raise herself at age 14. This account of Guerrero's life will make you laugh and cry. You will be appalled and angry. And you will be truly thrilled about her ultimate success.

This book will forcibly draw some kind of reaction from you. It will change the way that your mind works and leave you with the feeling that a wind has blown through you, altering you in a profound way that you couldn't have expected. If you dive head-first into this book and allow yourself to feel what is happening, you won't regret it.

Leigh Bardugo does not disappoint with this fast-paced, tight-knit, emotionally gut-punching sequel to last year's bestseller Six of Crows. Kaz and his diverse crew of criminals are back, determined to wreak vengeance on their enemies and reap their just rewards. Full of twists and turns, heists and havoc, you will most likely finish this book with a racing heart, paper cuts from speedy page-flipping, and an overwhelming craving for waffles (you'll see).

Reeling from the death of her parents and the capture of her gypsy-warrior aunt, Sefia has only a mysterious inheritance — a book, though in her world no one reads or writes — to help her find and punish the ones responsible for their deaths. Traci Chee's debut novel is lush and adventurous, brimming with imagination and magic. She has taken the experience of reading, the creation of story, and imbued both with a sense of wonder that is still with me, even months later.

Valenti dives deeply into how sexism affects women throughout life, from childhood to adulthood. Some of the stories she tells can be shocking, but after reading this book, you'll walk away with a better understanding of what it is like for women in our society today.

This is a surprisingly pleasant biography of our native "prairie wolf" and the disturbingly brutal and quite foolish attempts we have made over the past 100 years to eradicate the coyote from the face of North America.

After accidentally killing the young neighbor boy, Landreaux gives his own son to the grieving parents. These actions and their consequences guide the rest of this unforgettable story that perfectly captures those turn-of-the-millennium years when relative peace gave way to deep uncertainty.

In today's instant culture of beautifying and perfecting filters we hide behind, of hustle and strain and anxiety, this book is a breath of fresh air. Told in mini-essays, Niequist's very personal story — about her own awakening to a more present, thoughtful, love-filled way of life — is a suggestion that contentment doesn't come from running ourselves ragged.

A surfer’s story written in witty, literary prose, Barbarian Days tells the honest truth about what life was like before every wave was a known commodity. Finnegan’s ability to describe waves and the experience of surfing translates well to both those familiar with the sport and the uninitiated. A can’t-miss read for the lover of a great, true story. It won the Pulitzer Prize to boot.

Tomie Kawakami is the ultimate "it" girl. Beautiful and seductive, she drives men mad with just one look. They obsess over her to the point of madness, often killing her, though she just keeps on coming back. The cool girl that can't die. But she doesn't always stay pretty. This series is my personal favorite of Junji Ito's work.

When I read this book back in March, I knew instantly it would make my Staff Top Five list for 2016. I've read many other great books this year, but none could unseat this one as my favorite. Far from being your standard apocalyptic YA fare, this well-written and thought-provoking novel explores the human toll of a world-ending natural disaster. Relatable characters, tense action, and emotional turmoil make this book impossible to set down. I can't recommend it enough!

I can finally relate to Harry Potter fans! With each new release of Knausgaard's autobiographical novel, My Struggle, I eagerly wait outside Powell's before it opens so I can get my copy and immediately begin reading it. Book Five is a continuation of the finest literary collection of the century. I am highly anticipating the final installment so that I can finish the series, go back to the first book, and start all over again. It takes a lot to knock The Boss off my top spot, but Karl Ove Knausgaard did it.

While the Vietnamese “sympathizer” of the story is a communist agent, he is also a man who truly sympathizes, and therefore, a man deeply torn. This makes for a powerful, many-layered work, biting in its criticism of the United States’ involvement in Vietnam without being didactic. It’s also a book that crosses genres and tones: a literary spy story, both suspenseful and intellectual, yet in one memorable sequence, a hilarious satirical set piece. Not an easy book to describe or categorize, but a profound knockout to read. The ending stunned me in a way few books do.

Using the lives of four artists — Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, Henry Darger, and David Wojnarowicz — in addition to aspects of her own life as a jumping off point, Olivia Laing has written a moving and empathetic study of (and meditation on) urban loneliness. The Lonely City is observant, wise, insightful, and beautifully written.

In 1958 an amazing assemblage of jazz icons were captured in a single photograph. This book celebrates those musicians through original artwork and poems inspired by that classic image. Whether you are familiar with the photo Harlem 1958 or this is your first viewing, Jazz Day provides a beautiful look behind the scenes of this famous picture.

While the City Slept is a true crime account of a rape and murder that occurred in Seattle in 2009. Unlike many crime reports, Eli Sanders's work is never lurid, never sensational. Instead, his focus is on physical and social environments that formed the victim, perpetrator, and survivor. Particular focus is given to the many times that the state failed to intervene in the life of a young man in crisis. Sanders highlights for the reader the extremes of human nature, but doesn't force any conclusions. This is a work of deep empathy.

This book is amazing on so many levels. It is historical fiction that will tear at your heartstrings and make you cheer between tears. This is the book that should have won the Newbery Medal (it won the Newbery Honor instead).

Before the Feast is a slow and careful series of vignettes about mysterious happenings and beautifully written characters in a small German town.

I have been reading Kameron Hurley for years. She's one of my heroes. When I get discouraged, it's essays like these that convince me to go on. Fierce, unapologetic, and relentlessly compassionate, The Geek Feminist Revolution is a bracing tonic for the long journey ahead.

No way could I have predicted much of anything in this final volume of the series, but it was a perfect ending. You must read the other books first, but, take my word for it, you will not be disappointed.

Instagram darling Pumpkin is here! Her very own book captures all the adventures of living as a dog with BFFs Toffee and Oreo. You will laugh and fall in love with the adorable and very mischievous Pumpkin.

The Girls is an intoxicating read with stunning writing. Evie's pensive thoughts and bold moves lead her down a dangerous path. Chilling and haunting!

Broder's essay collection is shockingly candid, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and surprisingly moving. She communicates her modern sadnesses in today's world of sexting, Twitter, and anxiety unlike anyone else.

Oof. This book hit me right in the feelings. Max Porter's debut is a beautiful story of family grieving told through poetry and fable. He shows us that grief can crack a smile after a while.

Jabs at sex, society, gender roles, and dating norms of the digital age abound in Wynbrandt's snarky, hilarious comic. Get off of Tinder and pick up this book.

Hill's debut novel, a sprawling 600-plus page epic, centers around the estranged relationship between a mother and the son she abandoned when he was a boy, and alternates between three distinct time periods — present day, suburbia in the 1980s, and 1968-era Chicago. I was amazed at Hill's insights into the human psyche, since he mined some of my deepest thoughts and fears, even ones I thought might never be unearthed. Hill devotes a few sporadic chapters to ancillary characters, which helps to fully flesh out all of the intertwined narratives. I can't recommend it enough!

Devastating, desolate, and disquieting, On the Edge ought to rank as one of the decade's finest novels. Set in late 2010, following the economic crisis that ravaged the world economy, the late Spanish author’s novel offers an unflinching glimpse of a nation despoiled and reeling. An unemployment rate of 20 percent (and rising), poverty, prostitution, xenophobia, Islamophobia, immigration fears, human trafficking, violence, corruption, and environmental decay are the real-life milieu upon which Chirbes situates his unforgiving tale. A remarkable portrait of one man's struggle to make sense of an encompassing personal, economic, and social decay, On the Edge breathes life into an otherwise asphyxiating scene.

Wow, what a book! The Remnants takes an intense look at the small and dying town of New Eden, Somewhere, USA. Its residents are aging — and so very, very interrelated — and New Eden is assuredly creeping towards its last days. Hill's characters are so precisely written, they feel as real as you and me, despite the generations of inbreeding, which have left them somewhere off the "normal" scale. Yet these folks love and hope and yearn like the rest of us, and their stories are magical. Hill has the silver tongue of a master wordsmith. His gorgeous prose rambles from hilarious to sly to clever, and then doubles back so it can dive right off into beautiful, heartsick, and poignant. A standout story with unbelievably effective prose, The Remnants is my favorite 2016 title.

Dana Spiotta is one of those writers who inspire intense devotion in readers. Once I had read one book by her, I eagerly sought out everything else she had ever written. Her newest novel, Innocents and Others, tells the interlocking stories of a documentary filmmaker, a mainstream director of "chick flicks," and a blind woman who spends her days calling random people on the telephone. It builds upon many of the themes established in her previous work — the lingering significance of the '60s and '70s in American culture, the fluid nature of identity, the inner worlds of women, and the influence of art and technology on individual lives — while also marking a newfound experimentation with form.

Reading this was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had all year. The pleasures of food and everyday life are so accurately represented, it's palpable. Whimsical illustrations and hilarious stories are paired so splendidly it feels like kismet, as if the varying subjects had just been waiting for Hanawalt to pick them up and turn them into something magical. I laughed, teared up, and took snapshots of my favorite pages to share with friends. If you ever need a pick-me-up, this book is for you.

Two professors set out to devise a class that taught students how to construct a lifestyle worth living, and ended up with one of the most popular courses ever taught at Stanford. They share their findings in Designing Your Life, a self-help book that doesn’t feel like a self-help book. Instead it feels like loose and customizable scaffolding for individuals to find meaningful work and relationships. This is a galvanizing weekend coffee-shop read, and one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read.

The concept and execution of All That Man Is is absolutely brilliant. It’s made up of nine stories, about nine men, each one progressively older and all travelling through Europe. The individual stories are unconnected, yet as a whole have the pacing and flow of a well-constructed novel. Dealing with themes of untapped ambition, suppressed emotion, and deep-seated insecurity, it’s a book that perfectly captures what it's like to be a man in the early 21st century.

Nobody is a book that reminds us that all of us are somebody — that, until we love and respect black bodies, we cannot truly and honestly move forward. If you wish all people understood systemic racism, that it comes from all of us, and that all our perceptions and biases contribute to an existence where all bodies are not honored equally, then Nobody is the book for you. From Ferguson to Flint, Hill chronicles how oppression has seeped into the core of our country, building a foundation so unbalanced that equitable footing is nearly impossible.

A completely captivating story of groundbreaking feminist artist Rokudenashiko's arrest and imprisonment told through comics, interviews, press snippets, trial transcripts, and mini cultural essays. What makes this book so remarkable is her unfailing whimsy, a spirit so bright it radiates off the page, and ultimately her resilience in the fight for artistic freedom.

Every Heart a Doorway has it all. It’s dark and creepy, mysterious and macabre, and at its heart there's a whole lot of that feel-good love. Love that comes from new friendships and finding your way in a world that is no longer home. And if you are lucky... back to the home of your heart. "You’re nobody’s doorway but your own, and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you." (Seanan McGuire)

If I were making a list of the best queer books of the past 100 years, I would proudly place this astounding first novel by Garth Greenwell alongside Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin and The Folding Star by Alan Hollinghurst. What Belongs to You is THAT GOOD. Structurally sound, emotionally resonant, and startlingly erotic, this novel explores both lust and love in the lives of two men, as they attempt to find connection in modern-day Bulgaria.

Lovable, charming, and laugh-out-loud fun, this book is sheer delight for little geeks and adventure lovers. You can't help rooting for the determined goblin searching after the adventurers who took his best friend, Skeleton, even while everyone he meets chases him away because — you got it — Nobody Likes a Goblin. Then, at the end, when everything looks its bleakest, he finds… well, you'll have to read to find out!

This book is delightful. Papillon is so fluffy, he's lighter than air. His owner wants to stop him from floating away, so she weighs Papillon down with clothes. He refuses to wear clothes and floats out the window. Papillon gets lost, but a new friend helps him find his way home. The story and illustrations are so cute and fun, especially Papillon wearing different costumes.

This is the story of a not-so-Brady bunch and their 50-year journey. It’s what many would call a family drama, and they are not wrong. I love the fractured narration and the way Patchett brings a family together and takes them apart both through her story and by scattering the characters across the globe. I’ve often wondered what would happen if you asked each one of my family members to narrate the same event without fact-checking each other. I think it would go a little something like this.

I have never read a book that treats family, depression, and relationships with more tenderness or grace. It’s also possible that I’ve never read a book this tragic. Adam Haslett follows a family as they grapple with the grave mental illness of their father and eldest brother, and the highs and lows along the way. While much of the book is sorrowful, Haslett is a writer with a masterful grasp of language and character, and the results are a deeply moving and powerful novel that I have urged everyone I know to read, even (especially?) as it brought me to tears.

Over the course of one fateful day in New York City, Natasha and Daniel unravel the impact of one day's worth of choices. Yoon tackles crucial subjects such as immigration, race, suicide, and heartbreak while delivering honest and genuine protagonists. I also appreciated that every minor character had a story to tell. In a world full of constant struggle, Yoon's second novel gifted me with the power of hope and love!

In a kaleidoscopic series of vignettes, O'Connor breathes life into a contentious and largely unknown slice of American history. This is bold, generous writing that eschews convenient narrative expectations, instead depicting a world full of complication, full of contradiction — a world a lot like our own.

Alan Moore extends the alchemical intensity of his Great Work from comics and spoken word spellcasting into the zone of prose with staggering, soul-warping success. His second novel is a verbally dense, jewel-encrusted masterpiece of decadent maximalism about psychogeography, working-class magic, art, family, and the afterlife that makes other massive modern novels like Infinite Jest, 2666, and Ulysses seem relatively neurotic and pedestrian. More books like this might save the world.

A rich, important tale of historical fiction about a World War II refugee ship’s disastrous sinking, Salt to the Sea is told from different viewpoints with haunting clarity. The stories weave together in a conclusion that is both tragic and life-affirming at the same time. Sepetys is a true master of the genre.

Set in Aleppo, the novel follows one family through several generations of pain and tragedy. The plot may be a little convoluted and intricate, but the poetry and lyricism of the prose makes for an easy and compelling read. And although this is a work of fiction, the author gives us an encapsulated view of the region’s political and social history from the First World War to the American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. A very timely read.

This is a big, masterfully written novel that explores mathematical genius and its high cost on the individual, spouse, and family. Within this multigenerational saga are nicely crafted themes of nature versus nurture, addiction, and redemption.

With his debut novel, The Whale, Beauregard gives us a historical romance from a seldom-seen viewpoint. This is a novel about a tortuous, tempestuous love affair between two of American literature's greatest writers, a romance found buried deep within these authors' actual letters and journals. The Whale is beautifully written, well-researched, and one of the best novels I've read in quite some time. I can't recommend it enough.

Can you get much better than a novel you can't put down that has beautiful cover art too?! Brit Bennett brings together a chorus of "Mothers" to share a wisdom that spans generations, boasting decades of collective experience. This novel shamelessly brings to light a variety of hot-button issues — abortion, infidelity, regret — without cliché, giving readers a peek into what it's like to go through the hard stuff. Don't miss this one!

Mr. Splitfoot is one of those rare books in which both the language and the story take center stage. I was hooked by the remarkable prose and then compelled by the inventive plot and the (somewhat literally) fantastic characters. It is a beautiful, funny, bizarre, and wholly original tale that manages to incorporate love, death, motherhood, séances, and ghost activism.

Set in 1917, The Heavenly Table follows the path of three young men as they lie, steal, cheat, and kill their way from Alabama to Southern Ohio. This story is expertly mirrored by the life of a poor Ohioan farmer who is watching his family disintegrate. Pollock’s prose style is reminiscent of Southern gothic legends like Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy, but his storytelling is painterly, compelling, and freshly cinematic. The characters jump off the page and grab you by the throat while the story gives you a look into a rarely addressed period of American history.

As a small child, I adored Sabrina's appearances in Archie Comics. Her poofy white hair, her groovy clothing, and especially her willingness to play havoc with her neighbors' lives. Turns out I wasn't the only kid who longed to be a little more powerful and carefree. Just like with the 1960's Archie, readers demanded more Sabrina, so now we have an even wickeder "Teen-Age Witch" to enjoy. Simply put, the first story line is messed up. These are not cute, misunderstood witches. These are terrifying predators, and by the end Sabrina has begun to realize her own unstoppable powers. This graphic novel haunts me; I cannot wait for Aguirre-Sacasa and Hack to give me more.

Last year I got really into reading about parenting, and this year I got really into reading about the Internet. Emily Witt delves into how our views on relationships, dating, and sex have changed since the Internet became our romantic other. Both personal and theoretical, Witt takes on traditional views of monogamy and dating, creating a sort of Opening Up for the tech age. She examines the disconnect between romantic relationships and technology, and whether or not we've become detached and less committed as services like Tinder and OkCupid have made it easier to find love without ever leaving the house. Is it actually easier, though?

The moment I finished this graphic novel, I wanted to discuss it with everyone. What I most admired about the book was the author's ability to have a cute, hilarious approach to her autobiographical graphic novel while grappling with intense philosophical questions. Not only did I learn about the oddities of Japanese obscenity laws while reading, I laughed at the same time. The tone with which the author narrates and illustrates her arrest highlights the bizarreness of the situation. I invite you to read this and question, how can we define obscenity? Should we? And who do our bodies belong to?

When I was growing up, I got in trouble for the look on my face more often than anything I actually did. The Thought Police (my parents) would see my inner eye-roll no matter how much I tried to keep my face neutral. If I thought I had it bad, life is really unfair in Vyleta’s novel Smoke. Part rollicking gothic coming-of-age, part meditation on how thin the veneers of class and manners truly are — Smoke is my top pick of 2016. It’s like Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, with a little more opportunity for introspection.

As I debated which of my Top Fives to give the top spot, in my heart I knew there was no debate. It had to be Oh, Florida! While I'm passionate about all of my picks (and I wish I could add more), Pittman's book won for the simple fact that I come from the crazy state that is Florida and he captures things perfectly. Reading Oh, Florida! will make you realize how true to reality Carl Hiaasen is in his entertaining mysteries. Within a paragraph of starting the book, I was already texting favorite bits to friends. You'll laugh a lot, learn a lot, and be very, very afraid about what it says about the rest of the country.

In 1922 Moscow, Count Alexander Rostov is declared a non-person and sentenced to live his remaining days in the Hotel Metropol — or he will be shot by the Red Guard. Rostov's banishment includes moving from his grand suite to a remote attic room. Nevertheless, Rostov is undaunted, and life in the elegant Metropol provides him friendships, love, and purpose. His adventures in confinement are comic, enchanting, and heartwarming even as the ever-present threat of the Soviet state lingers over the inhabitants of the hotel. Rostov observes that other countries exile their citizens to other places, but Russia exiles its people to Russia. Amor Towles has written a tragic comedy of gentle power; it’s charming, harrowing, and ultimately triumphant. I was sorry to leave Hotel Metropol.