Top 10 Books of 2017
9:30:00 AM
TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2017
Recap
Every year, I try to come up with my Top 10 books of the year list, and it's almost always a difficult process. This year, I had a mid-year post drafted and then never finished. I'm glad I waited until now to talk about the books I've read and loved this year, though. My goal was 25 books, and as of writing this post, I've read 30 books! Considering how little I've read in the past two years, I'm ecstatic to have read so many books this year. I enjoyed most of the books I read. A few I didn't enjoy. A few disappointments. But also some surprises and new favorites.
Here's some more info on the books I read this year:
# books read: 30
# adult books: 5
# young adult books: 20
# new adult books: 1
# graphic novels: 4
1 re-read
11 books by authors I've read before
23 books written by women
14 books written by PoC
17 standalone books
The List
In no particular order except for my top read of the year...
1. Wild Beauty | Anna-Marie McLemore
Magical.
Flowers.
Family.
Being found.
Unforgettable.
Brujas.
Beautiful.
2. The Darkest Minds (series) | Alexandra Bracken
Friends. Survival. Adventure. Lies. Secrets. Family. Love. Fighting. On the road, on the run.
3. Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi
Family.
History.
Legacy.
Slavery.
Blackness.
Courage.
Love.
Sacrifice.
Home.
4. The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas
#BlackLivesMatter.
Family.
Community.
Struggle.
Necessary.
Important.
Powerful.
5. The Girl with the Red Balloon | Katherine Locke
Magic.
Time.
Friendship.
Sacrifice.
Holocaust.
Cold War.
Love.
Bravery.
Heroes.
6. The Shadow of the Wind | Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Barcelona.
History.
Books.
Family.
Dark.
Mysterious.
Storytelling.
7. The Names They Gave Us | Emery Lord
Auto-buy author.
Family.
Faith.
Love.
Camp.
Illness.
Summer.
Heartbreaking.
That ending.
8. A Darker Shade of Magic | V.E. Schwab
Magic.
Fun.
Adventure.
Different worlds.
Friendship.
Family.
Loyalty.
Fast-paced.
World building FTW.
9. The Prince and the Dressmaker | Jen Wang
2018 release.
Graphic novel.
Friendship.
Royalty.
Love.
Fashion.
Expectations.
Identity.
Acceptance.
10. Turtles All the Way Down | John Green
Mental health.
Thought-provoking.
Heartbreaking.
Real.
Mystery.
Connections.
Spiraling.
Getting better.
Still gathering my thoughts on this one.
Honorable Mention*. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | Benjamin Alire Saenz
Love.
Family.
Confusion.
Sadness.
Heartbreaking.
Sweet.
Friendship.
Feelings.
Finding yourself.
*NOTE: I have to explain this...so Aristotle and Dante was originally on my top 10 list. I really, really loved the book. But then some stuff happened in which the author made some terrible comments against/about a reviewer and blogger of color. I could not keep the book on my top 10 and promote it in that fashion, but the book was one of my favorites of the year. Thus, I've moved it down to my honorable mention and bumped Turtles All the Way Down up. I know I probably shouldn't even include Aristotle and Dante on this list at all, but the book broke me and healed me and was an amazing reading experience nonetheless. Nevertheless, I stand in solidarity and support for the reviewer and for all PoC, especially WoC, who are in the bookish community.
There you have it! My top reads of the year, although there were plenty of other amazing books not on this list as well. Some of these were 2017 releases and some were older. I loved them all. (I apologize for the lazy blogger in me who's rushing to schedule this post and thus isn't including any Goodreads/purchase links or synopses.
What were your favorite books of the year? Have you read any of my top 10 books? Are you planning to read any of them?
2 comments
I JUST finished The Darkest Minds (after plenty of prodding from Aneeqah) and I can't wait to hopefully finish the series in 2018! I can't wait to read Emery Lord's latest, and I REALLY need to get around to Aristotle and Dante, so it's great to hear you liked them! I'm glad you got the chance to read such wonderful books this year. :)
ReplyDeleteSo excited that you're getting on board with TDM. Can't wait to hear what you think about the rest of the series! Hoping you get around to some of them in 2018 :)
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