I’ll start this post by confessing something: I spend almost as much time reading book reviews as I do actually reading books.
If a book has a rating of 3.7 or lower on Goodreads, I don’t even bother. Which is probably insane because I’m sure I’m missing out on some books that would be 5 stars for me, but aren’t for others.
So basically, I read a lot of good, highly-rated books. There are a lot of good books I’ve read, but I’ll tell you just my favorites today.
These are my star ratings for the 32 books I’ve read so far this year:
The 5, 4, and 3 star reviews are exactly even, which I definitely didn’t plan.
And since I’m sure you’re wondering (Right? Isn’t everyone wondering?), here are the percentages for genres and audiences for the books I’ve read as well.
I read a lot more Fantasy books than I thought.
Side note: I’m linking this post to Top Ten Tuesday. You can tell by the name that I’m supposed to do my top ten. But I’m just doing my five favorites because no one can tell me how to live my life and so on.
So here’s my list of the Best Books I’ve Read in 2017… (so far!)
1. These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
These are the journals of headstrong, fiery Sarah Agnes Prine. She experiences cruelty, kindness, and hardship while her family attempts to settle an unfamiliar frontier.
I read this book for one of my Book Clubs. The beginning was hard for me because it’s written in journal format and she is terrible at spelling and grammar, but it quickly gets better and I fell into the story.
This book is sad, powerful, infuriating (for the characters), suspenseful, and swoon-worthy. It is just so good.
2. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
A childless couple moves to the tundras of Alaska in an attempt to escape their sad lives. In a rare moment of happiness one night, they build a child out of snow. The next morning when they wake up, the snow child is gone, but there is a small blonde haired girl running through the woods with a fox at her side.
Again, a Book Club read. I love atmospheric books and I love the cold. I could feel the snowflakes falling from the Alaskan sky.
3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Vasya lives with her family in wild, frosty northern Russia. She is a fierce, precocious girl who loves hearing the stories her elderly nurse tells about the spirits who protect their home and lands. She has a connection to these spirits like no one else. That is, until her father gets remarried to Anna, a woman whose entire life is driven by fear. As Anna discourages her new family and town to spurn these primitive spirits, she does not realize the danger she is bringing to their doors: a danger that only Vasya can save them from.
I lovedddd this book. Like, if it were a pie of pie, I’d drool just thinking about it. The main character is an amazingly strong heroine. She is selfless and caring, even when others hate her.
And again with a snowy, atmospheric book… (Lovee.)
Read my full review here.
4. Pines by Blake Crouch
Secret Service agent Ethan Burke wakes up in a hospital in Wayward Pines, Idaho, after a terrible car accident. His phone and wallet are missing and despite his injuries, he attempts to contact his boss and family. All of his attempts fail and right away, he feels like something very wrong is happening in Wayward Pines. Everyone is friendly, but the town is eerily quiet and picturesque. Danger amps up around every corner, along with an endless number of confusion. And far more questions than answers.
This book really took me by surprise. It captured me by the first couple pages and I gobbled it up like a quart of ice cream. And then I talked about it to everyone I knew for awhile.
Read my full review here.
5. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
The new school year is starting. We follow the stories of three kindergarten mothers, each far more complicated than first impressions might give.
This book was so much more than I expected it to be. I avoided reading it for awhile because I thought it would be a shallow read typical of the chick lit genre. And it was so much more than I was expecting. It’s honest and so engrossing.
Read my full review here.
What are your top favorite books of this year?
In case you missed it, check out yesterday’s post Movies/TV shows you’ll wish were books. If those were books, they’d definitely be on today’s list.
Linked to Top Ten Tuesday on The Broke and the Bookish.
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