Top Ten: 2017

Posted on by missprint

This is my annual list of favorite books that I read and reviewed this year.

This year was filled with marvelous bookish surprises. I didn’t know what to expect from so many of these books and they almost universally left me dazzled and delighted.

Jane, Unlimited and Where Futures End pushed and pulled at the limits of how a story can be told.

In a Perfect World, I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Lucky in Love and The Keeper of the Mist were unapologetic love stories filled with optimism.

Words in Deep Blue, Speak Easy, Speak Love, and The Fashion Committee inspired and moved me while surprising me with inventive twists.

Caraval, The Diabolic and All the Crooked Saints introduced me to new worlds while Wayfarer, The Reluctant Queen, Thick as Thieves, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean gave me the chance to revisit familiar characters and places.

Not a day has gone by that I haven’t been thinking about Vincent and Theo: The Van Go Brothers or The Careful Undressing of Love.

You couldn’t find two books that were more different than Moxie and Places No One Knows. And yet if I had to pick two defining books for 2017, these would be my choices. Moxie is everything I want to see happen on a large scale–empowered young women, solidarity, and positive change–while Places No One Knows is a quiet reminder to speak up for what matters and to take care of yourself.

You can click the cover photos to read my reviews.

Top Ten:

(Actually top twelve but I do what I want.)

    • Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
    • Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
    • In a Perfect World by Trish Doller

      • Caraval by Stephanie Garber
      • Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George
      • I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

    • The Careful Undress of Love by Corey Ann Haydu
    • Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman
    • The Fashion Committee by Susan Juby

    • Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
    • All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
    • Lucky in Love by Kasie West

Honorable Mentions: Books Published in 2016

      • The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier
      • Where Futures End by Parker Peeveyhouse
      • Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff

Honorable Mentions: Sequels

I don’t like listing sequels in my top ten because usually you have to read the preceding books first. These are no exception but they are still fantastic and were definitely favorites of the year.

      • Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
      • The  Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst
      • Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
      • The Empress by S. J. Kincaid (I haven’t reviewed this one yet so I am sneakily directing you to my review of the first book)
      • Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner