Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017 - Top Ten Tuesday

Today I am sharing with you my top ten reads from 2017. This post is part of Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week there is a new theme, and this week the theme is - top ten books I read in 2017. Watch the video above or keep reading to find out what books made my list!




Station Eleven 
by Emily St. John Mandel
 
goodreads // amazon // library

Oh my goodness, I loved this book! "Station Eleven" was also a really satisfying read because I'd had this book on my TBR list for sooooo long, and because of that and all of the reviews I had seen for it, I really hyped it up and anticipated reading it, and then it lived up to the hype! How often does that happen, guys!? Close to never. I love the way that this book is written, there were SO many quotes from the book that I wrote down. I also love that the author took such a hopeful, and humanistic approach to the writing topic ( viral apocalypse) that is usually just portrayed as scary or gruesome. Check out my 60 second book review video for Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

Turtles All The Way Down

by John Green

goodreads // amazon // library

Guilty reader admission - I don't get super excited about new releases very often. I keep track of the, add them to my TBR when they are particularly promising, and then get around to reading them when I can. But "Turtles All The Way Down"? That was a, can't sleep the night before, up super early, waiting outside the bookstore before it opens, kind of excited. It was a super fun reading experience, and also just an excellent book all around. Check out my 60 second book review video for Turtles All The Way Down by John Green.

Dark Matter
by Blake Crouch

goodreads // amazon // library

Okay, so I think a recurring theme in this top ten list is going to be - I really hyped this up, other readers hyped it up for me as well, and then I finally read it and it was *amazing*! That is definitely the case for "Dark Matter" which I missed reading last summer when it was such a popular book. So glad I circled back and pick this book up from Book of the Month club. Check out my 60 second book review video for Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

Landline
by Rainbow Rowell

goodreads // amazon // library


I have loved every single book that I have read of Rainbow Rowell's, and Landline is my favorite, or maybe it is Elanor & Park... or maybe Fangirl. It's so hard to choose! Whatever the case, I absolutely loved Landline. This book is set during Christmas, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it in late summer. I do think that the winter and new year would be a great time to read this book, though! There is such a warm and hopeful spirit in this book, and I think it would be an excellent book to read to start the new year. Check out my 60 second book review video for Landline by Rainbow Rowell.

Bird Box
by Josh Malerman

goodreads // amazon // library

Holy moly was this book a ride! "Bird Box" was published in 2014, and I had never heard of it before Getting Hygge With It mentioned it on her YouTube channel. And as soon as I heard the description of this book, I was in, and it ended up being one of the best books I read in 2017. This thriller is so unique in its premise and scare factor. "Bird Box" jumps in time to the beginning of an apocalypse and several years after things have fallen apart. The apocalypse imagined in "Bird Box" is one in which there is an unknown threat outside, and when someone see it they kill others and then themself. It sounds like a lot to suspend disbelief for, but trust me, Malerman pulls off this story and then some. If you enjoy a good apocalyptic thriller, add this to the top of your list! Check out my 60 second book review video for Bird Box by Josh Malerman.

Hillbilly Elegy
by J.D. Vance

goodreads // amazon // library

I was really surprised that I picked up "Hillbilly Elegy"-  but I did it, and I am so glad I did. I don't usually read anything that feels deeply entrenched in current politics. Reading is my "safe space" from the world, to the degree that that is possible, and I also feel like I'm surrounded my current events whether through the news, friends and family, Facebook, Twitter.... yeah, it is overwhelming for me, personally. BUT, I had a feeling that "Hillbilly Elegy" wasn't as political as the marketing suggested and gave it a chance. This book, and J.D.'s life, is such an inspiring story that shows your choices in life make such a huge difference, as do the people that surround you. The culture of Appalachia, and many impoverished areas, suggest that no matter how hard you try you'll never leave or be successful. "Hillbilly Elegy" explores J.D.'s family and how they both supported and at times hendered his success, and also how people outside his family offered him a helping hand, as well. This story truly opened my eyes to the assistance we can all offer just from our own life experiences and sharing with those who are experiencing big life events for the first time. Check out my 60 second book review video for Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.

Setting Free the Kites
by Alex George

goodreads // amazon // library

"Setting Free the Kites" is definitely one of my favorite reads of 2017, and it is also a little more unknown than the rest. If you enjoy YA fiction and like the idea of an adult fiction book that sits somewhere in between, this is a great pick. I love the writing style of the author, Alex George, and also the story in this book just really grabbed my attention. "Setting Free the Kites" is so many things - definitely emotional, also laugh out loud funny, and quirky - this is one of my favorite settings for a book ever, the main characters dad own an amusement park that is part western part medieval SO YEAH. This book tackles some really tough topics as the main characters brother has Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and the way Alex George handled that topic in his writing, and it's influence on the whole family, was just heartbreaking, and hopeful, and you just you need to read it! Check out my 60 second book review video for Setting Free the Kites by Alex George.

Juniper
by Kelly and Thomas French 

goodreads // amazon // library


 Oh, this book makes me so weepy. Basically, someone was chopping a truckload of onions the entire time I read and listened to this story. "Juniper" is a nonfiction book, written by two parents, who also happen to be journalists. The book follows how they met, married, and struggled to conceive. When they finally get pregnant with Juniper, they are shocked when Kelly goes into labor at 23 weeks- right on the edge of infant survival even being a remote possibility. I related so strongly to both of the narrators in this book, as a new mother my son was premature, although thankfully he was only 5 weeks short of his due date. However, the emotions that Kelly and Thomas expressed are so universal that all parents, or really anyone who has cared for a child, will be able to relate to their harrowing story. Check out my 60 second book review of "Juniper" where I barely keep it together emotionally.

Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders

goodreads // amazon // library


It is tough to imagine making any one of these books my number one read of the year, but if I did, this would certainly be a contender. "Lincoln in the Bardo" has so many good things about it, it almost feels like the perfect book for me as a reader. I love especially that this book felt like an experience more than just another book on my pile. I twas completely unlike any other book I have read, and I am so glad that it won the Man Booker prize, as I think it deserves all of the awards! Check out my 60 second book review of "Lincoln in the Bardo" by George Saunders.

The River at Night
by Erica Ferencik

goodreads // amazon // library


This was an unexpected favorite of mine! I wasn't familiar with the author, hadn't heard anything about the book, but gave the ARC a shot- and I am so glad that I did. I really enjoyed this atmospheric thriller about a nature adventure gone wrong. Although it did meander at times away from the core of the story, I was impressed with the twists "The River at Night" took and how well this book held my attention. Check out my 60 second book review of "The River at Night" by Erica Ferencik.

So those were my favorite books of 2017. Let me know below what your favorite reads of 2017 were! Did we have any in common? And of course recommendations with your favorites so that I can read them in 2018, would be awesome.