Show Us Your Books: Favorite Reads of 2017

These are my favorite reads of the year. I prefer favorite over best because best implies that they are of a level that some of them are not. I'm not a book critic and I don't want to be.

Favorite means for some reason that is personal to me they made the top 10 out of the 157 books I've read this year. Best book to me means what was contained in the book and nothing outside of it. Favorite read considers my experience and feelings as I read it in addition to the book.

Favorite read lists entice me more than best book lists. I will almost always like the book where I can objectively recognize its flaws but there's just something I can't quite put my finger on that makes it a total winner. The thing I can't put my finger on is often my experience and relationship to the book while I'm reading it.

Reading is personal. Don't ever let anyone make you feel like the books you love are not critically acclaimed enough to be spoken of in lists like these.

Let's do this. In no particular order.

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This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. This is a special year end linkup. The next regular linkup is January 9, 2018.
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Duplicity by Ingrid Thoft (Fina Ludlow #4) - I pre-ordered this and devoured it right away. Fina is a phenomenal female character and I support the shit out of books with those, especially if the author develops it into a series. I cannot wait for the next one.

The Seven Husbands of Eveyln Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I loved this book from start to finish - complicated, interesting, and I loved the story within a story, which I typically don't like. I want to meet Evelyn Hugo and at times I wanted to be Evelyn Hugo because she just storms through her life and that is powerful, even when it leaves earthquakes around her.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley - I don't know if it was the timing or what, but I could feel this book in my bones. It felt like swimming in pool water that feels the same as your skin temperature, like you are a part of the water. I loved the writing, the cover, the story, and the characters. I recognize that I have read books that have done a much better job in every area, but there's just something about some books, you know? That something existed in this one for me. 

Little Broken Things by Nicole Baart - I liked how this was written and it totally pulled me in for a less than 24 hour read on vacation. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - Read it. As soon as you can. And make sure your mind is open to something that is likely not your reality. This is a YA book that people of all ages should be reading.

Down a Dark Road (Kate Burkholder #9) by Linda Castillo - I read the entire series up to date this year and don't have a favorite even though some were better than others. I love Kate as a kickass female lead character who is more than capable of carrying a series. 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - I loved this book and am so pleased that the reason I picked it - the title - was backed up by a good story. 

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell - This was sad and weird and lovely all at the same time. And since it's about stuff, it made me think about my stuff more than I usually do, and what I hold onto and why. 

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh - Twisty and glorious...the twist that made me think I missed something because I was so utterly convinced it was going another way. I like being right, I mean don't we all? But when I'm reading I actually enjoy the reading experience more if I'm wrong. I do not read any book thinking I know more than the author or am better than the author. I read as if it's the author's job to tell me their story in whatever way they choose to. Because it is.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - Sometimes when I love a book so much I have a hard time talking about it intelligently. Anyone else? I'm all just read it for yourself. I feel like that here, but should comment that it took me longer than normal to read this. Part of that was Thanksgiving weekend and being on the go and part of it was really needing to sit with each chapter in the beginning and think about it - not because it's hard to follow, but just because I found myself needing to. I also referred back to the family tree a zillion times. White people are all tracing lineage back to the freaking dark ages and black people...we've cut them off from that in so many instances. I have feelings for this book. The story itself and the telling are absolutely masterful as well. I've never read anything like it. I will feel the impact of this one for years. 

What were your favorite reads of 2017? 

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