I read 55 total books this year, which was a new record for me!
For this list, I only chose from the books I read this year that were also published this year. And this year's top picks are...
Best Fiction
by Gail Honeyman
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is a lovely book about a unique character named Eleanor Oliphant. Eleanor has lots of quirks and hilarious commentary about the world around her. As the story unfolds you learn more about why she acts and thinks the way she does. It's got great characters and a good story...there is a lot to love here!
Honorable Mention for Best Fiction
by Frederick Backman
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Every review that I have read for this book comments on how different it is from Backman's other novels. Many were disappointed because they expected something different from this story. I have never read Backman's other books, so I had no expectations going into this book. This is a book about a town obsessed with hockey and what happens when a crime is committed by a hockey player. It reminded me of a darker version of Friday Night Lights, except about hockey not football. It is a dark and grim story with not much happiness, but I thought it was really good.
Best Young Adult
I have a tie for the Best Young Adult books this year. These two books compliment each other well, so it is fitting that they both receive my top honors: The Hate U Give and Long Way Down.
by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I believe that reading helps us to become more empathetic people, as stories (even fictional stories) can help us gain a better understanding of the people in the world around us. This book, with its ripped from the headlines story about a black teen shot by a white police officer, was a huge eye opener for me. Growing up as a white girl, I was always taught by my parents that if I was in trouble, then I should go to the police for help. For the girl in this story, the exact opposite was true. Her parents had to teach her what to do to avoid drawing attention from the police. It's sad and heartbreaking to read this story about racism and even more sad and heartbreaking to see the same story happening in the world around me. I highly recommend this book for teens and adults alike!
by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I was nervous about this book because it is entirely told in verse, like poetry. I do not like poetry, so I didn't know if I would like it. But then I started reading and it was so good. It is poetic, but it also reads like a story. And I was in awe of how an entire story can be told with so few words. This is the story of a black teen who is contemplating whether he should take revenge and kill the person who shot his brother. On one elevator ride, he is forced to confront the ghosts of his past while making a life or death decision about his future. It is such a clever, inventive way to tell the story. And the ending!! You may hate it, but I loved it. I think it creates a great door to open up a discussion about gun violence and revenge and racism. It forces the reader to think, "what would I do if I were in his shoes?" This book is a super quick read...it will only take one hour of your time...but it is a must read!
Honorable Mention for Best Young Adult
I read a lot of young adult books this year, so I had a lot to choose from for this category!
What to Say Nextby Julie Buxbaum
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is just the sweetest book! It will both warm your heart and break it at the same time. It's a great young adult romance and an easy read! It's not as light-hearted and cheerful as the cover appears, but it was a good story with characters that I really loved.
by John Green
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
I'm probably biased on this one, because I am a huge John Green fan. This book didn't fall into the immediate love category for me, but the longer I think about it, the more I greatly appreciate it. It is an amazing portrayal inside the mind of someone with OCD. Fascinating and eye-opening. I felt like the plot was lacking a little, but the raw and real portrayal of mental illness makes it worthy of a read.
Best Mystery/Thriller
by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
I'm a little hesitant to include this one on my list, because I know a lot of people who may not enjoy this book. It is dark and violent and hard to read at times. But it was an intriguing story, and I was completely pulled into it and could not stop reading until the end.
Honorable Mention
by Jane Harper
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This is another good mystery/thriller. It's a well-written and carefully crafted story that kept me turning pages and constantly trying to guess "whodunit."
Best Science Fiction
by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a crazy, time travel story that will mess with your head! In a good way! My brain hurt just trying to wrap my head around the story. I don't even know how to explain it or describe it. It's a crazy, sci-fi story but it is also an emotional, thought-provoking story about life and love and the choices we make. It's a brilliant concept and a quick read...and it will blow your mind!
Honorable Mention for Science Fiction
by Ryan Graudin
My rating: 4 out of 4 stars
Another crazy time travel story (I have a weakness for time travel stories). This one is a young adult novel about a space ship that travels through time. If it sounds crazy, that's because it is. But it's also a lot of fun!! The characters are great! I am becoming a very big Ryan Graudin fan after reading her Wolf by Wolf books last year.
Best Nonfiction
A Hope More Powerful than the Seaby Melissa Fleming
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Confession: this was the only nonfiction book that I read in 2017. I really need to try to read more in the nonfiction genre this year! But I did truly love this book. The writing is nothing special. The prose is very simple and journalistic; it is not emotional or beautiful in any sense. But this straight forward style helps to keep the story from being sensationalized. It matter of factly relays the events that happened to a Syrian refugee named Doaa. Her story is remarkable in itself. Fancy words are not needed for the story to be make an impact on the reader. It is a story worth reading, a means to help us grasp and understand the real human stories behind the refugee crisis.
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