Best Books of 2017 (so far)
Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is The Best Books I've Read in 2017. I don't have as large a pool to pick from this year, since I haven't read as many books. But, it's at least 10, so here we go.
I'm actually going to be bothered to put these in some kind of order. Starting from least favorite to most favorite:
Lumberjanes Vol. 4 and 5. by Noelle Stevenson - I love this series of graphic novels about a bunch of girls at camp who come across all kinds of supernatural phenomena. I have read both these volumes this year, so I combined them into one entry here.
Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley - I really liked this YA novel about a kid with profound agoraphobia and anxiety. Well, it was sort of about him. It was also about the girl who was trying to cure him so she can write an essay about it and get a scholarship to college.
Giant Days by John Allison - This was fantastic. It's another graphic novel about this group of kids in their first year of college. Okay, so it takes place in the UK so it's actually called University, but whatever. The situation is universal. I haven't been in college for 20 years, but it was very familiar.
Books for Living by Will Schwalbe - I only read half of his first book, but it's on the top of my list to finish. I really enjoyed this one. It made great dinner times reading, because the chapters were just about that long. And then I didn't have to try to remember what was happening, when I picked it up the next time. Each chapter talked about a specific book and what lesson he learned from it. Most of the time I didn't care about the book or what he learned, but I did find it to be an interesting way to look at books and reading.
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - This was a book club book and while I didn't love it, it did end up about half way through this list. Occasionally, discussion about characters or situations from that book crops up in other discussions, so it's clearly something that has stuck with us. The story is about two seriously messed up families.
And I Darken by Kiersten White - I really enjoyed this retelling of the Dracula myth. Instead of having magical powers and being undead, Dracula is a teenage girl living in a brutal time. This book had girl power in masses. She didn't act very girly. Her little brother was more girly than she. She is a fighter and a manipulator and a genius. I loved her. Even though she was kind of unlovable.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman - This was another book club book. Of the two of us that actually finished the book, I was the only one that stated I would definitely read the next one in the series. I thought it was hilarious and adventurous and I liked the main character even though there wasn't a lot to know about her. She was clearly intelligent and focused, but she didn't have a ton of personality.
Aspergirls by Rudy Simone - I may not have loved this book so much if it wasn't really informative on a topic that is near and dear to me right now. It wouldn't have been as fascinating if I was just looking for information about Asperger's Syndrome. As it is, I will be purchasing a copy of this book to keep at home.
Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel - For a short book, this one really packs a lot of punch. It's about a guy who lived in the depth of the Maine woods for 27 years. They knew someone was out there, but they couldn't find him. Even though he was yards from the property of a resident. He spoke exactly 1 word in the 27 years he was out there. He's not even really sure why he went. He was just done with the rat race. This would be appealing to me except that I am at two with nature.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - No one is surprised to see this at the number one spot on my list, I'm sure. I loved this book. End of story.
I feel like the overall quality of this list is pretty crummy. Having not read many books this year, the pool wasn't as high quality. Hopefully, that will be remedied in the second half of the year.
What are the best books you've read this year?