Top Ten Books of 2017

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2) - Rae Carson

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I can't believe I let myself wait TWO YEARS between reading the first book and this one.  The Girl of Fire and Thorns was one of my favourite books of 2015 - and for good reason.  It has racial diversity, landscape diversity (a non-Western based fantasy!), different body shapes, incredible world building, fantastic character development...I mean it has EVERYTHING I've been saying I want in fantasy!  So it's no surprise that this book was just as amazing.  

Tales from Shadowhunter Academy - Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman

It was a tie between this and Lady Midnight, but this one tugged at my heartstrings more.  It seems that despite my contentious past with The Mortal Instruments series and my more or less disinterest with the Tessa Gray series, I have somehow managed to fall in love with the characters and world building so much I keep trying everything set in the world - and I'm glad I have. The Bane Chronicles, as well as the end of TMI series, and the start to this new series have all been highlights of my year over the past two years!

The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison

This series is my favourite discovery of the year. I binge read all thirteen books in something like two weeks.  It was AMAZING and started this whole crazy paranormal/urban fantasy phase I haven't come out of yet.  (In fact I'm planning a separate post on this later).  One of my favourite things about this series (and urban fantasy in general) is the diversity you find.  This series allows for characters to play around with the differences between physical love, romantic love, and platonic love - and a lot of that gets blurred and characters aren't put in specific boxes and I LOVE that!  Besides, of course, that this series is a ton of fun with solid world building and character development.  Out of the six urban fantasy series I've read so far (I have a ways to go!) this is hands down my favourite of the lot.

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

This was one of the first books I finished this year, and I knew even then that it was extremely unlikely I was going to read anything at all that would topple it from the #1 book I read all year.  I rarely have an actual favourite book of the year - I think the last time that happened it was in 2015 and I'd read Neal Shusterman's Unwind.  Not only was it unlikely that I was going to find a book I enjoyed more, it seems unlikely I'll find another book like it at all.  It's so hard to find words to describe this novel - it's such a quiet, introspective book.  It's...apocalyptic and post apocalyptic slice of life, which is not a combination I thought I'd ever find, and apparently I love it.  (I have read one manga that has a similar feel and subject matter, but no novels).  If you know of any other books like this, please recommend them!

Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Adichie

This is certainly a diverge from my general reading, but it was utterly absorbing.  Adichie was at the Baltimore Book Festival this year which is why I made an extra effort to make sure I didn't just get the book and have it linger on my shelf for years (which is what usually happens to anything that's not a fantasy novel).  Sadly I wasn't able to see her - the tent was absolutely PACKED, but I have hopes I'll get the chance to meet her again.  In the meantime, I know the book is a decade old by now but I can not recommend a non-fantasy based novel more.  It's set in Nigeria in the 1990s, when it was going through huge political strife.  In some ways it reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird - narrated through a child's eyes (although the main character is a teenager, she is a naive teenager so she feels young) which gives it multiple levels to navigate - personal, intimate and larger scale politics.

Simply Perfect (Simply Quartet #4) - Mary Balogh

I love Mary Balogh's series - every novel I've read features a character with a disability (she has a whole series that focuses on soldiers back from the war) and at least from my perspective she's always treated every character with sensitivity.  It always feels like everything was researched, and it wasn't ever used to play up pity or used as a prop.  Now, as an able-bodied person I am obviously not an expert on the matter so I could be 100% completely wrong on this.  But beyond that, this story was just so well written and the FEELS are real.

Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs

I've been meaning to get to this series for AGES. And man did I do that in a major way - I am fully caught up with the series (and I only started it last month).  A paranormal fantasy with a new set of world building rules I haven't seen yet, with a half-Native American main character, and a gay werewolf bff?  Sign me up!

Dead Beat (Harry Dresden #7)

Guys this book was SO FREAKING EPIC. I have complicated feelings on this series sometimes, but at the end of the day it's still completely addicting and this book took the series up to a whole other level.  I'm still not caught up - only up to book 10 so far, but it's my favourite of the whole series so far.  And can I just say James Marsters is an amazing narrator?

The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I didn't quite love this one as much as I loved The Shadow of the Wind, but it is always a treat to read Zafón's writing.  It's lush and the gothic feel is upped from the last novel.  It's my goal to be able to read this in the original Spanish, but in the meantime I'm looking forward to reading the last book in the series...in English.

The Silver Metal Lover - Tanith Lee

This is one of my favourite Tanith Lee novels to date.  I think it such a shame her books are almost entirely out of print.  This was one of her most famous works (possibly actually her most famous work?) so I think this one is still in print, so go get your hands on this!  Tanith Lee was one of the most underrated yet hugely influential authors in science fiction, fantasy, and especially in horror.  Her stories almost always feature nonconforming women - in all sorts of different ways. Sex, sexuality, power, gender - it's all there.

What were your top ten books of the year? Leave me a link below!

Top Ten Book Read in 2017

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

I feel like this year's list of awesome books is rather more...eclectic than usual.  Which reflects my reading habits pretty accurately I suppose, but I for once have more than just YA fantasy on here! (Let's be real, it's still mostly YA fantasy)

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

This book is hands down the most fun book Jane Austen ever wrote.  All of her books feature her wit, but this book is freaking hilarious!  It's silly and fun, and of all the Austen heroines, Catherine Morland is definitely the one I'm most similar too.  You can tell this was the first novel Austen wrote - it's got a lighter feel and it's a little less polished than her other novels, but this definitely a new favourite.  And now that I've read this one, I've officially read all the Austen novels!

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

I've mentioned my...rocky relationship with Cassandra Clare's writing before, but I think after reading the Bane Chronicles (which now that I think of it I think I still have a few to finish - hence it not being on this list) and the last book in The Mortal Instruments series, Cassandra Clare has solidified herself as an author I will always read. I might not always love the writing/where the story goes, but over the past few books she has consistently surprised me. Usually with a big dose of gut wrench.  (I blame her friendship with Sarah Rees Brennan). She's also probably the biggest name in paranormal fantasy who consistently has representation of both multiple races (a main character too if you count The Bane Chronicles!) and different sexualities. (Feel free to correct me and then educate me with all your recommendations where this is also the case).  She also has world building that for me rivals Harry Potter in that we've got a world within a world full of different cultures and I LOVE that.  

But mostly Magnus Bane.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

This is by far my favourite book I've read this year, and I don't see that changing at all this year. (Especially given the fact I'm averaging two books a month instead of a book a day at the moment).  The writing is gorgeous, and the characters are interesting and well-rounded.  The premise while not novel exactly stands out from others in the genre because of how it is executed - the time jumps, slowly drawing together how the characters are all interlinked, the fact that while it is post apocalyptic there isn't one set society or culture that has emerged.  It's just some really fantastic storytelling, and I know this is one I will be buying and rereading.

Goldenhand by Garth Nix

 

I have been waiting for this book for YEARS. Literally.  And it is everything I ever wanted and I am so happy!!! What else is there to say?

 

Notorious Pleasures by Elizabeth Hoyt

Ok I know Elizabeth Hoyt has been around for ages, but I'd never read anything of hers before and she is definitely going to be a new go-to romance author for me.  It's got the happy ending and balls and everything I like in my romance novels, but the characters are really well fleshed out and there's a big story line outside of the romance which is something I really like (and that's a theme with all of the romance novelists I enjoy).  What really sets this one apart is that the big story line in some parts are much bigger than the romance line which is unusual.  I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

The art is top notch, the characters are an interracial couple (if not in the sense like my own relationship aka they are rather more...interspecial, but the sentiment still stands) with an interesting premise and world laid out.  Count me in!

The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee

I've been in a bit of a Tanith Lee mood these days, and this is one of her big hits (that I can't believe I've never read before).  It's got all my favourite things about her writing (many of which I wouldn't like in any other author - she's my exeption): completely unlikeable characters with complicated relationships that force them to evolve, sci-fi but almost magic realism like aspects, just....weirdness.  That's what I like most about Tanith - the writing gets weird, grotesque at times.  If you've never heard of Tanith Lee, she's both one of the most influential writers of the sci-fi/horror genre, and one of the most overlooked. It is a damn shame most of her works are out of print - this would be a good choice to ease her into her writing (it isn't TOO weird)

 

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater has hands down the most beautiful writing of any YA author I've read. (And possibly any author - she's in my top 3 for most beautiful prose).  Most of you have heard all the heaps of praise on her, so I won't go on, but if you've been holding back on reading The Raven Boys...what on earth are you waiting for?  Magic realism/paranormal fantasy? Check. Beautiful writing? Check. Characters that will stay with you for days afterwards? Check. GO READ NOW.

The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

While I liked The Wrath and the Dawn, it didn't do much for me so I hadn't been planning on finishing the series.  Then for whatever reason I decided to read this and I am SO glad I did.  Beyond the fact that it's an Indian/Arab inspired fantasy (can we PLEASE have more of this?) I felt like the characters really took off in this one. 

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

 

 

This book was so close to being flawless for me. I definitely liked this series more than her Shadow & Bone one, and I love that she's expanding her world by writing more books set in different parts of the world she's built so I am absolutely down for more of her books! 

And that's my reading year so far!  How has yours been? Leave me a link in the comments and I'll stop by!

January Mini Reviews Part 1

I started posting short blurbs on twitter to see if it would help motivate me to start writing more (I can no longer use free time as an excuse because if I've been able to watch as much TV as I have in the past month?  I could DEFINITELY be blogging again! ...maybe I'll start doing TV blurbs too...)

The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2) by Tana French

Rating: 4.75 stars

I did not like the first novel in the series, In the Woods, very much AT ALL, which is a fairly unpopular opinion.  I think a large part of it was that I was in the mood for more of a cozy murder mystery, which these books are definitely NOT.  It doesn't wrap the story up in a neat little bow at the end...in really any way.  Normally I love open endings, so I'm not sure how much of my dislike was warranted and how much was a mood reading issue.  Knowing what I was getting into for this book helped a lot I think.  It also helps that I like the protagonist of this one a lot, and I didn't love the protagonist of the last one.  It was twisty and turny and I thought it was really interesting that in a lot of ways the villain here is a mirror to the villain in the last book.  I can't really expound on that without spoilers, but I'd love to chat to someone whose read both books and hear their thoughts!

The Prisoner of Heaven (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #3) - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Rating: 4.75 stars

There's something indescribably lyrical about the way Spanish speaking authors write.  Every single one I've read has this lush, magical quality to their writing, and Zafon is no different.  The Shadow of the Wind (the first book in the series) remains one of my all time favourite books in no small part because of the gorgeous writing.  It's still my favourite of the three books, but all of them are gorgeous and interesting.  They're also stylistically different  - the first one is more of a mystery, the second gothic, and this third one is...I guess more like straight historical fiction.  It's really cool you can read the books in any order too - the details just get revealed to you in a different order, which is really incredible!

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley



Rating: 5 stars

I can already tell you this is going to be one of my favourite novels of the whole year.  It's even a contender for my favourite book of the year.  It has this quiet, introspective quality to it that reminded me a lot of Station Eleven, even if they are completely different novels in content.  But like Station Eleven, the quietness of the novel manages to really make an impact.  The intersection of English and Japanese culture has a great deal to do with the book, so of course we have some Japanese main characters in a Victorian era England is delightful.  There are some other things that I LOVED about this book, but I can't say much because of spoilers.  If there is one book on this list I hope someone else reads, it is this one!




An Equal Music - Vikram Seth



Rating: 2.5 stars

On the one hand, this is one of the best written fiction books involving classical music I've read.  The author really gets it - the way he writes about practicing and performing music is spot on, as well as how he writes about how being a member of a chamber group is this weird family dynamic.  I've really never read any other book that was so spot on about the whole classical music aspect of things.

On the other hand, it's literally every single thing I hate about contemporary literature.  Anything that wasn't about classical music was about the MC's obsession with his old girl friend and they're all very unhappy and there's affairs and they stay very unhappy and then nothing happens, the end.




Yes Please by Amy Poehler



Rating: 5 stars

I read this on audiobook, and I firmly believe it is the only way it should be read.  I don't know how many of the asides made it into the book, but hearing Amy read it herself is just perfect.  I will say that I am a huge fan of her work, especially Parks & Rec (guys I'm pretty sure I had an entire post that was just Leslie Knope gifs) so some of it is that I'm used to hearing Amy's voice. 

This book was so empowering and uplifting and it came to me at the perfect moment.  I'd had a really rough week at school - I had my first observation, and it did NOT go well, a parent had gone off on me and pulled her child out of the music program, I was stressed out about the SEVEN WINTER CONCERTS I had to organize...all in all just a freaking stellar week.  And this book was just so funny and honest and it really managed to line up the chapters with exactly what I needed each day these events hit.  If there was ever a time I believed in a higher power, the timing of this book would have done it.




The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare



Rating: 5 stars

I loved this. Like super loved this.  It has a very Beauty and the Beast set up without the guy being abusive (which is usually how it comes off).  Dare doesn't shy away from the Duke's scars, they never improve, there is no magic solution and that's always really important to me when I'm reading a novel.  Despite her compassion, Emma is also no shy pushover - she's gone through some serious hardships and is more or less a self made woman.  Two strong, independent, well rounded characters + serious chemistry?    Count me in!




The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel #3) by Sarah MacLean



Rating: 3.5 stars

This is such a cool concept - historical romance...divorce!  There's actually a lot research behind it (I got to hear Sarah MacLean talk about it at Baltimore Book Fest!) and it's definitely not something I think we've seen written about before.  And it was a good story, I just don't have a lot of tolerance for as much back and forth as we got in the story.  MacLean is and always will be my favourite historical romance novelist (and the first book in this series is one of my all time favourite books btw), so I may be rating this one a bit harshly out of ridiculously high expectations.

I did it! I wrote something!  Admittedly, a bit sparse, but it's a start.  I'm trying to start writing more and watching tv less, because I'm not loving that I've got 0 creative spark and I actually have TIME to be doing stuff, so I'm going to ATTEMPT to dip my foot back into the blogging pool again.  Especially (as you can see from this list) since I'm having an extraordinarily good reading year so far, and I have so many awesome books to share with you!