Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week’s topic is Top 10 Favorite Books of 2017.
Overall, it’s been a pretty good year of reading. Many of my favorite books of 2017 have been mentioned in earlier posts, so I will refrain from sounding like a broken record and gushing over them again here. For most of these titles, I’ll do one of three things:
- Give the publisher summary and a short justification for my great love of the book.
- Provide my summary and critique from an earlier post.
- Link to the post where I mentioned the book.
And here they are…my 10 favorite books of 2017!
The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How To Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too), by Gretchen Rubin
Books about personality types are my jam and the Four Tendencies was such an enlightening read. Gretchen Rubin divides people into four categories according to how they respond to expectation (both inner and outer) then provides ample information on how to improve your own life knowing your tendency, and also how to work with and communicate with others based on their tendencies. You can take her online quiz without purchasing the book, but once you find out your tendency, I bet you’ll want to read the book and learn more!
From What I’ve Been Reading: November Edition
Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate
From the publisher: Trees can’t tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories…Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood “wishtree”—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red’s hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red’s experience as a wishtree is more important than ever.
Why I loved it: Red has a fantastic sense of humor and the story is very timely.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer
Guernsey was a delight from beginning to end! The main storyline is about a writer looking for inspiration for a new book and she finds it in a motley, humorous and incredibly endearing group of readers from the island of Guernsey. Told during the post-WWII time period through letters, Shafer and Barrows do an excellent job keeping the story cohesive and developing these lovely characters. I have plans to cook a literary feast inspired by this book once the holidays are over. Potato Peel Pie, here I come!
From What I’ve Been Reading: November Edition
A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman
I wrote about A Man Called Ove in my Worth the Read? series back in July. Click here to read it!
Sourdough, by Robin Sloan
The descriptions of Sourdough sound pretty hokey: a young coder is gifted with a magical sourdough starter that opens the door to an underground tech-focused farmers market scene that changes her life. What?!? Magic bread? I was skeptical, but I am keen to read anything about food, so I gave it a shot and I absolutely devoured it (haha). Sourdough was a blend of twenty-something angst, friendly teasing of futuristic tech, and the healing (and sometimes destructive!) power of food. Be warned, though, you will have major cravings for soup and sourdough bread while you’re reading this book. I don’t even really like sourdough and I was dying for some.
From What I’ve Been Reading: October Edition
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, by Michael Finkel
From the publisher: Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality–not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.
Why I loved it: As an introvert, the idea of getting away from everything and everyone is incredibly appealing. To read about someone who actually did it was enlightening and thought-provoking. I couldn’t stop thinking about this book after I read it.
Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan
I read this in August and declared it my favorite read of the summer season. I’m not sure I can say it ended up being my favorite book of the year, but it’s definitely in the top 3. Click here then scroll ALL the way down to read my review!
You’ll Grow Out of It, by Jessi Klein
From the publisher: As both a tomboy and a late bloomer, comedian Jessi Klein grew up feeling more like an outsider than a participant in the rites of modern femininity.
In You’ll Grow Out of It, Klein offers-through an incisive collection of real-life stories-a relentlessly funny yet poignant take on a variety of topics she has experienced along her strange journey to womanhood and beyond. These include her “transformation from Pippi Longstocking-esque tomboy to are-you-a-lesbian-or-what tom man,” attempting to find watchable porn, and identifying the difference between being called “ma’am” and “miss” (“Miss sounds like you weigh ninety-nine pounds”).
Why I loved it: I listened to the audiobook for this one (it’s narrated by the author) and I don’t think I’ve laughed out loud in the car more than with this book. Any book that can make me laugh uncontrollably is probably going to make it on my top 10 list for the year.
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977 – 2002, by David Sedaris
Here’s another Worth the Read? book…what did I think of it? Click here to read an find out!
The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
From the publisher: The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France—a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women.
Why I loved it: I’m a sucker for WWII stories anyway, but Kristin Hannah’s ability to make me fall in love with the book’s amazing characters made the reading experience so incredibly emotionally-wrought and meaningful.
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