With the year quickly coming to an end, I wanted to share with you my top favorite books. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too difficult to narrow down the list. I read some great books this year, but these are the books that really stood out!
Illuminae – I’m not usually a fan of sci-fi, and I have to be in the mood for young adult books. This is such a unique and fun book, and I loved it. It’s definitely a book you need to read in hardcover – there are illustrations and documents that would be hard to read in electronic form. I think to get the full affect and enjoy the awesomeness that is this book, you have to read it in hardcover. Fast-paced, suspenseful, with a little romance. It’s SO good!
On Second Thought – This book will always have a special place in my heart, because I read it on the plane to and from our family vacation to Disney. I absolutely loved everything about it.
The Queen and the Cure – Pretty much everything Amy Harmon writes is magical and brilliant. No exception here. But you’ll want to read The Bird and the Sword first.
The Law of Moses – As you can see I’m working my way through all of Amy Harmon’s books that I haven’t read. Another amazing must-read book.
Running Barefoot – This was Amy Harmon’s first book, and she wrote about the small town she grew up in. Loved it, too!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Sometimes you pick up a book and you’re not in the right mood for it – that was the case with me and this book. I’m a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, but this book was a lot different from her previous books. I picked it up several times to start it – by about the 3rd try something clicked, and I was hooked. Though it is a different type of story than I’m used to from TJR, the writing style that I love was still the same. This book left me with the biggest hangover.
The Opposite of You – Once in awhile I will pick up a random romance and hope that it’s not cheesy (let’s face it – some of them are over-the-top). I started this book when my husband and I were on one of our day dates at the lake (he fishes, I read), and I will always remember that – you know a book is good when you can remember when and where you read it.
Atheists Who Kneel and Pray – Tarryn Fisher is the queen of writing very unique stories. You never know what kind of book you’re going to get from her, but I’ve loved every single one.
Without Merit – You didn’t think I’d have a favorite list without Colleen Hoover, did you? This book is different than what most are used to from CoHo. It’s more YA than romance. But it’s the uniqueness of the story that makes it stand out. I loved it.
Big Girls Do It Stronger – Jasinda Wilder inspires me. She’s kick-ass and has written two books to help inspire woman to get healthy. I also loved Big Girls Do It Running.
Don’t Let Go – Every year I look forward to Harlan Coben’s new release. And rarely does he disappoint me. He’s my absolute favorite suspense author.
Stories I’d Tell in Bars – I loved Jen Lancaster’s earlier memoirs, but the past few years I got away from reading her books. This book felt like the old Jen I loved in her earlier books – I laughed pretty much the entire time I read it.
A Million Junes – As I said above, I have to be in the mood to read young adult books, and it doesn’t happen all that often. After several recommendations, I decided to try this one. I was so glad I did! Ended up loving it. It’s magical and wonderful.
Now That You Mention It – If you add any book to your list for 2018 – MAKE IT THIS ONE. It comes out at the end of December, and I was so thrilled to read an early copy. After reading and loving On Second Thought, I was dying to read this book, and admittedly a little nervous it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. This is my FAVORITE book of 2017. There, I said it. Of all the books I read, Now That You Mention It is my favorite. It had everything I love in the perfect book.
The Ghostwriter – This was a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting much, but this was a book I didn’t want to put down and ended up loving.
The Stolen Marriage – I have never been a big fan of this author, but that just proves how much tastes can change over time. I have also never been a huge fan of historical fiction, but have found I enjoy it a lot more these days. I won this book in a giveaway, otherwise I probably would’ve never read it. I ended up loving it! So, now I think I will try this authors books in the future.
And there you have it! Those were the books that stood out the most to me in 2017. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What books did you love in 2017?
Running on Words and Wine 