My Top Books Of 2017

2017 was a special year for me. So many wonderful things happened that I will always remember: got engaged (that has to be the most important!), traveled to Malta and Switzerland for the first time, sent off my very first query letter (also received the first of many rejections), settled into a cosy new apartment, started work on two new book projects, etc.

These were the highlights– it was an eventful year, and not everything that happened was positive, as it never is. The negative moments are just as important to remember and I hope I’ve come out of them a better person.

As far as books go, I finished 45 books this year out of my goal of 40 and had a nice mix of genres; everything from fantasy, contemporary, science fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, to graphic novels and non-fiction. Not only was it a great reading year, I’ve read some of what have now become my favourite books of all time.

Here is a (tentatively ordered) list of them:

Simon VS. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Funny, relatable, and definitely important, Simon VS. is one of the best contemporary books I’ve ever read and will recommend to anyone. It rightfully won plenty of awards and is now a movie coming out next year (it’s called Love, Simon) and I can’t wait to see it. This is why I adore this genre, for coming up with gems such as this one. Simon, I love you, and you’ll always be one of my favourite characters.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Yes, it’s hyped. Yes, it’s well deserved. Just read it. I didn’t actually fancy Bardugo’s first series (of which I only read the first), so I was a little apprehensive of this one, but I was hooked almost instantly. One of the best YA fantasy books on the market and one which can compete with the epic adult ones out there. I adore all of these characters.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I was late to the party on this one, but I’m so happy I got there. Gorgeous. Magical. Romantic. I fell in love with this world and its aesthetic.

Turtles All The Way Down by (the other king) John Green

Finally! Yes, dear God, yes! I’ve been waiting for more John Green for so long, and boy, did he deliver. My only complaint is that it needed more detective action, but the characters and their struggles are fantastic and real, and I loved it. It has also been bought for a movie and it can’t come soon enough (although I really don’t fancy seeing the graphic wound opening scenes; reading those was hard enough).

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I’ve written a separate review of this (which you can read here) but this book is now my absolute favourite contemporary novel. It is beautiful, lyrical, funny, heartbreaking, and everything else you will ever want from a story. This is now the bar for my writing: if I can ever compare myself to Nelson, I will consider my goals achieved.

Words of Radiance by (the king himself) Brandon Sanderson

Fantasy at its finest. This is definitely my favourite book of the year and the best epic fantasy you will ever have the pleasure of reading. The only reason I haven’t started Oathbringer yet is because I want to savour this story (and also because the matching edition to the first two isn’t out yet). I adore all of Sanderson’s books (and there’s so many of them) but The Stormlight Archive is on a completely different level. Shallan and Kaladin are everything!