Best Books of 2017

Another year has ended and that means it’s time for another list of best books of the year. I happen to have rated 10 books 5 stars this year, so here they all are. There is a bit of everything; fantasy, historical fiction, non-fiction and YA.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I had previously read the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and I wasn’t too impressed. But everyone absolutely raved about this book, and I did like the Grisha trilogy, I just had a few issues with it. So I decided to give this a go, and I am so glad I did. 

Set in the same world as the Grisha trilogy this book follows an outlaw as he gathers a group of compatriots and misfits to pull off a major heist that seems set to go wrong. There is a wonderful cast of characters and the plot is twisting and turning every which way keeping you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last. 

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

This is the sequel to “Six of Crows” and every bit as wonderful as the first one. We get to know the characters even better and by the end I loved every single one of them, warts and all. The plot was equally exciting, but at the same time the relationships between all the different characters were developed even more and I loved it all. 

The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama XIV

This book taught me a few things about happiness. I didn’t write a full review, because I didn’t really know how to put it in words. Suffice it to say that I think everyone should read this book. You might think you know a lot of what he’s saying, but the way he explains it and talks about the consequences just really brings it home. 

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

This book follows two French sisters during WWII. The Nazis are occupying their town and while Vianne is trying to keep her head down and keep her family safe, Isabelle wants to fight the Germans in any way she can. In their different ways they end up involved in the Resistance and we follow their struggles to balance that work with keeping their loved ones safe throughout the war. I started off not really liking the book, because I wasn’t immediately drawn to any of the characters, but they all grew on me and by the end I was very much invested in all of their lives. 

Night by Elie Wiesel

This is an autobiographical book about the author’s experiences in a concentration camp during WWII. This is a short book, but it packs a huge punch. Along with the harrowing story of life under the Nazis we follow the protagonist’s internal struggles as he questions the existence of God. 

Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 by Madeleine Albright

This is a memoir chronicling Albright’s life during WWII. As she was just a little child at the time, the book often takes its cue from her father and his work as a diplomat and working for the exiled Czechoslovakian government in London. There is a lot of history and politics in this book, but Albright makes it all engaging and interesting. 

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

Another nonfiction book, this one talks about the Americas before Columbus came along. It talks about North, South and Mesoamerica before, during and after the time that Columbus landed his ships. There was a lot of new information on a number of subjects including maize, disease and the Mayan calendar, and I found it all very interesting. 

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I absolutely loved the friendships in this book. Both those of the teenagers, but also the grownups. We follow a young girl named Taylor who lives at a boarding school. There is a running rivalry between the school kids, the town kids and the kids from a military camp set up every summer. Throughout the book we have flashbacks to another group of kids, and as the story progresses we see how the two storylines connect. This book covers a lot of heavy topics like family, trauma, addiction and love. 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This books follows Kate who lives on a tiny island. This island is visited by water horses every year and the locals catch them, train them and race them during the annual festival. Kate’s older brother has decided to leave the island for a job, and Kate decides to enter the race in order to win the money prize, so he can stay with them. The water horses are too strong for her though, and she decides to race her own horse. As she trains she becomes tentative friends with a boy who is an expert on water horses and the race. This book is dark and gritty and full of suspense, and I relished every minute of it. 

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Set in an alternate history where Hitler won the war we follow the resistance as they try to execute a plan that will enable them to kill Hitler. In order to achieve this they need to get close enough to the illusive leader to kill him. Every year Germany and Japan hold a motorcycle race with its brightest and most fearsome racers, and the winner gets to meet Hitler himself. In order to join the race our protagonist must impersonate last year’s winner and as she does so she must not only try to win the race, but also try to navigate all the personal relationships within the group. This book was such a rush - a murder plot, impersonating another, a motorcycle race. What’s not to love? 

I hope you found some new books to add to your TBR this upcoming year. What has been some of your favorite books this year?