‘Twas the Saturday before Christmas… I’m currently sitting on a train, heading up to NYC for Christmas. My husband and I are spending the holiday weekend with his parents and his sister. With roughly three hours on the train between DC and NYC, I decided blogging is how I’m going to pass the time.
Alright ladies. After three million, eight hundred eighty-seven thousand, nine hundred and fifty votes the BEST BOOKS of 2017, according to GoodReads is HERE! Since I live and breathe by GR ratings and reviews, I had to share the winners with you, and of course my thoughts on each said genre winner.
The Best Books of Twenty Seventeen, According to GoodReads
Fiction: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Everything I Never Told You was a top fiver for me in 2015. So much so, that I forced many of my book loving friends to read it as well. I’m still kicking myself that I haven’t gotten around to reading Little Fires Everywhere. I can’t wait to update you, because you all know how I feel about a first time authors second novel…
Mystery & Thriller: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
When I saw this, my jaw hit the floor. I immediately sent a screenshot to a friend with ‘Y THO’ as the caption. Voting Into the Water as the no. 1 thriller of the year is… shocking. And quite frankly, I’m a bit skeptical about the rest of this list with that said, but I digress.
Historical Fiction: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Hmmm. Another one I’m not so sure about. I wasn’t a huge fan of Before We Were Yours. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t emotionally strike me the way it clearly did with others. Maybe I’m dead inside. Idk.
Romance: Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
I read Hoover’s It Ends with Us earlier this year, and really loved the strong bold characters and the powerful message of the novel. I hear this is a common theme amongst Hoover novels, rave reviews despite the cheesy dialogue. I haven’t gotten my hands on Without Merit yet, but tbh, it might be a while, as romance isn’t my first, second, or third genre of choice.
SciFi: Artemis by Andy Weir
I was a bit surprised that this beat out The American War but again, Weir had a smashing success with The Martian, name recognition alone probably won some votes here… FYI the runner up was Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel (which I’d never even heard of before today).
Horror: Sleeping Beauties by Steven King and Owen King
My boy! King blew the competition out of the water with this one. With over fifty thousand votes, it wasn’t even a fair race. Runner up had sixteen thousand… anyway, I haven’t read this either. But trust me, it’s on my list. Though, in all fairness, most King novels are a commitment as they’re quite frequently north of 500 pages. Sleeping Beauties isn’t an exception with 702 pages.
Humor: Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
You’re not going to believe me when I say this, but… I’ve never seen a single episode of Gilmore Girls. So I have no connection to Lauren Graham and therefore probably will never read this book. I’m so upset that David Sedaris or Samantha Irby didn’t win this award. If you want a book that’ll have you literally laughing out loud, go for Sedaris and / or Irby. You can thank me later.
Nonfiction: How to Be a Bawse by Lilly Singh
Another one I haven’t read. Lilly Singh is adorable, but idk if I’d want to take career / life advice from her, but at the same time, I enjoyed Girlboss and You are a Badass well enough that I’m sure I’ll eventually get around to this.
Memoir & Autobiography: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Not even going to comment on this, because I’m not here to strike up a political debate. But all I can say is ***SIGH***
History & Biography: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
This story sounds super interesting and *kind of* reminds me of Erin Brockovich (maybe?). Quick summary for you (and me, because I haven’t read it): The Radium Girls traces the lives of the hundreds of young women who toiled and suffered amid the radium-dial factories. What follows is a true story of awe-inspiring strength in the face of scandal and gruesome corruption.
And on that note, I hope the list has inspired you to add a few books to your 2018 reading list (or rather, a few to stay clear of a few…). MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!