Favorite Books of 2017!
It's that time of the year again! I'm so excited to show you guys my favorite reads of 2017! This has been the busiest year for me (in terms of school and reading) but I ended up with 9 books for this list and also exceeding my Goodreads challenge :D
For those of you who are disappointed with your reading achievements this year, give yourself a break and be proud of yourself :) At the end of the day, the number of books you read is not what matters. It's how much you've grown as a reader, and the books and stories you've come to love, cherish and even share with people :D So whether you've read 2 books, 10 books, 30 or even 100, let's all just look forward to the upcoming year that will be filled with lots of amazing books, both old and new!
Anyways, here are my top 9 of 2017 (in no particular order)
Artemis by Andy Weir
Synopsis:
Jazz Bashara is a criminal.
Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.
Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.
Thoughts:
Crazy kickass female protagonist, heist on the moon, smartass characters, lots of actual economics and engineering facts, all in all utterly brilliant. Fast-paced and crazy funny.
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Synopsis:
Cyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?
Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from and over his many years will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.
Thoughts:
Breaks my heart every time I talk about this book. I cannot stress enough how gripping and important this book is. This book is going to stick with you for a long time, which is the one reason why it's my favorite book of all time. I love Boyne's writing, he has a way of making the story funny and heart-wrenching at the same time. READ IT!
The Heart's Invisible Furies Review
Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
Synopsis:
Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:
Break into the notorious Ice Court(a military stronghold that has never been breached)
Retrieve a hostage(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)
Survive long enough to collect his reward(and spend it)
Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.
Thoughts:
There were lots that I love about these books, but no more than the brilliance of character development that stood out most for me. This is the kind of book that makes you browse for fanarts for hours and where you just want to protect every single character :') Bardugo's writing is simply brilliant too, you will not regret picking this duology up.
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Synopsis:
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.
At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.
Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
Thoughts:
This was the first book I finished in 2017 and it has stuck with me ever since. I will always admire Meyer's capability to write fairytale spins. They alway stay true to the actual fairytale with a touch of the author's own twist and originality to it. Though her Lunar Chronicles series (in my opinion) cannot be beaten, Heartless impressed me no less. Along with her lyrical writing and unique characters, this book is not to be missed.
The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan
Synopsis:
First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her.No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun.
I want to know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea.
Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.
Trick is… Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give this player a true shot at forever?
Thoughts:
I am a huge fan of new adult novels, but I am very picky when it comes to reading them. The Hot shot is the forth book in the 'Game On' series and it happens to be my FAVEEE amongst the four. There is just so much more to smut and sex in new adult novels. We're dealing with characters who are older and much more mature, dealing with more than just school drama. Callihan explores issues that poses as problems to adults in the real world, such as family tragedies, mourning, acceptance, even down to something as simple as working and jobs. Her characters are so real (and at times, angsty) and never fails to make me root for them. They are flawed, their stories are flawed, but I adore them (and their book) no less. If you want an NA with more than just sex, this is it.
Royally series by Emma Chase
Synopsis:
Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka His Royal Hotness, is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant; hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you.
Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn't bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.
Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants.
Dating a prince isn't what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be.
There's a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they've traded in horse drawn carriages for Rolls Royces, and haven't chopped anyone's head off lately, the royals are far from accepting of this commoner.
But to Olivia, Nicholas is worth it.
Nicholas grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.
Thoughts:
There is just something so charming and memorable about these books, I can't quite my finger on it. Everything about it was amazing. The characters, how the story flowed, the setting (castles!!!). The most fun new adult series I've read this year. So many swoon-worthy and LOL moments <3
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Synopsis:
When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.
Thoughts:
This was such a difficult book to read. To this day, I don't think I'll be able to revisit ir or even write a proper review of it. Sure it's a little overrated, but it's overrated for a good reason. The author has such beautiful, raw writing. Nothing fancy, no big words whatsoever. She captured the true emotions of struggling and hurting so well. It doesn't come off as angsty but raw. The book explores the feeling of loneliness at its worst. Desperation. Fear. Isolation. Depression. Gosh, everything was so unfiltered and real. Hoping some of you give this one a try - but it's not for the light hearted!
Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley
Synopsis:
an you miss something you never had?
Jubilee Jenkins is no ordinary librarian. With a rare allergy to human touch, any skin-to-skin contact could literally kill her. But after retreating into solitude for nearly ten years, Jubilee’s decided to brave the world again, despite the risks. Armed with a pair of gloves, long sleeves, and her trusty bicycle, she finally ventures out the front door—and into her future.Eric Keegan has troubles of his own. With his daughter from a failed marriage no longer speaking to him, and his brilliant, if psychologically troubled, adopted son attempting telekinesis, Eric’s struggling to figure out how his life got so off course, and how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be. So when an encounter over the check-out desk at the local library entangles his life with that of a beautiful—albeit eccentric—woman, he finds himself wanting nothing more than to be near her.
Thoughts:
Hands down the most unique Adult Fiction I've ever read. I went into this with zero expectations and came out of it feeling things I never knew I could feel for a book xD It's so refreshing and cute and relatable and I love the fact that books and words play a huge role in this novel. This little treasure is something I want to keep to myself, but then again the author deserves so much more love and recognition for writing such a beautiful story.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Synopsis:
Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
Thoughts:
Eccentric and lyrical in all the right ways. This is the kind of book that leaves you speechless. And swooning. There's LOTS of swooning involved. I've tabbed and dog-eared this book to death and even wrote down quotes on my journal. I'm pretty much obsessed with the book and CANNOT WAIT to finish the series :'D
Daughter of Smoke and Bone Review
That concludes my favorite books of 2017! Here's to another amazing year of reading and bookish goodness <3
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