Top Ten Favorite Books for 2017

The year is just about at an end and not to sound like Scrooge, but bah humbug to that. Not that I am ungrateful, in fact I am extremely grateful to join The Broke and the Bookish once again for Top Ten Tuesday and that I managed to read more than 10 books this year so that I can at least make a selection of my Ten Favorite Books for 2017. 

As with most books, my selection is strictly based on personal experiences. None of my favorites for 2017 are actually published in 2017. In fact I have two books on my list that were published in the previous century! But that is the wonder of books and the magic of reading. It is always in the present tense the moment you open the book. 

I don't really have an ascending order from most favorite to least favorite list for this year. Each of the books listed meant something to me through a really tough year. Let's have a quick look at the books that made my list: 



Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult Okay, this one is actually my favorite for the year. It's my blanky book. A book that brought comfort and peace and understanding from a rather strange, but wonderful source. 

"The moral of this story is that no matter how much we try, no matter how much we want it.... Some stories just don't have a happy ending"

That's life, I guess. Sometimes, we don't end up with a and they lived happily ever after. And sometimes, that's just the way it is. Sometimes your grief is as big as an elephant. Sometimes the only consolation is an elephant. 

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra  and The perplexing theft of the jewel in the crown by Vaseem Khan Seriously, you have no idea how much comfort a baby elephant can bring. 

        

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty Those things that almost happen. But didn't. The places we come back from and those we return to. Such insignificant things that carries so much weight. 

The Light between Oceans by M.L. Stedman "That sort of experience either gives you a taste for death or a thirst for life"

The mirror crack'd from side to side by Agatha Christie No matter what happens or do not happen, you cannot put a year behind you without at least one Agatha Christie on your reading list. I do believe that all the answers you might ever be looking for can be found in The Bible. And in Agatha Christie's novels. And if you are still uncertain, just go with 42. Or Yes, please. 

  

Yes Please by Amy Poehler I've read this one twice. Once as an audio recording read by the lovely author herself (so worth the listen) and I've read the physical book as well. With the cute notes and quirky family photos and the glossy paper and that stunning cover of course. 

It's called YES PLEASE because it is the constant struggle and often the right answer. Can we figure out what we want, ask for it and stop talking? Yes please. Is being vulnerable a power position? Yes please. Am I allowed to take up space? Yes please. Would you like to be left alone? Yes please. 

All the ugly and wonderful things by Bryn Greenwood The most disturbing book I've ever read. But gosh, it was excellent. Don't think I would have read it though. The audio recording of this book was magnificent. 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman If you haven't read it, I'm not going to tell you about it. Because it sounds absurd and wicket and extremely evil and totally inappropriate for children to read. But so does Harry Potter. And we all know how that turned out. 

 

A monster calls by Patrick Ness The most quotable book of 2017. And what is a book if you can't make little notes and copy numerous phrases and passages into another little book? 

“You do not write your life with words...You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.” 

“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.” 

“Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.” 

“Because humans are complicated beasts, the monster said. How can a queen be both a good witch and a bad witch? How can a prince be a murderer and a saviour? How can an apothecary be evil-tempered but right-thinking? How can a parson be wrong-thinking but good-hearted? How can invisible men make themselves more lonely by being seen?
"I don't know," Connor shrugged, exhausted. "Your stories never made any sense to me."
The answer is that it does not matter what you think, the monster said, because your mind will contradict itself a hundred times each day. You wanted her to go at the same time you were desperate for me to save her. Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.” 

What books are your Top Ten Favorite for 2017?

Mareli