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Favorite Books of 2017

January - Of Mice and Men 5* by John Steinbeck
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February - The Shepherd's Life: A People's History of the Lake District 4* by James Rebanks
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March -Istanbul 5* by Bettany Hughes
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April - Andrew Carnegie 4* by David Nasaw
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May - The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father 5* by Kao Kalia Yang
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
June - A Far Cry from Kensington 5* by Muriel Spark
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
July - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir 4* by Sherman Alexie
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
August - War's Unwomanly Face 5* by Svetlana Alexievich
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
September -A Country Road, A Tree 4* by Jo Baker
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October -Flowers for Algernon 5* by Daniel Keyes
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November -Loitering with Intent 5* by Muriel Spark
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
December - Jacob's Room 4* by Virginia Woolf
(Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Best of the year - I cannot pick just one book. A person needs books for different moods. To appreciate fiction I need to balance them with non-fiction. I love both, BUT I must say that books of fiction have more scope for imagination and creativity which I highly value.

January - My Name Is Asher Lev
February - Poems in the Manner Of
March - The Mississippi Encyclopedia
April - Anything Is Possible and audio version of Ulysses
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -

January - Das Buch der verbrannten Bücher by Volker Weidermann
February - The Emigrants by Sławomir Mrożek
March - Localization: Essential Steps to an Economics of Happiness by Helena Norberg-Hodge
April - Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
May - Oracle Night by Paul Auster
June - Night by Elie Wiesel
July - 1984 by George Orwell
August - In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka
September - Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
October - Animal Farm by George Orwell
November - Neve, cane, piede by Claudio Morandini
December - This Business of Living: Diaries 1935-1950 by Cesare Pavese
Best of the year - 1984 by George Orwell

My favorite books for 2017:
January – Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation by Judith Mackrell
February – Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
March – On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
April – Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
May – Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler
June – The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
July – The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
August – Animal Farm by George Orwell
September –Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
October – The Color Purple by Alice Walker
November – Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King
December – Metaphorical Theology by Sallie McFague
Best of the year – Boy, that's tough, but I think I'll go with a work that was less a book and more a booklet: Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Its strong and incisive arguments about our current political moment drawing from the lessons of 20th-century fascist movements only became more trenchant and insightful as the year progressed.

January - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
February - Third Life Of Grange Copeland by Alice Walker
March -I, Claudius by Robert Graves
April - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
May - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
June -The Waves by Virginia Woolf
July - Another Country by James Baldwin
August - The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
September -The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata
October - Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
November - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
December - My Ántonia by Willa Cather
Best of the Year - My Ántonia

January - To the River, by Olivia Laing
February - At the Source: A Writer's Year, by Gillian Clarke
March - Animals Strike Curious Poses, essays by Elena Passarello
April - How We Write: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blank Page, ed. Suzanne Conklin Akbari
May -
June - Threads: The Delicate Life of John Craske, by Julia Blackburn
July - Sightlines, by Kathleen Jamie. A reread of a perennial favourite.
August - Findings, by Kathleen Jamie. A reread of a perennial favourite.
September -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -

January - No 5-stars so picked one of the 4-stars: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, reviewed here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1693679832
February - my only 5-star read was The Furies by Suzy Mckee Charnas, reviewed here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1914468705.
March - No 5 star, so one of the fours - The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell, reviewed here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1925761435.
April - several 4 stars this month, no 5. As this was really a 4.5, I've chosen Warlock of the Witch World as it's a re-read of an old favourite that, unlike so many in the last couple of years, did not disappoint - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1954249088
May - not such a good month for reading, with a few 3 stars as the best and this was probably the best of those - Diana Wynne Jones' Mixed Magics - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1993431949
June - Another tricky month with a lot of 3-star ratings and even a couple of 2s, so I chose one I enjoyed despite some flaws with the ending - Sorceress of the Witch World by Andre Norton - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1716692837
July - A better month with some 4 stars and one 5 - by Louise Cooper, The Initiate - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2064525583.
August - Unfortunately, a lot of 2- and 3-star books this month, so had to pick the only 4-star: Nightwings by Robert Silverberg - review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2094886576.
September - the only 4 star read was - Orchid by Jayne Castle - review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2108841818.
October - A sea of 3 star reviews this month so, just because it is different from the Jayne Castles I read otherwise, Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood - review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2140404455
November - only a couple of 4-stars this month, so am choosing Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, my favourite - review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1444115513.
December - Again, quite a few 4-star reads, and am choosing the final book in C J Cherryh's Morgaine trilogy (ignoring the later fourth volume for the present), Fires of Azeroth, reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2225417471.
Best of the year - I only rated 2 books as 5-star reads this year and on the grounds of the greater character building, the choice has to go to The Furies by Suzy McKee Charnas, my February choice.

January -
February -
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year:

My favourite books of 2017:
January - When Breath Becomes Air 4*
February - King Lear 4*
March - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 5*
April - The Lesser Bohemians 5*
May - The Hate U Give 4*
June - Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 4*
July - The Count of Monte Cristo 5*
August - Sons and Lovers 5*
September - Three Men in a Boat 4*
October - Richard III 4*
November - The Secret History 5*
December - Winter 5*
Best of the year: Sons and Lovers and runner up The Count of Monte Cristo

January -The Signal Flame
February -Beartown
March -The Barrowfields
April -Letters to a Young Writer: Some Practical and Philosophical Advice
May - All the Rivers tied with If The Creek Don't Rise
June - Little Fires Everywhere and A Boy in Winter
July - The Heart's Invisible Furies and To Lay To Rest Our Ghosts
August - Sing, Unburied, Sing and The Last Ballad
September - The Ninth Hour and Wolf Season
October -Future Home of the Living God
November - Sadness Is a White Bird
December - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Obama: An Intimate Portrait: The Historic Presidency in Photographs
Best of the year :
I spent some time trying to decide on a favorite. I couldn't, so here are my three favorites :
Sadness Is a White Bird
Beartown
Sing, Unburied, Sing
Favorite books 2017:
January -Black No More
February -No Man's Land
March -The Museum of Eterna's Novel
April -The Talker: Stories
May -Men Without Women: Stories
June -Trajectory
All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation
July -Stories of Your Life and Others
runner-up: All Our Wrong Todays
August -The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation
tied--The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
September -The Heart's Invisible Furies
October -Malagash
November -
December -
Best of the year:
January -Black No More
February -No Man's Land
March -The Museum of Eterna's Novel
April -The Talker: Stories
May -Men Without Women: Stories
June -Trajectory
All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation
July -Stories of Your Life and Others
runner-up: All Our Wrong Todays
August -The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation
tied--The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
September -The Heart's Invisible Furies
October -Malagash
November -
December -
Best of the year:

Jan - I Let You Go
Feb -
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
Sept -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -

January - The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
February -The Underworld for fiction and The Girl from the Metropol Hotel: Growing Up in Communist Russia for non fiction.
March - Beartown
April - American War
May - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
June - Sometimes Amazing Things Happen: Heartbreak and Hope on the Bellevue Hospital Psychiatric Prison Ward
July -. The Heart's Invisible Furies and non fiction Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship
August -
September - Wolf Season
October -
November - Sadness Is a White Bird
December -
Best of the year -

My favorite books of 2017:
January - Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me by Bill Hayes
February - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
March - Beartown by Fredrik Backman
April - A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
May - Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
June - The Secret History by Donna Tartt
July - Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
August - A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
September - City of Thieves by David Benioff
October -
November -
December -









Best of the year -

January - Swann's Way (5-star)
February - All My Puny Sorrows (5-star)
March - Within a Budding Grove (4-star)
April - The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane (4-star; recommended)
May - Whistling Past the Graveyard (5-star)
June - Hag-Seed (5-star)
July - Sodom and Gomorrah (4-star)
August - The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us (5-star)
September - We Are Water (5-star)
October - Wool Omnibus (5-star)
November - Lincoln in the Bardo (5-star)
December - The Garden of Eden (5-star)
Best of the year - All My Puny Sorrows (a very hard choice to make. This one has stuck with me.)

January - Between the World and Me 5*
February - Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis 5*
March - The Gustav Sonata 4*
April - The Dark Circle 4*
May - Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution 4*
June - The Lonely Hearts Hotel 5*
July - Landings 4*
August - Fire 5*
September - An Untamed State 5*
October - Bridget Jones's Diary 4*
November - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Tell the Wolves I'm Home both 5*
December - All Quiet on the Western Front 5*
Best of the year - I couldn't pick just one so I've picked three:
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
The Lonely Hearts Hotel
An Untamed State
Here I am:
Favorite books 2017
January: Stephen King It
February: Marcel Prosut All'ombra delle fanciulle in fiore Frances Hodgson Burnett The Shuttle
March: Kent Haruf Le nostre anime di notte
April: Isabelle Allende La casa degli spiriti
May: Ugo Baduel L'elmetto inglese
June: Hanya Yanagihara Una vita come tante
July: Sebastiano Vassalli Terre selvagge
August: Majgul Axelson Io non mi chiamo Miriam
September: Louise Penny The Nature of the Beast Claudio Magris Danubio
October: Clara Sereni Il gioco dei regni
November: Luigi Meneghello I piccoli maestri
December -
Best of the year -
Favorite books 2017
January: Stephen King It
February: Marcel Prosut All'ombra delle fanciulle in fiore Frances Hodgson Burnett The Shuttle
March: Kent Haruf Le nostre anime di notte
April: Isabelle Allende La casa degli spiriti
May: Ugo Baduel L'elmetto inglese
June: Hanya Yanagihara Una vita come tante
July: Sebastiano Vassalli Terre selvagge
August: Majgul Axelson Io non mi chiamo Miriam
September: Louise Penny The Nature of the Beast Claudio Magris Danubio
October: Clara Sereni Il gioco dei regni
November: Luigi Meneghello I piccoli maestri
December -
Best of the year -

January - The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma 4/5
Francesco d'Assisi: La storia negata 4/5
February - Il tempo dei nuovi eroi 5/5
March - none
April - Il mondo in una scuola: Storie e viaggi dell'operaio europeo 4/5
May - The Neverending Story by Michael Ende 5/5
June - Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez 4/5
July - The Song of Bernadette 5/5
Wandering 5/5
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose 5/5
August - Fantasmi: Dispacci dalla Cambogia 5/5
September - In Asia 4,5/5 and The Years 4,5/5
October - Bilal: Viaggiare, lavorare, morire da clandestini 5/5
November - The Glass Palace 4,5* (fiction) + La linea sacra dell'arcangelo Michele 4* (non fiction)
December - The story of a humble Christian 5* (fiction)
Best of the year -
fiction: The Neverending Story and The story of a humble Christian
non-fiction: A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

Favorite books 2017:
January - The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (4½*) or a reread of The Murder at the Vicarage (5*)
February - The Winds of War (5*)
March - The Rose Garden: Short Stories (5*)
April - Brave New World {reread via audiobook} (5*) or Vendetta (4*)
May - Cousin Bette (4*) or The Talisman Ring {reread via audiobook} (5*)
June - Evelina (4*) or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy {reread via audiobook} (5*)
July - Time and Again (4½*)
August - Night Watch (4½*) or A Tale of Two Cities {reread via audiobook} (5*)
September - The Stranger (5*)
October - Unnamable (4*) or Atonement (4*)
November - Laura (4.5*)
December - The Long Goodbye (5*)
Best of the year - The Winds of War

January -

February -

March -

April -

May -

June -

July -

August -

September -

October -

November - Tie between


December -


The one I have to choose overall had the most life-changing impact on me and that is May's pic by Carter Heyward but considering how much I am more inclined to read women than men and how much more likely I am to positively review female writers (not deliberately, just because they are more likely to write in a way that I want to read) special mention goes to Mark Isaacs (Nauru burning) for writing something so important and tightly enough written to make the list ;)

January -
February -
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -

January: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
February: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
March: Did not finish anything in March. Yikes!
April: Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins
May: Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner and Wonder by R.J. Palacio
June: City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York by Tyler Anbinder
July: American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse
August:
September:

January - Jasper Jones
February - Nærmere høst
March - The True Deceiver
April - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
May - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
June - Sovjetistan
July - The History of Bees
August - All the Light We Cannot See
September - Slaughterhouse-Five
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -
Favorite Books of 2017
January- The Thirteenth Tale
February-
March-
April-
May-
June-
July-
August-
September-
October-
November-
December-
Best of the Year-
January- The Thirteenth Tale
February-
March-
April-
May-
June-
July-
August-
September-
October-
November-
December-
Best of the Year-

January - Stoner by John Williams
February - Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -

January - The Peony Pavilion: Mudan ting
February - Nil
March - Corrag by Susan Fletcher
April - Embers by Sándor Márai
May - Katherine by Anya Seton (3.5 stars)
June - Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy - now on my favorites shelf!
July - Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
August - Coming Up for Air by George Orwell
September - Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
October - Passionate Minds by David Bodanis
November - The Great Walk of China: Travels on Foot from Shanghai to Tibet by Graham Earnshaw
December - Bloodline by Conn Iggulden
Best of the year - Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy

Monthly Favourite Reads - 2017
January - Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto inspired to read by a GR friend's review.
February -The Master and Margarita
March - The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan
April -Have to have 2 this month :
Silence by Shūsaku Endō and Passionate Minds by David Bodanis
May - 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
June -Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
July - In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park
August -Alice in Brexitland a bittersweet read, very clever.
September - Drawing Autism and Shtum ... Great to join the group read for this this month.
October - Born Liars: Why We Can't Live without Deceit.
November - so many brilliant reads this month... How to choose...
Non-Fiction Chris Packham- Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir
Fiction House Rules .... Still reeling from this one.
December - have to have 2 fiction ( and it's only 8.12.... The month is young...)
Absent. the English Teacher and Julian Barnes - The Noise of Time
Best of the year - no question... Bulgakov wins hands down
The Master and Margarita

My 2017 favourites
January To the River, by Olivia Laing
February At the Source: A Writer's Year, by Gillian Clarke
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

I still need to pick one for April (out of 5 4-star books)
January - The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections (reread)
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February - The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives - I reread 2 longtime favorites this month, this one and The Martian Chronicles. But if I must pick one it has to be this one.
reviews
The Sandman, Vol. 7: Brief Lives
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Martian Chronicles
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March - 2 5-star books already this month. I really can't just choose one. The Histories read Jan 1-March 9
(review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
I also finished rereading The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones this morning and loved it. review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April - I'm not sure yet; my 4-star books include The Sparrow, Stories of Your Life and Others Eifelheim, Death: The Time of Your Life, and Two Plays for Voices.
May - The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War (read April 1-May 27) Loved it! I definitely struggled with the first 100 pages or so, but I got used to it over time and ended up really loving it. I haven't finished my review yet, I think I need to mull over it for a bit. I'll link it here when I have one.
update - my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June: probably The Fellowship of the Ring (a reread) my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July: The Republic of Plato the only book I finished in July
August Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (audiobook) I've read the print version twice but never listened to the audiobook before. my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September - Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America (audio) 5 stars! This is one of my favorites. I don't think anything I read in the rest of the month will top it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October -
War Music: An Account of Books 1-4 and 16-19 of Homer's Iliad (poetry) and Teatro Grottesco (one of my favorite short story collections), both 5 stars
November
The Return of the King 11/2/2017
review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December
I've decided for It as best book I've read this January, even if it was difficoult: I also loved Marcel Proust, La strada di Swann ...

January -Evening's Land
February -
March -
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -

Thanks Angela - this will be fun!




Sounds good, I've added it to my list, thanks :)


Book Chat > Favorite Books of 2017
January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017
January - The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin
February - Life Organization In 1 Month: Take The One Month Self Organization Challenge And Experience The Amazing Benefits by Julia Wilson
March - Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer's by B. Smith
April - Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
May - America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray
June - Fire Starter by Stephen King
July - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
August - Half Truths: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves and Other Things the Bible Doesn't Say by Adam Hamilton
September - The Trash Collector by Monica Shaughnessy
October - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
November - The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford
December - The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle by Joanne Huist Smith












Best of the year -



It was difficult to choose, because I had no 5 star reads but several 4 stars. I think this one was the best, though.

I had some other great, 5★ reads (Bright Air Black, Lincoln in the Bardo, City of Saints & Thieves, The Bear and the Nightingale, Miss Jane: A Novel), but Bill Hayes' ode to Oliver Sacks and New York City is the one I continue to carry with me, recommend constantly, and is an instant classic for me and already vaulted into my all-time favorites.



Two non-fiction for me:
The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma
Francesco d'Assisi: La storia negata

January - The Art Forger

February - Ordinary Grace

March - How to Be an American Housewife

April - Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

May - Vinegar Girl

June - The Husband's Secret

July - Sh*t My Dad Says

August - A Game of Thrones

September- Little Wolves

October - Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse

November - The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

Books mentioned in this topic
The Lord of the Rings (other topics)War and Peace (other topics)
Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems (other topics)
Of Mice and Men (other topics)
The Histories (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Bill Bryson (other topics)Edith Wharton (other topics)
Billy Collins (other topics)
John Steinbeck (other topics)
Elie Wiesel (other topics)
More...
Copy the template below, and each month come back and edit your post with the favorite book you read that month. Then you pick out of those 12 for your favorite book of the year.
January -
February -
March -
April -
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June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
Best of the year -