Top & Bottom 5 books read in 2017

[jess]

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Sweet! I think I have the first 4 or 5. Not sure when I'll get to them either but they're super intriguing. :)"

Niki, I dont even know the names of book 3 and on! So,
Good for you! The only series I've got books further than the next-to-read are Wheel of Time, Malazan and a few Redwall!

I guess I have to really KNOW the world a bit before buying ahead that much. Though, I havent dug into Gardens of the Moon yet and Malazan. 😜

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Haha well, I admit I got them all as freebies while working as a bookseller. I've learned my lesson about buying ahead before diving in - sooo much money wasted. It sounds like we're reading mostly the same things. I'm doing wheel of time and Malazan, but I'm also trying to finish out Redwall. Good stuff. :)

[Diana Stormblessed]

Redwall like Redwall Abbey? There's a buddy read for it? And I've been missing it?? I keep wanting to suggest one but was afraid people would laugh at me for being juvenile. It's the series that started me into fantasy and I'd love to reread.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Yes that Redwall and no, there's not a Read going on at the moment. It's the series that motivated me to get good enough at reading to tackle and one of my very favorites! I don't think anyone would think it an odd thing to set up. :)

I'm currently on High Rhulain and have about 4 more after that I haven't read yet. I feel like a kid again while reading them.

[Diana Stormblessed]

I never finished the series but I read the first 10 or so books a few times. It was the first series I ever reread. But I kind of lost touch with it at a certain point and never read the newer books. I'd love to go back into it and finish the series one day.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

First reread for me too. :) which was your favorite? I think it's a toss up between outcast of redwall and pearls of lutra. At some point in my early twenties I got caught up with everything published and didn't start on top of new releases. It has been a ton of fun to finally start to finish them out. :)

[Diana Stormblessed]

I think Mattimeo was my favorite. I loved the first 3 the best I think. But it's been a LONG time since I've read them.

[Scott , Karsa Orlong]

Chris wrote: "4). Age of Assassins (2 Stars) Sorry Scott..."

I hated it too. Same for The Way of Shadows.

[jess]

@Niki and @Diana.

I think Ive read up to Book 8. I really liked the badgers in Salamandastron. I have a signed Hardcover of Pearls of Lutra. There used to be a Redwall fan club back in the early 2000s. Thats where I got some cool Redwall bookmarks and Pearls.

I wish i had time to read through them again! At least they would be fast books.

[Chris]

Scott wrote: "Chris wrote: "4). Age of Assassins (2 Stars) Sorry Scott..."

I hated it too. Same for The Way of Shadows."

On a side note though, I'm about to start reading Gardens of the Moon. And I'll use that for my book recommendation by a group member part of my challenge! I'm sure that it'll be a winner!

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Ooooh!!! I'm envious of that signed book. Cool! I liked the badgers and long patrol too. If I'd known about that club I definitely would've joined. :)

[Diana Stormblessed]

Jess wrote: "@Niki and @Diana.

I think Ive read up to Book 8. I really liked the badgers in Salamandastron. I have a signed Hardcover of Pearls of Lutra. There used to be a Redwall fan club back in the early 2..."

That's so cool. I'd love to get an autographed book.

[jess]

Ill take a pic of it next time I'm in my bedroom!

[jess]

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/...

[jess]

So I mistaken, it is Marlfox that I got a signed book for.
Also did not know how to imbed the pic directly so I hope that's ok!

[Angela, I'm Silverfox lost]

Top 5 books 2017

1. Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson. It's a book in the Malazan series that I still often think about and it's still clearly my favourite of the series to date.
2. Where the Dead Lie Sebastian St. Cyr #12 by C.S Harris. Historical mystery series that has me hooked and this one stood out in that it was more grim then previous books and the ending was unexpected.
3. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. A book that gripped me from start to finish. A murder set in Iceland in which you're drawn into the perspective of accusers and the murderess. Made me cry.
4. Red Knife Cork O'Connor #8 by William Kent Krueger. Mystery. What lengths will a person go to in order to catch a murderer?
5. The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson. The convergences in this book were insane.

Bottom 5 books of 2017

1. Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions by Neil Gaiman. I was clearly not the audience for this one. Too juvenile for me.
2. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima. YA fantasy where I was the wrong audience for as well. I never felt connected to any of the characters.
3. As Death Draws Near Lady Darby #5 by Anna Lee Huber. Historical mystery book that I felt was a little boring and the murderer felt very out of left field.
4. The Republic of Thieves Gentlemen Bastards #3 by Scott Lynch. After much promise in the first book and the second was okay, this one felt like a bit of let down. It lead to quite a bit of skimming of the past sequences.
5. The Dark Enquiry Lady Julia Grey #5 by Deanna Raybourn. Again the final book in a series was a little flat for me. The mystery was never that compelling.

[Seán]

Top Books of 2017:

1. The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin. Tough to pick between this and the finale for an overall favourite, but the way the opening brought me into the world and kept me there was just too impressive.

2. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. An amazing sci-fi book that impressed me immensely with the writing and what Leckie was able to do with it.

3. Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer. Fascinating and completely bonkers at times. I loved the writing and am still just a bit in awe that this book is real.

4. Shadows Linger by Glen Cook. I loved the single-city setting and just the overall feel of these books. Although it's on a smaller scale, I feel that this is a much stronger book than the first one. Really set up some solid investment in the series.

5. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. With all the world-ending seriousness of some of the other books I read, this was just a nice, relaxing read. Well-written, characters that were easy to like without being too annoying, and just an overall chilled vibe. I'm looking forward to the second book the way I look forward to getting home on a cold wintry evening, putting the heating on and curling up with a coffee. Just an overall cosy read.


Bottom Books of 2017:

1. Drakenfeld by Mark Charan Newton. Just garbage really. I liked the potential 'cop-investigating-a-murder-in-fantasy-Rome-setting', but the writing was just terrible. Put it down after a few chapters and have no regrets. Don't read this.

2. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie. I really didn't like the direction and pacing of this follow up to one of the best books I read in 2017. I gave it a good 200 pages, but decided to part ways and regard the first book as an excellent stand-alone, which is completely doable. Many people I've spoken to enjoy the second and third books, so definitely give them a go. But this just didn't do it for me.

3. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I'm not trying to be 'cool' in not liking this - I just found the plot to be two plodding, and Kvothe to be boring in his inevitable 'success-at-everything.' I enjoyed the background setting and things hinted at in terms of an overarching plot, but I'm not confident that these will be fleshed out in enough detail to keep me reading.

4. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson. Probably the point at which I depart from Sanderson's shorter stuff, as I feel they stray too close to 'YA' reads in terms of their plot and character depth, and I'm fed up of the Mistborn 'action-scenes' at this stage.

5. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. Not a bad book, and a good deal better than the rest of this list. I just needed a fifth book, and this was the next one that I enjoyed the least. A lot of this is down to the extended plot and world-setup needed for a large series like this, but damn were those first ~400 pages boring as hell.