Whenever I make a list like this, I feel like I first need to point out that many, MANY books came out this year that I just haven't had time to read yet, including several I can think of off the top of my head that I'm pretty sure I'll LOVE. But here are my top ten 2017 books I happened to get to in 2017! They're alphabetical by author. Please read all of them immediately.
Nutcracked by Susan Adrian - A young dancer is pulled into the magical world of The Nutcracker. This is a great blend of fantasy, holiday themes, and interesting character growth.
All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg - A messy, imperfect single woman reconsiders her view of adulthood and what she wants out of life as she approaches 40 and her family deals with tragedy. Funnier than I just made it sound.
What Happened by Hillary Clinton - I guess you don't need me to tell you what this is, but I will say that it was more interesting and thought-provoking than I anticipated.
American War by Omar El Akkad - I don't always love dystopians but this was great, especially in the ways it dealt with themes very relevant to our current world while avoiding too-easy analogues or messages.
There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins - A Hawaiian teen haunted by her past moves in with her grandmother in Nebraska - where someone starts brutally murdering her classmates. I loved this even though I usually hate horror.
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan - This starts out with a "normal" boy leaving for boarding school in a magical world, and then it subverts every single trope you're expecting. Hilarious and feminist.
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera - A teen boy struggles to put himself together and figure out who he wants to be in the wake of his ex-boyfriend's death. Beautiful and simultaneously heartbreaking and life-affirming.
Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan - A compelling, funny, moving look at family dynamics and social change, tracing fifty years in the lives and families of young Irish sisters who move to America.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - A stunning novel about a young black girl who witnesses her friend's death at the hands of police and has to decide what to say and do in the aftermath.
The Wages of Sin by Kaite Welsh - The first in a new mystery series about a female medical student in Victorian Edinburgh. Great if you're looking for feminist historical fiction that doesn't idealize the past.
Check back tomorrow for my favorite older books I read for the first time this year! And subscribe to my free tinyletter if you want more of my thoughts on books.
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