Saturday, December 30, 2017

2017 BOOKS


 Another great year of reading and it is time to choose my top books of 2017! 
 

As in years past, my top books are listed in chronological order of when they were read rather than a definitive number one pick. After the book I've included the number of pages and the date I reviewed it on She Treads Softly.  As usual, there were many excellent books to chose from that received my highest rating. (They are marked by an asterisk on the main list.)
 

Fiction: Top 10  
The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker, 384 pages, 1/31/17
Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles, 704 pages, 3/29/17  (Read the whole three part series: Natchez Burning, 8/26/16; The Bone Tree, 9/20/16)
Beartown by Fredrik Backman, 432 pages, 4/24/17 
Nuclear Family: A Tragicomic Novel in Letters by Susanna Fogel, 212 pages, 5/21/17
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson, 352 pages, 7/31/17
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, 352 pages, 9/7/17
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter, 528 pages, 9/11/17
Smile by Roddy Doyle, 224, 10/25/17
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, 288 pages, 11/15/17
The Demon Crown by James Rollins, 464 pages, 11/29/17

 

Nonfiction: Top 5
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston, 336 pages, 1/1/17
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, 352 pages, 3/2/17
The Perils of "Privilege" by Phoebe Maltz Bovy, 336 pages, 3/17/17
Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) by David Sedaris, 528 pages, 6/1/17
Strange Contagion by Lee Daniel Kravetz, 288 pages, 7/6/17 



Short Stories: Top 4
Wicked Wonders by Ellen Klages, 240 pages, 5/22/17
Turf: Stories by Elizabeth Crane, 208 pages, 6/24/17
Bad Kansas by Becky Mandelbaum, 176 pages, 9/13/17
First-Person Singularities by Robert Silverberg, 384 pages, 11/5/17





2017 Books

January – 20 books
**1. The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston, 336 pages, 1/1/17,  very highly recommended, nonfiction
2. Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia, 352 pages, 1/2/17, highly recommended
3. The Year of Needy Girls by Patricia A. Smith, 320 pages, 1/3/17, recommended
4. Where I Can See You by Larry D. Sweazy, 255 pages, 1/4/17, highly recommended
5. Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson, 352 pages, 1/6/17, highly recommended
*6. Why Won't You Apologize? by Harriet Lerner, 208 pages, 1/8/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
7. Fungoid by William Meikle, 177 pages, 1/9/17, highly recommended
8. Night of Fire by Colin Thubron, 384, 1/11/17, recommended
**9. The Fireman by Joe Hill, 768 pages, 1/12/17, very highly recommended
10. Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry, 260 pages, 1/13/17, highly recommended
*11. The Aisles Have Eyes by Joseph Turow, 344 pages, 1/14/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
12. The Fifth Letter by Nicola Moriarty, 288 pages, 1/17/17, recommended
**13. The Dry by Jane Harper, 336 pages, 1/17/17, very highly recommended
14. Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell, 496 pages, 1/19/17, highly recommended
15. Armor of Glass by R. M. A. Spears, 232 pages, 1/22/17, so-so
16. Of G-Men and Eggheads by John Rodden, 152 pages, 1/22/17, recommended, nonfiction
17. This Is Not Over by Holly Brown, 400 pages, 1/26/17, recommended
18. Three Years with the Rat by Jay Hosking, 288 pages, 1/28/17, highly recommended
**19. Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller, 356 pages, 1/29/17, very highly recommended
***20. The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker, 384 pages, 1/31/17, very highly recommended

February -15 books
21. The Evening Road by Laird Hunt, 288 pages, 2/1/17, recommended
22. Unpunished by Lisa Black, 320 pages, 2/1/17, highly recommended
*23. The Book Thieves by Anders Rydell, 368 pages, 2/3/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*24. Hit Makers by Derek Thompson, 352 pages, 2/7/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
25. Uscolia: Learning without Teaching by Gabriel Lanyi, 192 pages, 2/9/17, recommended
26. The Shimmering Road by Hester Young, 416 pages, 2/11/17, highly recommended
27. The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis, 368 pages, 2/12/17, highly recommended
*28. Our Short History by Lauren Grodstein, 352 pages, 2/16/17, very highly recommended
29. All That's Left to Tell by Daniel Lowe, 304 pages, 2/18/17, so-so
30. Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez, 208 pages, 2/18/17, highly recommended, short stories
31. The Book of Etta by Meg Elison, 314 pages, 2/18/17, highly recommended
32. The Drifter by Christine Lennon, 384 pages, 2/22/17, recommended
*33. Bleaker House by Nell Stevens, 256 pages, 2/23/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
**34. Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens, 416 pages, 2/23/17, very highly recommended
35. All the News I Need by Joan Frank, 168 pages, 2/28/17, highly recommended

March -23 books
**36. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, 352 pages, 3/2/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
37. The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler, 400 pages, 3/3/17, highly recommended
38. The Underworld by Kevin Canty, 256 pages, 3/4/17, highly recommended
*39. The Coming Apostasy by Mark Hitchcock and Jeff Kinley, 224 pages, 3/4/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*40. Bit Rot: stories + essays by Douglas Coupland, 432 pages, 3/6/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction+
41. Ill Will by Dan Chaon, 480 pages, 3/7/17, highly recommended
42. The Wanderers by Meg Howrey, 384 pages, 3/8/17, highly recommended
43. The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo, 352 pages, 3/11/17, highly recommended
*44. One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel, 176 pages, 3/12/17, very highly recommended
45. Every Wild Heart by Meg Donohue, 304 pages, 3/13/17, recommended
46. The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel, 288 pages, 3/15/17, highly recommended
47. Never Out of Season by Rob Dunn, 336 pages, 3/16/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
*48. The Perils of "Privilege" by Phoebe Maltz Bovy, 336 pages, 3/17/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
49. Asteroid Hunters by Carrie Nugent, 128 pages, 3/19/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
50. A Simple Favor by Darcy Bell, 304 pages, 3/22/17, highly recommended
51. The Midas Legacy by Andy McDermott, 640 pages, 3/24/17, recommended
52. Pirate Women by Laura Sook Duncombe, 264 pages, 3/24/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
53. It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany, 320 pages, 3/25/17, highly recommended
**54. Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles, 704 pages, 3/29/17, very highly recommended
55. A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold, 336 pages, 3/30/17, so-so, nonfiction
56. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, 336 pages, 3/30/17, highly recommended
57. Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy by Anne Lamott, 192 pages, 3/30/17, so-so nonfiction
58. A Welcome Murder by Robin Yocum, 263 pages, 3/30/17, highly recommended

April -15 books
59. Invitation by Frank Peretti, Angela Hunt, Bill Myers, Alton Gansky, 352 pages, 4/5/17, highly recommended
60. Feral by James DeMonaco and B. K. Evenson, 320 pages, 4/5/17, recommended
61. Tell Me How This Ends Well by David Samuel Levinson, 416 pages, 4/6/17, highly recommended
62. Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night by Jason Zinoman, 368 pages, 4/10/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
*63. The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day, 432, 4/12/17, very highly recommended
64. The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch, 288 pages, 4/13/17, highly recommended
65. Chasing Coyotes by Debora Martin, 192 pages, 4/17/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
66. Fallout by Sara Paretsky, 448 pages, 4/17/17, highly recommended
67. The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol, 296 pages, 4/18/17, highly recommended
*68. Burntown by Jennifer McMahon, 304 pages, 4/22/17, very highly recommended
*69. I Found You by Lisa Jewell, 352 pages, 4/23/17, very highly recommended
**70. Beartown by Fredrik Backman, 432 pages, 4/24/17, very highly recommended
71. The Watcher by Ross Armstrong, 336 pages, 4/25/17, recommended
**72. Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, 272 pages, 4/25/17, very highly recommended
*73. The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger, 368 pages, 4/30/17, very highly recommended

May – 19 books
*74. Vacation on Location, Midwest by Joey Green, 240 pages, 5/1/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
75. The Ship by Antonia Honeywell, 336 pages, 5/2/17, recommended, YA
76. The Ridge by John Rector, 284 pages, 5/2/17, recommended
77. One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline, 368 pages, 5/3/17, highly recommended
78. Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee by Wayne Flynt, 240 pages, 5/3/17, recommended, nonfiction
79. It Started with Goodbye by Christina June, 272 pages, 5/3/17, recommended, YA
80. Sympathy by Olivia Sudjic, 416 pages, 5/7/17, so-so
81. The Dinner Party by Joshua Ferris, 256 pages, 5/7/17, highly recommended, short stories
**82. Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor, 336 pages, 5/8/17, very highly recommended
83. The Hanging Tree by Rodney Hobson, 168 pages, 5/14/17, highly recommended
*84. The Inkblots by Damion Searls, 405 pages, 5/14/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
85. You Were Here by Gian Sardar, 384 pages, 5/15/17, recommended
*86. The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda, 352 pages, 5/16/17, very highly recommended
87. Sister Sister by Sue Fortin, 384 pages, 5/21/17, recommended
88. What She Saw by Gerard Stembridge, 320 pages, 5/21/17, so-so
**89. Nuclear Family: A Tragicomic Novel in Letters by Susanna Fogel, 212 pages, 5/21/17, very highly recommended
90. Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton, 304 pages, 5/22/17, highly recommended
*91. Wicked Wonders by Ellen Klages, 240 pages, 5/22/17, very highly recommended, short stories
92. Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan, 320 pages, 5/25/17, not recommended

June – 16 books
**93. Theft by Finding: Diaries by David Sedaris, 528 pages, 6/1/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
94. Blackout by Marc Elsberg, 320 pages, 6/2/17, recommended
95. Dis Mem Ber by Joyce Carol Oates, 256 pages, 6/3/17, highly recommended, short stories
96. Perdition by R. Jean Reid, 360 pages, 6/5/17, highly recommended
97. You'll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron, 304 pages, 6/11/17, recommended
98. The Party by Robyn Harding, 352 pages, 6/11/17, so-so
*99. The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz, 464 pages, 6/11/17, very highly recommended
100. Small Hours by Jennifer Kitses, 288 pages, 6/12/17, recommended
101. The Accomplished Guest: Stories by Ann Beattie, 288 pages,6/12/17,  highly recommended, short stories
*102. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan, 336 pages, 6/16/17, very highly recommended
103. Wilders by Brenda Cooper, 367 pages, 6/18/17, highly recommended, YA
*104. Turf: Stories by Elizabeth Crane, 208 pages, 6/24/17, very highly recommended, short stories
105. Tell My Dad by Ram Muthiah, 282 pages, 6/24/17, recommended
106. The Substitute by Nicole Lundrigan, 399 pages, 6/24/17, highly recommended
107. Girl on the Leeside by Kathleen Anne Kenney, 304 pages, 6/24/17, recommended
108. Eight Is Enough by Tom Braden, 173 pages, 6/25/17, highly recommended, nonfiction

July - 22 books
109. CONDITION - Book One by Alec Birri, 290 pages, 7/2/17, recommended
*110. UNSUB by Meg Gardiner, 384 pages, 7/2/17, very highly recommended
111. Amatka by Karin Tidbeck, 320 pages, 7/2/17, highly recommended
**112 Strange Contagion by Lee Daniel Kravetz,288 pages,  7/6/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
113. Before Everything by Victoria Redel, 288 pages, 7/7/17, recommended
114. Part of the Silence by Debbie Howells, 320 pages, 7/10/17, highly recommended
*115. The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard, 400 pages, 7/10/17, very highly recommended
*116. The Reason You're Alive by Matthew Quick, 240 pages, 7/10/17, very highly recommended
117. Out in the Open by Jesus Carrasco, 240 pages, 7/12/17, highly recommended
118. Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas, 352 pages, 7/13/17, recommended
119. Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown, 368 pages, 7/14/17, recommended
**120. My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood, 416 pages, 7/18/17, very highly recommended
121. Tropic of Kansas by Christopher Brown, 480 pages, 7/19/17, highly recommended
122. Bring Her Home by David Bell, 464 pages, 7/19/17, recommended
123. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn, 288 pages, 7/20/17, recommended
*124. Last Breath by Karin Slaughter, 176 pages, 7/20/17, very highly recommended
125. Spire by Fiona Snyckers, 262 pages, 7/23/17, recommended
126. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen, 384 pages, 7/23/17, recommended
127. The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond, 432 pages, 7/27/17, recommended
128. See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt, 324 pages, 7/27/17, recommended
129. The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson, 320 pages, 7/30/17, highly recommended
**130. The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson, 352 pages, 7/31/17, very highly recommended

August -17 books
131. Impossible Views of the World by Lucy Ives, 304 pages, 8/3/17, so-so
132. Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka, 368 pages, 8/3/17, highly recommended
133. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker, 320 pages, 8/6/17, highly recommended
134. Binary System by Eric Brown, 400 pages, 8/6/17, recommended
135. The Great Quake by Henry Fountain, 288 pages, 8/6/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
*136. The Luster of Lost Things by Sophie Chen Keller, 336 pages, 8/13/17, very highly recommended
*137. I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen, 336 pages, 8/13/17, very highly recommended
138. New Boy by Tracy Chevalier, 208 pages, 8/13/17, highly recommended
139. The Last Lost Girl by Maria Hoey, 448 pages, 8/17/17, highly recommended
*140. Everything We Lost by Valerie Geary, 480 pages, 8/17/17, very highly recommended
141. The Other Girl by Erica Spindler, 256 pages, 8/20/17, recommended
142. The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter, 496 pages, 8/20/17, recommended
143. The History of Bees by Maja Lunde, 352 pages, 8/24/17, highly recommended
144. If the Creek Don't Rise by Leah Weiss, 320 pages, 8/27/17, highly recommended
145. The Assault: Cycle 2 Harbingers Series by Peretti, Hunt, Myers, Gansky, 368 pages, 8/27/17, highly recommended
**146. Fever by Deon Meyer, 544 pages, 8/31/17, very highly recommended
147. The End of the World Running Club by Adrian Walker, 464 pages, 8/31/17, highly recommended

September -17 books
148. The Han Agent by Amy Rogers, 260 pages, 9/3/17, so-so
149. The Best of Us by Joyce Maynard, 448 pages, 9/3/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
*150. An Odyssey by Daniel Mendelsohn, 320 pages, 9/3/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
151. Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill, 384 pages, 9/6/17, highly recommended
**152. The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones, 400 pages, 9/6/17, very highly recommended
**153. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, 352 pages, 9/7/17, very highly recommended
154. The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb, 368 pages, 9/10/17, highly recommended
**155. The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter, 528 pages, 9/11/17, very highly recommended
156. The Names of Dead Girls by Eric Rickstad, 448 pages, 9/13/17, highly recommended
157. Unshakeable Trust by Joyce Meyer, 240 pages, 9/13/17, highly recommended
**158. Bad Kansas: Stories by Becky Mandelbaum, 176 pages, 9/13/17, very highly recommended, short stories
159. Keep Her Safe by Sophie Hannah, 352 pages, 9/17/17, recommeded
160. Lightning Men by Thomas Mullen, 384, 9/17/17, highly recommended
161. The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs by Janet Peery, 288 pages, 9/20/17, highly recommended
162. The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti, 352 pages, 9/24/17, highly recommended
*163. The Man from the Train by Bill James, 480 pages, 9/26/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
164. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, 448 pages, 9/30/17, highly recommended

October -15 books
*165. The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash, 384 pages, 10/3/17 very highly recommended
166. George and Lizzie by Nancy Pearl, 288 pages, 10/4/17, not recommended
*167. Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land, 304 pages, 10/4/17, very highly recommended
168. The Visitors by Catherine Burns, 304 pages, 10/8/17, recommended
169. Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda, 352 pages, 10/8/17, highly recommended
170. The Blind by A.F. Brady, 416 pages, 10/11/17, highly recommended
171. The Relive Box and Other Stories by T. C. Boyle, 272 pages, 10/11/17, highly recommended, short stories
172. The Genius Plague by David Walton, 400 pages, 10/15/17, highly recommended
173. If You Knew My Sister by Michelle Adams, 384 pages, 10/15/17, highly recommended
**174. A Life Beyond Amazing by David Jeremiah, 256 pages, 10/19/17, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*175. Deep Freeze by John Sandford, 400 pages, 10/19/17, very highly recommended
176. Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak, 368 pages, 10/22/17, so-so
**177. Smile by Roddy Doyle, 224 pages, 10/25/17, very highly recommended
178. Little Secrets by Anna Snoekstra, 336 pages, 10/25/17, highly recommended
179. The After War by Brandon Zenner, 444 pages, 10/29/17, recommended

November - 16 books
180. Strange Weather by Joe Hill, 448 pages, 11/1/17, highly recommended, short stories
181. Lost Lake: Stories by Mark Slouka, 192 pages, 11/1/17, recommended, short stories
182. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, 512 pages, 11/5/17, highly recommended
*183. First-Person Singularities by Robert Silverberg, 384 pages, 11/5/17, very highly recommended, short stories
184. Millard Salter's Last Day by Jacob M. Appel, 272 pages, 11/5/17, recommended
185. Heather, the Totality by Matthew Weiner, 144 pages, 11/12/17, so-so
186. The End We Start From by Megan Hunter, 160 pages, 11/12/17, recommended
187. Down and Out in Purgatory: The Collected Stories of Tim Powers, 496 pages, 11/12/17, highly recommended, short stories
**188. Artemis by Andy Weir, 320 pages, 11/12/17, very highly recommended
**189. Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, 288 pages, 11/15/17, very highly recommended
*190. The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg, 240 pages, 11/15/17, very highly recommended
*191. The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz, 528 pages, 11/19/17, very highly recommended
192. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher, 272 pages, 11/19/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
193. Because I Was Lonely by Hayley Mitchell, 304 pages, 11/26/17, recommended
194. Not Safe After Dark: And Other Stories by Peter Robinson, 496 pages, 11/26/17, highly recommended, short stories
**195. The Demon Crown by James Rollins, 464 pages, 11/29/17, very highly recommended

December - 12 books
196. Plague Land by Alex Scarrow, 384 pages, 12/3/17, highly recommended, YA
197. The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen, 288 pages, 12/10/17, highly recommended
198. The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir by Maude Julien, 288 pages, 12/10/17, highly recommended, nonfiction
199. Insidious Intent by Val McDermid, 400 pages, 12/10/17, highly recommended
200. Some Assembly Required by Michael Strelow, 208 pages, 12/10/17, recommended
201. The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall. 448 pages, 12/17/17, highly recommended
201. Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins, 416 pages, 12/17/17, highly recommended
203. The Ice House by Laura Lee Smith, 448 pages, 12/21/17, highly recommended
204. The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson, 320 pages, 12/21/17, highly recommended
205. Dominic by Mark Pryor, 239 pages, 12/28/17, recommended
206. Hap and Hazard and the End of the World by Diane DeSanders, 288 pages, 12/27/17, recommended
*207. Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna, 320 pages, 12/30/17, very highly recommended

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