Best of 2017

Every year, one of my favorite New Years resolutions to set is my Goodreads reading goal. To be honest, it’s my easiest resolution to keep (because reading lots of books is much easier than eating lots of vegetables). This year, my Goodreads goal was to read 30 books, and I SMASHED IT.

I nearly doubled my goal (52 books total), and most of it is due to a group I discovered in June on Goodreads called Around the Year in 52 Books. This group’s goal is to read 52 books in a year, and each book meets a certain challenge. I was really ahead on my Goodreads goal for the year, so I thought I would take on the challenge. Every book I had read so far in 2017 met one of the criteria for the list, and I was only 4 books behind for the year. Easy, right?

This challenge kicked my butt. I wavered between 4 and 6 books behind until November, when I finally caught up to the reading goal (in no small thanks to the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard, which I blew through in a weekend). I never officially changed my Goodreads goal from 30 books, because I really didn’t want to look like a failure if I didn’t accomplish the 52 books (still working on that #growthmindset, y’all), but I’m really glad I worked so hard to accomplish this.

Since it is (finally) the end of 2017, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at what my year in books was like. If you’re interested in seeing a full list of my reads for 2017, look here. As always, you can look at all of my book reviews here, and you can see my recommendations list here.

The Stats

Number Of Books You Read: 52!
Number of Re-Reads: 4, which is actually pretty low (and 2 of them were books that I taught in the spring)
Genre You Read The Most From: Adult Contemporary Fiction

 

Genres

Best Read

Book you read in 2017 that topped all the others

This book was, hands down, my favorite book of the year. The character development was exquisite, and the author revealed her secrets slowly and beautifully. The storyline kept me coming back for more, and there was never a dull moment. For a full review, look here.

Biggest Let Down

Book you thought would be brilliant but was a total disappointment

I love John Green SO MUCH, but this book just really fell flat. I wanted The Fault in Our Stars feelings, but I was left with a Paper Towns let down. For a full review, look here.

Breakout Read

Book that was surprisingly good or exceeded expectations

When I picked this book from Book of the Month, I had low expectations. I mean, that cover is just… not attractive. But I was pleasantly surprised by the story! It had suspense and surprises and I really bought into the story. For a full review, look here.

Most Recommended

Book you would recommend to everyone

It’s no surprise that this is one of the books I’ve seen recommended (and I’ve had recommended to me) most often in the last few months. It was sweet, thought-provoking, and layered, and I think that everyone can find something they love about this book. For a full review, look here.

Best Series

Book from a series you either can’t get enough of or can’t wait to indulge in more

This series! It was the only series I read in 2017, but Red Queen was also the only book (other than Seven Husbands and Handmaid’s Tale) that I gave 5 stars this year. It drew me in HARD, and I’m eagerly awaiting May for the final installment of the series. For a full review, look here.

Best Author

An author whose writing you really clicked with

Speaking of 5 star reviews… The Handmaid’s Tale was one of the most read books of the year, and for good reason. I read it in a time that I desperately needed to read it, and Margaret Atwood’s world building was eerie and felt so true. This is a book that could have fallen into a few different categories, but Atwood’s world-building and suspense made me fall in love with her as an author.

Biggest Push

Book that got you most out of your comfort zone

I can’t honestly say that I enjoyed this book, but Neil Gaiman definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I finished the book, and I can add it to the list of things that I “should” have read that I actually read.

Future Reread

Book that you are most likely to reread

I may be cheating with this one, since I’ve read Perks 4 times now, but I can honestly say that this is one of the novels that changed my perspective and turned me into a reader, and I feel like I will be coming back to it in the future.

Best Shock

Book that made your jaw drop in surprise

I’ve read more mysteries and thrillers this year than ever before, and this was the standout among all of the ones I read. I didn’t see the ending coming, and the author did a great job of making the main character a full-bodied, truthful character.

Best Dressed

Book with the most attractive cover

This book could have fallen in quite a few of these categories, but how cool is this cover? The story was equally as cool, and the take on Charles Mason’s story gave me chills and made me want to read more all at once.

Best Characters

Book with characters you couldn’t get out of your head

For WEEKS after reading Seven Husbands, I could not stop thinking about Evelyn Hugo and Monique. It took me a while to get into any books after I read this one, because my head was still wrapped up in this story. I just want more! For a full review, look here.

Most Thought-Provoking

Book that made you think the most

This may be a little DUH, but 1984 was the book that I had to stop… often… to ponder. The part that really got me was towards the end of the book, when Winston reads from a history textbook (I think? Maybe it was an instruction manual?) in which he analyzes war and humanity. I didn’t reallllly like the book, but there were some parts that definitely stuck with me.

Best Place

Book that was set in an interesting environment

This book SHOOK ME. The world-building in The Circle is real enough that I could imagine this existing, but foreign enough to convince me that this is how the characters truly lived. After reading this book, I couldn’t touch social media for a while! For a full review, look here.

Best Time Machine

Historical fiction book that set the scene

I felt so transported to both WWI and post-WWII France. The world that both Charlie and Eve live in is a physical setting, but the author does a great job of placing the reader, not only in the setting, but also in the cultural norms and expectations. I felt so entrapped in this setting! For a full review, look here.

Most Humorous

Book that kept you laughing

I read a few humorous memoirs this year, but the book that made me giggle the most was certainly Eligible. A modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice, this book took Jane Austen’s prim and proper characters and dropped them squarely in the new millennium. It was hilarious to watch them deal with social media and reality shows. For a full review, look here.

Best Feelings

Book that made you really emotional

So many people say that YA is fluff, but this book hit me square in the soul. Two teenagers, one who is about to be deported and another who is struggling to live up to his parents’ expectations, meet unexpectedly and spend one day in New York City. The ending is heart-wrenching but so, so good. For a full review, look here.