Top Ten Favourite Books Of 2017 (So Far)

Life has been whopping my ass, therefore this post is about a week late. BUT I couldn’t let the mid-point of 2017 go by without marking it in some way (HOW is it past the halfway mark of this year already, HOW?!). I had a solid start to reading this year, but I’ve fallen a little behind due to work commitments and studying. My final exam is the 20th of July, and then I’m free! Figuratively speaking, I still have to work and earn dolla. But you get my drift. That said, here are my top ten books of 2017 (so far):

1. Seven Steps to Happiness by Stella Newman (4.5*) – I absolutely ADORED this read, and even managed to interview Stella Newman for this blog.

“This is a fantastically well-written, very humorous, at times quite hard-hitting, relevant, and perfectly-paced story, that I quite literally could not put down.” – Quote from my review of Seven Steps to Happiness.

2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Illustrated Edition) by J K Rowling (5*) – I always threaten to reread HP, and I never get around to it. I decided since I purchased the illustrated edition, I may as well see what the reading experience is like. People, it is good.

3. Too Late by Colleen Hoover (5*) – As I’m sure you all know, if you’ve been following me for any length of time at all, I would read anything this woman writes. Even if it was on the side of a cornflake box. The story was written for fun when Hoover had writer’s block, and was available to read for free on Wattpad, before the community begged her to release it as an actual book. Therefore, it hasn’t gone through the same rigorous proofing and editing, but as you can see, that didn’t stop me enjoying it at all.

4. Through the Barricades (4.5*) by Denise Deegan – I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this novel, and couldn’t put it down. A definite hidden gem.

“I genuinely engaged with and enjoyed this novel. It is a historical novel with romance elements, and horrifying action, and real-life events with unmistakable gravity, which actually leads this to being a somewhat contemporary novel, as the reverberations of these real-life events have had, and continue to have, a MASSIVE impact in contemporary Ireland. Above all of this, it’s an emotive and well-written book, with characters I grew to care for, and even love. And all of that was packed in to less than 400 pages, with an excellent depiction of Irish humour throughout.” – Quote from my review of Through the Barricades.

5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (5*) – An absolutely stonking debut novel (means it’s really good!). I’ll be majorly surprised if this one doesn’t make it to my Top Ten Books of the Year list.

6. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas (5*) – There were moments when I felt a little underwhelmed by this read (build-up to the last book in a season syndrome?), but overall I was thoroughly swept up!

7. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (5*) – I’d heard a lot of buzz about this one, and it did NOT disappoint. Fabulously well written, excellent characters, great story. Picoult is back on form.

8. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (4*) – This read wasn’t really what I was expecting, and while in some aspects it was “better” than I had hoped for, in others it struggle to live up to its own hype. However, overall I really enjoyed this book, which is a strange thing to say about this read, and I’ll definitely be picking it up for a reread.

Honourable Mentions

9. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (4*) – It took a little while for this one to get going, but once it did I was pleasantly hooked. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and a lot of plot arcs to come, so I’m excited to see where this one goes.

10. Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne – Marketed as YA romance, meets mental health, meets feminism, this book was ticking all of my boxes before I even started it. While it does have a fresh and vibrant humour, and while it is a series I would consider finishing, I did think the story could be targeted well towards an older teen, but felt much of the book would have resonated more with a younger teen.

Making this list makes me really, really miss reading for FUN at the minute. I can’t wait until this revision period is over! I may need to sneak a fast-paced book or two in to keep me sane. Any recs?