Wednesday, December 27, 2017

My Favorite Books of 2017

One of the blessings of 2017 was having a great reading year. By the end of this month, I will have read 70 books in 2017. These are my favorite books of the year.

Best Novel Published in 2017



In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

I'm still not ready to spoil what In the Valley of the Sun is about, but I will say it's staking a claim for the horror genre and I love it! {Review}

Runner Up:


The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn

The Devil Crept In is a slow burn horror novel with awesome character development. It's a great introduction to Ania Ahlborn if you need a place to start. {Review}

Best Classic Novel



Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

This was my first year to read Rosemary's Baby, and I absolutely loved it. {Review}

Runner Up:


The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I knew going into The Picture of Dorian that it was a well loved book, and yet I was still surprised by how much I loved it. {Review}

Best Novella Published in 2017



The Final Reconciliation by Todd Keisling

The Final Reconciliation is a mix of music and horror, and I highly recommend it. {Review}

Best Classic Novella



The Willows by Algernon Blackwood

The build up of tension (not to mention the personification of nature) made The Willows an awesome read for me. {Review}

Best Anthology Published in 2017



Garden of Fiends: Tales of Addiction Horror edited by Mark Matthews

Garden of Fiends is a themed anthology of horror stories centered around addiction. Every story in this collection is a solid horror story. {Review}

Best Nonfiction Published in 2017



Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix

If you are a horror fan, Paperbacks from Hell demands to be seen. {Review}

Best Reread



It by Stephen King

This was my second reading of It. I think it was even scarier the second time around. {No review}

Runner Up:


A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

This was my third time to read A Wrinkle in Time. {Review from second reading}

Honorable Mentions





Have you read any of the books that made my favorites list this year?

20 comments:

  1. Garden of Fiends looks good, I think addiction horror would be interesting to read about. Especially since anthologies can be iffy. In the Valley of the Sun has me curious now- that sounds really familiar, I might have seen your review or someone else's. Seems like I've seen it around. And Stillhouse Lake I still need to read.

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    1. I've been pretty vocal about In the Valley of the Sun this year so you may have seen me mention it a time or three.

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  2. I need to read In the Valley of the Sun and I'm sure I bought The Night Cyclist after seeing you mention it. I am still not over that dog in My Best Friend's Exorcism. I really enjoyed reading Rosemary's Baby for the first time this year.

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    1. I do hope you get a chance to read In the Valley of Sun at some point. It's a book I would hand pick for you. I'd love to know what you think of it. Oh, Max... I'm sorry I keep bringing up that good dog.

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  3. I loved IT. I’m not sure if I’ll ever re-read it but I liked it enough that I might try it again someday. I’m glad you loved it the second time through. I’ve been eyeing Stillhouse Lake as well. I need to read it.

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    1. I'm so glad I reread It, but it had been a while. I may read it again someday.

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  4. So many of these I want to read! I don't know if I can reread It again. I tried, and it freaked me out more than it did when I originally read it. I think because I am a new parent, and before I was like 12. Lol. Maybe in a few years. :) I especially want to read The Willows and the Lovecraft book from your list though.

    Here's to another good year of reading! Cheers!

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    1. Yes! I had the same experience with It. The first time around was long before I had kids. It was scary then, but I was a different person reading it this time around.

      Cheers to that!!

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  5. I really want to re-read It! It's been years since I read it!

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    1. I'm so glad I made the time! I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for the big read-along leading up to the movie.

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  6. You did have some great reads in 2017. Garden of fiends was excellent.

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    1. I needed a great year, too. The last couple of years had been duds readingwise. I started to think I was a broken reader or something. :P

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  7. I love Ania Ahlborn, she is becoming one of my favourite authors, I look forward to reading The Devil Crept In. Stillhouse Lake has been recommended to me a few times, I need to get to it and Behind Her Eyes is on my list.

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    1. Marce, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on The Devil Crept In. Actually I'd love to hear what you think of Stillhouse Lake and Behind Her Eyes, too. Especially Behind Her Eyes. :)

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  8. In the Valley of the Sun is still on my list, but I'm glad to see The Devil Crept In as the runner up because I really enjoyed that too. I also didn't realize The Final Reconciliation is a novella. Maybe I can knock than one off the tbr quick!

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    1. The Final Reconciliation is a super quick read. Maybe you can squeeze it in!

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  9. I am glad you had such a good reading year! I feel like I did too. I really liked Night Film too. I hope to get to A Wrinkle in Time again this year. It's been so long since I read it the first time. Stillhouse Lake is another one I really want to read this coming year.

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    1. I'm glad you had a great reading year, too. It would be great to read A Wrinkle in Time again before the movie. :)

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  10. I like the way you've done this list - I was thinking of doing a similar style list because it's difficult to fit all your reads into your 'best of' list but doing this type of list gives some of my other books a chance.
    Lynn :D

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  11. This is such a great list! I love that you make time to read older books and classics. That's something I'd like to get back to eventually.

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