Last year, I kicked off the New Year with my first Tracy’s Year in Reading post. This year, I am putting a different spin on things and sharing the top 5 picks from a number of BCPL staffers. These are the books that we loved best in 2017, from the hottest new thrillers to enduring classics we read for the first (or 100th) time.
Amanda’s Top 5:
Circulation Clerk, Ridgway Memorial
Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
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Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb
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Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
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Anna’s Top 5:
Circulation Clerk, Mt. Washington
We Were One by Patrick K. O’Donnell
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Rebel Mother by Peter Andreas
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Colonial Project, National Game by Andrew D. Morris
BCPL currently has no holdings for this title, but you can request an Interlibrary Loan!
Manchurian Legacy by Kazuko Kuramoto
BCPL currently has no holdings for this title, but you can request an Interlibrary Loan!
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
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Beth’s Top 5:
Assistant Branch Manager, Lebanon Junction
Strange Weather by Joe Hill
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I love a scary story, and these 4 novellas give you that creepy feeling like you’re being watched, and there IS a monster underneath your bed!! Joe Hill is proof that great horror writing is genetic—his father is Stephen King!
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
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“Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother 40 whacks! When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41!” Lizzie Borden was acquitted of murdering her parents in 1892, but there has always been a question of whether she really did the deed, and the author presents a fictional tale of how the murders could have happened.
The Rift by Walter J. Williams
BCPL currently has no holdings for this title, but you can request an Interlibrary Loan!
Residents of the Midwest have been watching and waiting for the New Madrid Fault to produce “The Big One Earthquake”—many tremors have been felt in recent years. The Rift is this native Illinoisan’s worst nightmare-an 8.9 earthquake rips through New Madrid, Missouri, changing lives there and throughout the country forever. I couldn’t put it down—great beach read!!
The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen
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Do you ever really know your neighbors? This book explores the lives of 3 families of a quiet cul-de-sac in a neighborhood that’s rated one of “The Top Twenty Safest Neighborhoods in America,” and the secrets that everyone hides, including the new neighbors. Another great beach read!
The Day the World Went Nuclear: Dropping the Atom Bomb and the End of WWII in the Pacific by Bill O’Reilly
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Everyone knows the United States dropped atomic bombs on two cities in Japan in August 1945—Nagasaki and Hiroshima. O’Reilly tells the story of how the bomb was developed, who the key players were, and the dropping of the bombs and Japan’s surrender just days after. It’s a story everyone should know, and a story that should never be forgotten-and raises the age old question: Just because we can, should we??
Cheryl’s Top 5:
Assistant Branch Manager, Ridgway Memorial
A Child Called It by Dave Peltzer
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This book is number one in a series of four. This story will impact your life. You will either like or dislike the book, but you will never forget it!
Plain Fame by Sarah Price
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Book one in a series of six. This is a story of an Amish girl getting involved with an Englisher. They have a whirlwind of a relationship with a lot of differences and sameness. Excellent series!
Last One Home by Debbie Macomber
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Book one in a series of four called “New Beginnings.” It is a different side to Debbie Macomber, one that I truly enjoyed reading. It has all the good, the bad, and the ugly— just like real life.
Mind Game by Iris Johansen
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I love a good mystery, one that you can’t easily figure out. That’s what Iris Johansen has done with this story. It follows the Jane MacGuire, daughter of Eve Duncan, to Scotland. She comes face to face with intrigue, mystery, and death.
The Trials of Mrs. Lincoln by Samuel A. Schreiner, Jr
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Abraham Lincoln is my favorite person in history. Finding out Mrs. Lincoln was railroaded by her son, Robert, she was institutionalized in a mental hospital. Her finances cut short, reputation shattered, Mrs. Lincoln lives out the remainder of her days in Europe.
Crystal’s Top 5:
Circulation Clerk, Mt. Washington
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
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Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
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A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
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Firstborn by Tosca Lee
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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
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Heather’s Top 5:
Administrative Assistant, Public Relations
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee
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A wild romp from page one! Written in a conversational, bantering tone from the point-of-view of an itinerant man of privilege, this book is absolutely laugh-out-loud funny. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before, and I didn’t want it to end! I’m so excited there’s a sequel coming in 2018!
All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
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This sci-fi novel is overflowing with personality. Insanely smart and intelligently written, Mastei has created art with words in a distant utopia, and given us a character that is endearing, funny, and a complete idiot. Loved every page of this one.
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris
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My favorite thing is this book! Surreal and mesmerizing, both in the words and the gorgeous illustrations. Storytelling and mythology interweave the narrative, creating a phenomenal exploration of the human monster, society, and the inner demons we all carry. Of all the books I’ve read this year, this one touched me at the deepest part of my psyche.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
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Beautifully written and darkly enchanting, this is a must-read for all lovers of fantasy and fairy tales. I was hooked from page one. It breathes a breath of fresh air on a genre that (usually) relies heavily on Germanic folklore by bringing to life little-known Russian fairy tales in an epic that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you breathless.
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
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Jae-Jones is an author with a true talent for painting with words. I couldn’t put this book down! Rich and majestic, with an aching depth to the protagonist and a cruel vulnerability to the Erlking. Reckless and dark and oh-so-beautiful.
Tracy’s Top 5:
Public Relations Coordinator
All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
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Unless you count YA dystopia, sci-fi is SO not to my usual taste. But I adored this breezy, smartly written time travel caper with its bungling, strangely charming anti-hero. Mastai takes a concept that could’ve easily become trite or stale and breathes magnificent life into it. Once I got started, I couldn’t put it down.
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
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The City of Brass is an absorbing fantasy that steps outside the usual tropes and settings to create something truly memorable. Weaving in fascinating details of Islamic history and folklore, it’s a fast-paced, opulent roller-coaster ride drenched in intrigue, hidden dangers, and spellbinding world building. I hung on every word and can’t wait to see what comes next for this fascinatingly complex cast of characters. Book 2 of this trilogy can’t come fast enough for me.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee
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Clearly, Heather and I need to stop reading all the same books! As she so perfectly describes, this book is a wild, delightful romp from page 1. I didn’t even know or care where the plot was going for the first quarter of the book—I simply hung on for the ride. I loved almost everything about it from beginning to end: the sometimes stunning writing that caught me unaware, moving me quickly from laughter to admiration for the writer’s skill; the deliciously layered characters and relationships; the breakneck pacing; and most of all Monty’s witty, brazen, incorrigible, and occasionally vulnerable voice. Although I am gutted that the next book will have a different narrator, I can’t wait for the sequel from Felicity’s POV!
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
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This sweeping, luminous debut was a late addition to our Best of 2016 Adult Fiction list. I discovered it in January, barely a week before our final Best of the Year list was released, and I insisted on adding it to the final selection. The beautiful, powerful writing; thought-provoking story; and strong characterizations that make up this historical saga still linger in my mind nearly a full year later.
You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie
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A hypnotic blend of poetry and prose provides a raw, searing portrait of grief, a complicated childhood, and—as can be expected from Alexie—the realities of life as a modern American Indian. It’s also the book I’ve probably connected with the most this year on a personal level. I’ve been a fan of Alexie’s work ever since a classmate introduced me to a story from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven my sophomore year of college (read: a very, very long time ago). He’s an author who’s not afraid to be a bit controversial to make his point and tell his truth.
Source: Book News and Reviews