TOP TEN TUESDAY: Books I Really Liked but Can’t Remember Anything/Much About

This is my first week participating with Top Ten Tuesday now that it is hosted @ThatArtrsyReaderGirl. This topic was easy to research - I looked up my top rated books at LibraryThing, and found ones that I liked, but I could barely make a one sentence plot summary. Certainly not enough to rave about it to someone, but I know I liked them all. Some I consider my favourite authors - how can I forget books I loved? Do you remember any of these better than me?

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

something about a family

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

OWEN TALKED LIKE THIS

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

young kid, 80s England

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

teens at a boarding school, maybe dystopian

The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry

was funny and touching about something at Christmas

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

it's the story of how the painting came about, 1500s Belgium

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

chasing books in Barcelona

Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos

there was tile being broken, and laid

What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

maybe a newsman has a breakdown? 

I know I read two of her books in a row because 

I like one so much and both were very good

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

it's a classic, maybe time travel

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Ten Books I Meant to Read in 2017

For the last week of Top Ten Tuesday with The Broke and the Bookish, our topic is Ten Books We Meant To Read In 2017 But Didn't Get To (and totallyyyy plan to get to in 2018!!) I'm going to list books that were from 2017 to be able to limit this. I believe this was the same topic from last year and I only did okay getting them all read last year. Oh well, try try again!

Thanks for all the great weeks of Top Ten Tuesday.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine 

Gail Honeyman

Little Fires Everywhere

Celeste Ng

 

 Manhattan Beach

Jennifer Egan

Word by Word 

Kory Stamper

Hunger 

Roxane Gay

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

Bellevue Square 

Michael Redhill

A Gentleman in Moscow

Amor Towles

The Animators

Kayla Rae Whitaker

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Jesmyn Ward

LIST: Best of 2017

Here's my recap of my top books for 2017. It's really hard to pick when you have read a lot of books! I changed a lot of how I read by increasing my nonfiction incredibly.

total books 152
92 fiction
60 nonfiction

65 audiobooks,  42 library books(+ all the audiobooks)

77 female, (+2 by Robert Galbraith who I'm not sure where to put)
75 male
1 both


Best Mystery
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Honourable Mentions Best Mystery (because I read a lot of mysteries)
Icarus by Deon Meyer
The Silkworm AND Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Best Start to a Series
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrente

Best End to a Series
Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moriarty

Best Historical Mystery
Dark Fire by CJ Sansom

Best Recommended Book
Field Notes by Sara Jewell as recc'd by lavenderlines and Debbie at ex-urbanis

 Best Childrens
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (audiobook)

Best Young Adult
The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez  

Favourite Characters
the Lumberjanes! from the graphic novel series

Best Science Fiction/Fantasy
Redshirts by John Scalzi

Best Book by a New to Me Author
Citizen Vince by Jess Walter

Best Historical Fiction
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Best  Book by a Tried and True Author
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry 

Best Apocalyptic
World of Trouble by Ben H Winters
(The Last Policeman trilogy) 

Best Short Story Collection
Although I read a few SS collections, none stood out. 
Goal for next year is to find one that does!

Best Short Story
To Everything There is a Season: A Cape Breton Christmas story by Alistair MacLeod
 
Funniest
Based on a True Story by Norm MacDonald

Most Heartbreaking
March graphic novels by John Lewis 

Creepiest Novel
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich 

Best Debut Book
Girl at War by Sara Novic 

Most Unique Book
Finding Wonder by Jeanne Atkins
a novel in blank verse, that contains biographies of female scientists from across the world and the ages 

Best Audiobook
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and A Grander View of Life by Ed Yong  (nonfiction)
An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor (fiction)

Best Nonfiction (since I read so many nonfiction this year, I have broken this down a little more)
 
Best Nonfiction: science
The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker

Best Nonfiction: history
Sisters in Two Worlds: A Visual Biography of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Paar
Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood  Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio Mendez
 
Best Nonfiction: memoir/autobiography
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Best Nonfiction: feminist essays 
Shrill by Lindy West 

Best Nonfiction: self-help 
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Best Nonfiction: contemporary/social
Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

A few books I loved by couldn't find a category for!
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken
The Pluto Files by Neil Degrasse Tyson
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert    

And the Three Books I Rated a Perfect 5 Stars as soon as I read them (which is very rare for me)

Finding Wonder: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeanne Atkins

Canada by Mike Myers

March: Book Three by John Lewis   

 

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Favourite New Authors from 2017

This week's theme from The Broke and the Bookish people is Favourite New Authors from 2017. I like these end of year type lists, especially when they are in January so I can include the full year. Lots of great new authors this year, some I read more than one after starting, some I will definitely read more of. Any of your favourites here?

Daphne duMaurier   
The House on the Strand 

Candace Savage      
Crows: Encounters With the Wise Guys of the Avian World - 

Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and One Very Interesting Boy

Elena Ferrante   
My Brilliant Friend

Ed Yong    
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life 

Caitlin Moran   

How to Be a Woman

Atul Gawande   
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Hope Jahren    
Lab Girl

Jess Walter     
Citizen Vince and Beautiful Ruins

Al Franken    

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them