As promised here are all the books I absolutely adored this 2017. I' gonna talk about each of them in the order I read them because I refuse to rank them so there is that.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book has been in a lot of favourite reads lists of the year and with good reason. Inspired by The Black Lives Matter Movement, it deals with race issues and police brutality. This is the only YA in my list and considering I haven't enjoyed the genre in a while including this title here speaks volumes about how much I loved it. It's one I intend on re-reading by the way and there is also a movie on the works and I cannot wait for it to come out.
Peter and Alice by John Logan. This one is very special and not just because it is a play, but because it broke my heart in a million pieces. Logan imagines what may have happened when Alice Liddell - the real Alice in Wonderland - and Peter Llewelyn Davies - the real Peter Pan - met in 1932. I don't know how to express my feelings from this book but I was a sobbing mess by the end. The words, guys, the words. Every single word is perfect. I love reading plays out loud and I can tell you my voice quivered and my tears came and I couldn't stop the wave of emotions that got hold of me.
Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifiesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This had to be here, hadn't it? This is a wonderful little book and living proof that you don't need big books to pack a punch. Adichie is straightforward and unapologetic and this is one of those books that you can quote from beginning to end because it's great.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Let's continue with the heartbroken reads because this one is not exception. I felt so much reading this, too much. I thought knowing the story would help me... oh, how wrong I was! Essentially this is a retelling of the war of Troy but it focuses on the love story of Achilles and Patroclus. If you're familiar with the story, you know how this ends. As I said, I was but it didn't help and by the end I was destroyed. The writing style was perfection, so evocative and Miller has a new book coming out in 2018 about Circe and you know I have that on pre-order because priorities. This is as good as everybody says it is and you should all read it.
Los tres mosqueteros by Alexandre Dumas. This classic took me completely by surprise. I bought in on a whim and holy moly was this good. I adored it from beginning to end and despite being quite a big book I flew through it.
Los tres mosqueteros by Alexandre Dumas. This classic took me completely by surprise. I bought in on a whim and holy moly was this good. I adored it from beginning to end and despite being quite a big book I flew through it.
The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler, translated by Charlotte Collins. I was introduced to Seethaler last year when his novel A Whole Life was shortlisted for the International Man Booker Prize. I adored that one so the moment I realised a new book by him was translated I bought it. I went in with high expectations because I've previously loved Seethaler's writing style and this one didn't disappoint. In fact, I loved it more than A Whole Life. I read this in one sitting. There is something about Seethaler's way of telling a story that just works for me. I know he has other books out but I believe they haven't been translated yet so I have to wait but as long as Charlotte Collins takes care of the translation I'll be happy to wait.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. What a masterpiece! Words fail me to tell you all why you should read this but just believe me when I tell you this story is perfection, it's highly atmospheric and an absolute roller-coaster of emotions. The tension by the end was unbearable in the best possible way and of all the books I've read this year, this one has stayed the longer with me. I've been thinking about it all the time, about the characters especially. There is something about this story that traps you in and you cannot let go.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. I've talk about this book in a previous review so if you've checked that one out you know why I loved this so much but basically it's an amazing character-driven novel about an African-American family and the whole thing is so special thanks to Ward's lyrical writing that really draws you in and makes you feel so much about this family and the issues they go through. I have the rest of Ward's books on my wishlist and ready to be bought once I finish my finals so that I can devour them.
And that's all for this year. I highly recommend all of these and I hope I have made some of you want to pick some of them up in the future.
What books made it to your favourites this year? Should I read them?
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