I guess it is about time I wrap up my 2017 reading year since we are well into 2018 already (like I said I need an unassigned week between the years to wrap things up and get set for the new year). So you can see my Stats , Least Favorite Books and Favorite Books of 2016 in those three posts, but since I am behind schedule this year, I thought I would cram them all together in one post.
2017 Reading Stats:
In 2017 I read a total of 330 books (give or take a couple that aren't on Goodreads)
broken down that is 51,233 pages and
335:13 hours (13 days, 23 hours and 13 minutes) of audio book time
of those books:
28 earned 5 star ratings
156 earned 4 star ratings
116 earned 3 star ratings
27 earned 2 star ratings
and
3 were DNFed
68 were Children's Books
54 were Early Reader Books
28 were Middle Grade Books
62 were Young Adult Books
30 were Graphic Novels
46 were Romance
75 were Fantasy
35 were Audio Books
26 were by local Rhode Island Authors
Biggest Disappointments:
For this I am not including the 3 DNF books (Neverwhere, The Book of Bera and The Mating). This does not mean that these books were terrible, it just means that they did not hold up to my expectations.
This book might be one of the most beautiful to hold in your hands, the cover is stunning, the synopsis sounds amazing and those deckled edges! But it just didn't hold up, the story was blah, the romance was blah, the imagery was blah.
I have heard so many people rave about this series and how it is a great tale of sisterhood and not romance. I really had to push through this one and even though I had also purchased the second book in the series I ended up unhauling both books! The world, characters and magic system were all underdeveloped and confusing.
Yup, I had to put this up there. I cannot believe I wasted so many hours on this series to have such a anti-climatic ending. Someone significant needed to die in the end and not he who should not be named.
On that trend this one also needs to be listed, but I did enjoy this book for the most part. The bits thrown in to appease the crowds and the lack of consequences of epic battles just left me feeling cheated.
And speaking of pandering to the masses, this book was so hyped, a standalone fantasy (which is now a trilogy) with a female/female love story. To me it ended up falling short on the world building, character development and story line to cash in on the sexual diversity push.
Biggest Surprises:
These may not be in my favorites but these are ones I picked up not expecting anything in particular but finding I held a gem in my hands.
This book sat on my TBR shelf for over a year after receiving it in a subscription box, I finally picked it up when I saw the cover for the second book. This is such an awesome high fantasy with great world building and story to it. I cannot wait to read the second book this year!
This was quite the surprise at the end of the year, a unique magic system and a not so happy hunky dory relationship between the characters makes it so much more multi-dimensional.
I was so disappointed in the Throne of Glass series that I was really hesitant to pick these books up but I am so glad I did! I absolutely loved the way the inspiration (Beauty and the Beast & Hades and Persephone) was interwoven into the story and of course like everyone else I completely fell for Rhys (but I must say that Azriel might have the bigger part of my heart).
I have heard some really great reviews and some really ranting reviews of this series but when I found it available from the library I thought why not give it a shot. It started out really rough and I almost didn't continue but I am glad I did, I ended up loving the mental games played and both the Laurent and Damien wormed their way into my heart.
and finally
The Best of the Best Books in 2017:
Here are my absolute favorite books that I read in 2017! This is entirely my opinion, I pick my favorites not only in my enjoyment of them at the time but also on how they have stood out to me in the mix of 330 books from this year.
You would think that one of the first books of the year would be easily forgotten, but Cat and Griffin have haunted me all year waiting for their conclusion (Heart on Fire was just released yesterday). I love this second story in the series, especially Cat's spunky attitude and Griffin's solid determination.
When I saw the cover of this book I knew I wanted to read it and was approved on Netgalley, but then I saw the synopsis and that the main character was gender fluid and I got really nervous that it would be a disappointment like Of Fire and Stars. Thank goodness I decided to read it anyway! It was an intense story full of plots, brutality and a main character that you can't help rooting for, I seriously can't wait for the next book in this Duology!!
Again, The Reader is a book that sat on my shelf for nearly a year. I finally got the urge to pick it up and good gordy am I glad I did! If you read my review earlier this year, you know that this may not be a book for everyone but if you have the patience for this slow building and super intricate story, it will be so worth your time! The Speaker definitely continued to build on the first without that second book slump and more pieces are put together but still some don't quite fit yet. I am anxiously awaiting the next book and hoping it will come out this year!
And finally the best book I read this year, A Man Called Ove! I had seen a few people raving about this book and on a whim decided to pick it up even though it isn't in my usual reading genres. Wow! I was raving about this book even as I was currently reading it. I could see so much of myself in Ove and I ended up adoring everyone in the neighborhood. You will laugh, you will cry, you will probably end up loving this book too!
So there you have my final wrap up of my 2017 reading year. As you may know, in previous years I have given away my top favorite books. I am still planning to do that but I am trying to line up interviews and guest posts with some of those authors for a little extra treat for all of you. In the mean time, I will have a giveaway for A Man Called Ove to hold you over.
As always there are some rules:
~Open internationally (you are responsible for customs fees beyond shipping)
~ Must be 18 or over (or have your parent's permission as I will need your shipping address)
~ Must give me a mailing address to send them to (believe it or not I have had winners in the past who didn't want to give an address so was unable to claim their prize)
~ Giveaway runs from now through January 11th at 12:00am EST
~Rafflecopter will randomly select the winner
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