The Half-Year Mark: The Best Books of 2017 (So Far)

Hello folks! Tomorrow is JULY, which means it is that time of year again: time for us to look back at our reviews and list our fave books of 2017…at least, so far.

We Book Smugglers are proud to present you with: our Best Books Read, Reviewed and Published in 2017 (so far); our Best Books Read & Reviewed in 2017 (regardless of publication year); and, as always, our Honorable Mentions of 2017.

Ana’s Best of 2017

I’ve done better than last year at this stage: 35 books read and reviewed so far as opposed to the meager 29 from 2016. But it’s still so little compared to previous years… I really want to read more, review more, celebrate books more as a reader in the second half of the year. I vow to do just that. Meanwhile, I might have read fewer books but boy, were they great or what: I already have a whopping three 10-rated books so far (I have no 10-rated books from 2016!)! Woot!

Best Books Read, Reviewed and Published in 2017

1. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, 10 (Contemporary YA)
2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, 10 (Contemporary YA)
3. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, 10 (Middle Grade, Fantasy)
4. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
5. The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley

Best Books Read & Reviewed in 2017 (regardless of publication year)

1. Viscera by Gabrielle Squailia, 9 (Fantasy)
2. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, 9 (Fantasy)
3. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett, 9 (Fantasy)
4. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett, 9 (Fantasy)

Honorable Mentions of 2017

1. Home: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, 8 (Fantasy)
2. Battle Hill Bolero by Daniel José Older, 8 (Urban Fantasy)
3. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab, 9 (Fantasy)
4. River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey, 8 (Fantasy)

Thea’s Best of 2017

So far this year, I’ve reviewed 26 books. (That’s less than last year… and not awesome). BUT that said, the books I’ve read and reviewed thus far in 2017 have been fantastic. Here’s a smattering of what I’ve loved so far this year…

Best Books Read, Reviewed and Published in 2017

1. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab, 8 (Fantasy)
2. Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray, 8 (Science Fiction, YA)
3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, 8 (Fantasy, YA)
4. All Systems Red by Martha Wells, 8 (Science Fiction)
5. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, 8 (Fantasy)

Best Books Read & Reviewed in 2017 (regardless of publication year)

1. Death’s End by Cixin Liu, 10 (Science Fiction)
2. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, 8 (Science Fiction)
3. The Dark Days Pact by Alison Goodman, 8 (Fantasy, YA)
4. Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi, 8 (Science Fiction)
5. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi, 8 (Science Fiction)

Honorable Mentions of 2017

1. Black Hammer by Jeff Lemire, 8 (Comics, Superheroes)
2. Goldie Vance by Hope Larson, 8 (Comics, Mystery)
3. Heartstone by Elle Katherine White, 7 (Fantasy)
4. The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco, 7 (Fantasy, YA)
5. A Season of Daring Greatly by Elle Emerson White, 6 (Contemporary, YA)

There it is – our lists and favorites of 2017 so far! Now we turn it over to you – what books have YOU read and loved this year? We’ve got 6 months to catch up on any titles that we’ve missed out on so far!