Favorite Reads of 2017, A Very Good Year

2017 has been such a great year for reading new publications that I have an especially long list of favorites.  And, I didn't even get to all the new books that I think would have made the list.  I tried to limit the numbers, but I just can't leave out any books that kept me up reading into the wee hours of the morning or that left me with a sense of complete reader satisfaction.  

The reasons for each book being a favorite are as varied as the stories of the books themselves.  With The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka, as well as being a thriller extraordinaire, the lead character was bi-sexual, whose sexual identity was honestly and beautifully portrayed as I've not seen the bi-sexual person ever portrayed better.  With Blame by Jeff Abbott, the story was so well plotted and paced, and it definitely kept me up at night. I love a story with twists, and Blame has delicious ones, with characters that keep peeling layers. The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day continues to show what a master this author is at creating memorable characters whose off-the-beaten-path story captivates completely.  Lori's main character, Anna Winger, is a handwriting expert, and I found that a fascinating new area to explore in this novel.   

There are authors whose books are always a favorite because they know how to keep a series going that keeps it fresh and fascinating.  These authors include Terry Shames (I have a huge crush on Samuel Craddock), Deborah Crombie (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James and London, oh my), Elly Griffiths (at the rick of sounding all Annie Wilkes, I may be Ruth Galloway's biggest fan), Rhys Bowen (as if Lady Georgie and Molly Murphy and Evan Evans weren't enough, Rhys is now writing stand-alones), Sara Blaedel (Louise Rick is one tough cookie, but Sara finds a way to make her wonderfully human, too), Karin Salvalaggio (I fell in love with Macy Greeley in Bone Dust White and Karin has continued to make this series special) , Susan Elia MacNeal (WWII and London and Paris and Maggie Hope in one of the best historical mystery series), Louise Penny (If you haven't been enchanted by Three Pines and gasped at the scope of the Armand Gamache books, stop reading this and start reading Louise's series, now), James Ziskin (Jim writes the voice of Ellie Stone like, well, a girl.  He doesn't miss a beat with the 60s setting and the investigations Ellie becomes involved in as a newspaper reporter), Anne Cleeland, (If I were any more enamored of Kathleen Doyle and Micahel Sinclair/Lord Acton and their working together on the London police force and navigating their marital relationship, I would be considered obsessed, something that Lord Acton knows quite a bit about), and Allen Eskens (Detective Max Rupert has a complex and tragic story, but he is a moral compass we can count on, or is he?).  Then, there's Kristi Belcamino, who gave us a new series this year with the lead character named Gia Santella, who swung in and grabbed our hearts and souls as a Italian female force of kick-ass energy.  And, Kristi still gave us another Gabriella Giovanni and one of the best YA books of the year, City of Angels.  Authors who write series and also write stand-alones are a special kind of crazy and talented.  Rhys Bowen, Sharon Bolton, and Catriona McPherson are three more who obviously have more than twenty-four hours in their days.  In Farleigh Field, Dead Woman Walking, and House.Tree.Person are easily three of the best books written in 2017.  Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint novels have been long-time favorites of mine, but I think this stand-alone, Dead Woman Walking, might be my favorite book by her yet.  I am kicking myself for being behind in Catriona's Dandy Gilver series, and now she has a third line of books coming out next spring, Lexy Campbell in the Last Ditch Mysteries.  I already have Scot Free pre-ordered.

There are some new authors, ones with whom I'm unabashedly in love with already and who are on their first or second book.  In this talent pool are Jennifer Kincheloe, Clare Mackintosh, Jane Harper, and Kristen Lepionka.  Jennifer published her second Anna Blanc novel, The Woman in the Camphor Trunk, this fall, and Anna's determination to do the unheard of, to investigate crimes as a woman on the Los Angles police force in the early 1900s continues, this time to Chinatown, a world in itself.  Jane Harper's The Dry is her debut novel, and I'm still finding that hard to believe.  It's already topping many of the "Best of 2017" lists in both major publications and the blogging world.  Stuart Neville apparently tired of succeeding under that name and gave us Here and Gone under his pseudonym Haylen Beck, or maybe he just thought giving readers a nervous breakdown reading this new book should come under a different name.  Authors Jen J. Danna and Ann Vaderlaan have a series that is on Book #2, Before It's Too Late.  They write this FBI K-9 series under the name of Sara Driscoll, and it addresses an area of crime that interests me greatly, the use of canines in search and rescue.  These authors did an interview here on my blog last year talking about how this series came about, http://www.readingroom-readmore.com/2016/11/interview-with-jen-j-danna-and-ann.html?showComment=1497149305023   

Back to the authors who write more than one book a year, you will notice that Rhys Bowen appears on my list three times---Her Royal Spyness series, Molly Murphy series, and her stand-alone--and Elly Griffiths appears twice--Ruth Galloway series and the Stephens & Mephisto series.  Elly also has books previously published under her actual name, Domenica de Rosa.  Anne Cleeland, who writes the Acton and Doyle series also treats her readers with a serial publication on her Web site of a romantic adventure novel at least once a year, and then the book comes out in print.  The Barbary Mark was delightful this past year, and a new one, The True Pretender, is now on Chapter Three on Anne's site.  When do these people sleep?  

Will North writes the Davies and West mystery/crime series set in Cornwall, my #1 place I want to visit, and he brings it so alive to me that Trevega House had to make the list.  I'm always surprised, although I shouldn't still be, that a book I consider outstanding can have a setting that I don't find appealing, a setting that I wouldn't seek out for that element of the story.  The Dry by Jane Harper, set in Australia, and The Last Place You Look set in Columbus, Ohio are two books where the setting could have been a factor in me passing up these books.  What a mistake that would have been!  Lesson learned!  

The one and only Jamie Ford had a new book out this year (I do wish he'd write faster, but the wait is so worth it), Love and Other Consolation Prizes, which is such an epic tale that shows us the stuff people are made of, historical fiction with great heart.  Hallie Ephron doesn't put out a book every year either, and each one is a stand-alone special tale, with this year's You'll Never Know, Dear capturing the essence of its South Carolina setting in a generational mystery.

One more liberty I have taken, besides the large number of books listed for 2017, is adding at the end of the 2017 list two books I read this year but were published in 2016.  Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase and The Mountain Story: A Novel by Lori Lansens were such amazing reads for me that I have to share them here, too.  Eve Chase is a new author, with Black Rabbit Hall being her first novel.  Her second book, The Wildling Sisters came out this year, but I haven't gotten to it yet.  I will.  Lori Lansens is a long-time favorite, with her book The Girls being one of my top ten favorite books of all time.



So, here is the list, in no particular order: 

Favorite Reads of 2017

The Woman in the Camphor Trunk by Jennifer Kincheloe

 

An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock by Terry Shames

 

Garden of Lamentations by Deborah Crombie

  

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

 

Blame by Jeff Abbott

 

The Dry by Jane Harper

 

Here and Gone by Haylen Beck

 

The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka

 

In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen

 

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

 

The Lost Woman by Sara Blaedel

 

The Day I Died by Lori Rader-Day

 

Blessed are the Peace Makers by Kristi Belcamino

 

Silent Rain by Karin Salvalaggio

 

Cast the First Stone by James Ziskin

 

The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths

 

You’ll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron

 

The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

 

House. Tree. Person. by Catriona McPherson

 

Glass Houses by Louise Penny

Murder in All Honour by Anne Cleeland

 

Murder in Shadow by Anne Cleeland

 

City of Angels by Kristi Belcamino

 

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

 

Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton

The Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskins

 

On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service by Rhys Bowen

 

The Ghost of Christmas Past by Rhys Bowen

 

Trevega House by Will North 

The Gia Santella books by Kristi Belcamino  

Before It's Too Late by Sara Driscoll














2016 Publications on Favorite List This Year

Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

The Mountain Story: A Novel by Lori Lansens 

Throw Back Thursday: Second Looks at Past Books

Today I'm taking a look at another series that has proved to be one of the reads I look forward most to each year.  It is the delightful, brilliant creation of Alan Bradley, the Flavia de Luce series.  We are introduced to this eleven-year-old genius child, who conducts chemistry experiments in her family's decaying mansion and has a special predilection for poisons and solving murders, in Book #1, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  Flavia lives with her distracted father (her mother is long dead) and her two tormenting older sisters, Ophelia and Daphne.  Flavia rides a bicycle she named Gladys.  These characters and the intriguing plots that Bradley comes up with taking place in the English village of Bishop's Lacey provide readers with witty, entertaining reads that can also go dark with murder and heartache.  

Jacket Description:
It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.

For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”

What's in My Christmas Bag of Books This Year?

One present I've looked forward to the past decade is my Christmas Bag of Books that I give myself.  Even though I buy the books and put them in the Christmas-themed bag and put it under the tree, I still get excited knowing they are waiting for me on Christmas morning.  Playing Santa to myself is quite rewarding, especially with all the books I have coming for this year's bag.  Twelve books (so far)!  I promise I've been a good girl.

The above assortment of books pictured are ones I've already bought for my Christmas Bag.  They include The Things They Carried by Tim O'brien (had to have a hardback signed copy), The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy, The Saboteur by Andrew Gross, The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka (may dip into the bag for this one early), The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan, Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan, Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase, and An English Murder by Cyril Hare.  Below are the covers of ones I've yet to buy, but I will be doing so soon.  Those books include An American Wolf by Nate Blakelee, Bellevue by David Oshinsky, Sleep No More by P.D. James, and A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron.  I've made a few notes on those I haven't yet purchased and a couple of notes on those I've already got in the bag.

American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakelee  


I'm deeply concerned about wildlife, and in particular, wolves.  With the current move to rescind laws protecting wildlife, I am looking forward to reading this non-fiction account of survival in the wolf world. 

Bellevue by David Oshinsky


Another non-fiction book that I think will be fascinating.  It's written by David Oshinsky, who wrote the amazing Polio, An American Story and who is the winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in History. 

Sleep No More by P.D. James


My confession is that I haven't read P.D. James, so this book is where I start, with six tales to whet my appetite for more of this legendary author.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan


This books slipped by me this year, but librarian/blogger/reviewer Lesa Holstine posted this week that it was one of her favorite reads of 2017.  After reading the jacket description, I know that this one will be a book I'll enjoy.

Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron


When  I first saw this cover, I was immediately smitten.  Add to that the great alliterative title and that I have meant to start reading this series, and it was a easy pick for my Christmas Bag of Books.  I can imagine sitting back with A Cajun Christmas Killing after the activities of Christmas Day are over and enjoying some great Christmas reading.

Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase


I read this book last summer, when it had already been out a year.  It was one of those books that so delightfully surprised me that I have to own a copy of it.  As I had read it on loan from the library, I promised myself that it would be included in my Christmas Bag this year.  

An English Murder by Cyril Hare


First, the cover completely captivated me.  Then, the short story compilations of Golden Age mysteries by Martin Edwards is pulling me toward these amazing authors.  Originally published in 1951, it was the sixth mystery/crime novel by Cyril Hare, who was also Alfred Gordon Clark, a county judge when he wrote An English Murder. 

Throw Back Thursday: Second Looks at Past Books

Philip Pullman is an author widely known for his children's books The Dark Materials series.  The Golden Compass was made into a popular movie that I very much enjoyed.  He has at long last come out with at sequel to these books, The Book of Dust, this fall.  However, it is another series of Philip Pullman's that is dear to my heart, that is one of the few set of books that I want to reread.  The four books in the Sally Lockhart series are books that I would love for everyone I know to read.  Reading them is an experience that I long to talk about with my other book loving friends.  Maybe I should start gifting them to ensure that.  I couldn't possibly pick out just one to feature, so I am including descriptions for all four books.  You can buy them as a boxed set, which would make a great Christmas gift for readers aged 10 to 110. 

The four book titles, in order of publication, are The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin Princess.  The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North were made into movies in 2006 and 2007 by the BBC and starred Billie Piper, of Doctor Who fame.  I haven't seen these movies, a conscious decision to not risk spoiling what are treasured reads for me.  I'm wavering a bit on that decision these days, since Billie Piper does portray Sally.  

Below, I have a mixture of jacket descriptions and my reviews.  For #1, The Ruby in the Smoke, and #4, The Tin Princess, I have given the jacket descriptions.  For #2, The Shadow in the North, and #3, The Tiger in the Well, I have given my shortened reviews.  I found the jacket descriptions for #2 and #3 rather lacking in, well, description, and that is the reason for the reviews instead.  I've also included two covers for each book, both owned by me.

Sally is sixteen and uncommonly pretty. Her knowledge of English literature, French, history, art and music is non-existent, but she has a thorough grounding in military tactics, can run a business, ride like a Cossack and shoot straight with a pistol. When her dear father is drowned in suspicious circumstances in the South China Sea, Sally is left to fend for herself, an orphan and alone in the smoky fog of Victorian London. Though she doesn't know it, Sally is already in terrible danger. Soon the mystery and the danger will deepen - and at the rotten heart of it all lies the deadly secret of the ruby in the smoke...



 

Pullman is a great storyteller--characters, plot, setting are all beautifully and deftly developed. The Sally Lockhart series is as engaging a mystery series as you'll find. Sally, who is now 22, and her friends/business partners are a delightfully intelligent group who come upon a major mystery that joins a magician's trouble with some shadowy pursuers and a retired teacher's loss of investment money. Something insidious is entrapping Victorian England, and Sally's life becomes    dependent upon discovering its source.


 

Nail-biting best describes the third book in the Sally Lockhart mysteries by Philip Pullman. Sally Lockhart, now 25, endures much in The Tiger in the Well, as her life is turned upside down by an unseen and unknown enemy. At the center of the chaos is the attempt to take Sally's daughter, Harriet, from her. Two of her staunchest allies, Jim Taylor and Webster Garland are away on a trip to South America, and so are completely unaware of Sally's crumbling world. A man is claiming to be Sally's husband and accusing her of abandonment, seeking her assets and her child. The plot thickens and thickens and thickens again in this unnerving mystery. Help comes from unexpected sources, but it is ultimately Sally alone who must face an evil from her past and confront its secrets. Once again, Sally Lockhart must prove herself strong and able in a world where women are considered anything but.


 

Sally Lockhart's friend and partner-in-adventure Jim Taylor has just solved a mystery. For years he's been searching for Adelaide, the little girl enslaved by toothless crone Mrs Holland in The Ruby in the Smoke. And now he's found her - just as she's about to become a princess. Crown Princess of Razkavia, to be exact, and a princess in danger. Her future husband is desperate to protect his bride, and employs Jim as their bodyguard - Razkavia's quaint little streets are full of danger.