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10 Favourite Books in the First Half of 2017

10 Favourite Books in the First Half of 2017

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Book Lists : Top ten books of 2017

This year was excellent in my reading life. From crying inconsolably to A GAme of Hide and Seek to having nightmarish dreams thanks to The Bear and the Nightingale to soothing my soul with classics, this has been a fun year. Here are the ten best books of 2017 (not necessarily published in the year) in the first half of the year.

 

Best books of 2017 so far

1.They were like family to me they were like family to me by Helen Maryles Shankman

Such an underrated book. I loved reading these surreal stories about the residents of Wlodawa, a Polish town. Through the POVs of Germans, Poles and Jews, Shakman shows us the horrifying period of 1942. Jews were emptied out of towns, and Shakman’s own ancestors appear in the story making them seem more real. There is an enchanting veil of talking dogs, a Messiah who wants to give up his job, humans who transform into beasts, the land of Poland rising up to defend itself and a Golem with a mission. Absolutely magical (and horrifying)!

 

They were like Family to me by Helen Maryles Shankman
They were like Family to me by Helen Maryles Shankman

 

2. The Snow child by Eowyn Ivey

So atmospheric that you would be right home in Alaska with the frosty winters and torrid vegetation. This is a book I’d love to read all over again. It is real, yet magical — a childless couple make a figurine of snow and the next day a child with a fox comes to stay with them; their snow child.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

 

3. The Muse by Jessie Burton

Jessie Burton knows how to make her readers sit still and hear a story. I enjoyed her debut novel, The Miniaturist, for the gothic atmosphere but it is The Muse that stole my heart. Alternating between London in 1960s and Andalusia in the late 1930s, The Muse by Jessie Burton is the story of art, love and betrayal. One of my best books of 2017!

 

The Muse by Jessie Burton
The Muse by Jessie Burton

 

4. The Dark Circle by Linda Grant

I had hoped The Dark Circle by Linda Grant would win the Women’s Prize for fiction. It was my favourite book in the shortlist. Set in a sanatorium in Kent where patients suffering from tuberculosis were isolated to get well, this novel is an emotionally fulfilling read.

 

Book Review : The Dark Circle by Linda Grant
The Dark Circle by Linda Grant

 

5. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

It isn’t often that a book invades my dreams, and this one did! To be honest it was quite scary to dream of rusulkas. But there you go — a fairytale set in old Russia (Rus’) with ample Slavic mythical elements and many stories interweaved. I fell in love with Vasya. Read it on a winter’s day and you would not be disappointed.

 

Book Review : The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

 

6. Swimming lessons by Claire Fuller

Swimming Lessons was one of the most satisfying books of the year for me. It alternates between the past and the present through hidden letters (in books!) and lays bare a marriage, betrayal and family secrets.

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

 

7. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Gaskell is a darling! I loved every minute of North and South, set against the backdrop of the rise of industrial revolution. The language is beautiful and evocative, the love story is sweet and the making of the new world wondrous. This is a great choice to introduce yourself to classics.

 

Book Review : North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

 

8. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Murder and Hercule Poirot! A philandering brilliant painter is murdered and his wife is convicted. Their daughter reopens the case after receiving a posthumous letter from her mother saying she was innocent. I greatly enjoyed this Agatha Christie mystery this year.

 

Book Lists : Top ten books of 2017

 

9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I might not have been patient with Tolstoy’s agricultural passages in Anna Karenina but I was dazed by the aristocratic world, temptation of following your heart over being chained in a marriage and his wonderful( many) characters. Anna Karenina is a must-read. I dislike big books but this is so worth it.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

 

10. A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor

I cried buckets reading this. It is a heart breaking story of love and marriage. Read it to be emotionally exhausted but and satisfied as a reader. This is my favourite Elizabeth Taylor. I have not read a lot of her work but I am positive none can outdo this.

 

Book Review : A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor

 

BONUS

A Clutch of Indian Masterpieces edited by David Davidar

Excellent choice if you are looking for some short stories. These stories are translated from Indian languages as well as originally written in English. I loved that there were a good number of stories from the north and south of the country. I did wish there were more north eastern stories included. But recommended!
Check review.

 

A Clutch of Indian Masterpieces edited by David Davidar
A Clutch of Indian Masterpieces edited by David Davidar

Also Read
: Best books of 2017 (Part 2)

View Comments (75)
  • I enjoyed Anna Karenina even if it was a slog. I don’t think I ever have a need to re-read it though. I really need to get around to North and South, it’s been on my CC list since the beginning and everyone keeps writing about it and I really like the premise, I just haven’t picked it up yet.

    • I really enjoyed North and South. It was so realistic and Gaskell does not take sides. She lets her characters on either side of the industrial classes do the talking. The romance does end abruptly but on the whole North and South is a very enjoyable novel. I hope you will get to it soon.

  • I loved The Snow Child as well! I just started listening to Anna Karenina; 2 hours down, 33 to go. 🙂 Good think I’m really enjoying it so far!

    • I am glad you are enjoying Anna Karenina. It is written so beautifully. You loved Snow Child too! So happy to hear that

  • This is such a great, eclectic list! I adored The Snow Child. Have you read her second book, To the Bright Edge of the World?

    • I adored Snow Child. No I haven’t read the second book because I heard it doesn’t have the same lyrical charm of the first one. So I wasn’t sure of picking it up. Did you read it?

  • That’s a great list – I have read and enjoyed some of those books too. I love Agatha Christie but haven’t read Five Little Pigs yet. It sounds like a good one!

    • Thank you. I loved Five Little Pigs and it was great that I could not guess the killer. I hope you will love it too if you pick it up

  • I loved snow child and the dark circle. I’ve put swimming lessons on my TBR
    loved reading your favourites

    • Thank you for visiting. I hope you will love The Snow child too. I adored my experience of reading it.

    • I love Christie novels because we can read them in one sitting. I think you will enjoy Swimming Lessons. It has a bit of everything that readers who love different genres will enjoy.

  • This is such a wonderful list. I loved Swimming Lessons, The Bear and the Nightingale, and The Snow Child. That also reminds me that I have Eowyn Ivey’s latest book on my Kindle and still need to read it. I haven’t read that Agatha Christie novel yet, but I usually love her books so will have to pick that one up as well. Hope you have a lovely weekend!

    • I have not read Ivey’s latest book too. I hope you will have a lovely weekend and a good book to keep you company

    • I am glad you like all three. And yes, I have seen your list when you posted it. I have many from your list on my TBR

  • My favourite Christie novel is And Then There Were None too! And yes, Five Little Pigs is certainly a good read. The Indian connection of short stories looks good!

    • I think you should definitely get a collection of that. The stories are distributed among different languages, not the usual ‘only-north ignore-south’ idea. It is a huge book so if you have space in your luggage this would be an excellent addition to your shelves. I love Agatha C novels too. I want to read them all some day.

  • Great picks! Dark Circle and Snow Child are on my TBR list (although I still haven’t read Grant’s first book) and Swimming Lessons made my list for best of 2017 so far. And Elizabeth Taylor is the reading equivalent of comfort food for me – always satisfying.

    • I am glad you loved Swimming lessons too. I hope you will love The Snow child and The Dark Circle too. Both are very different in their approach.

  • There are so many beautiful covers among the books in your list! I have yet to read all the classics you’ve listed. But I do need to read Anna Karenina and North and South (especially North and South – I LOVE that BBC series!). I have a copy of the Bear and the Nightingale, and you bet I’ll be picking it up before this year ends. 😀 Wonderful list!

    • I love the BBC series too. And yes, Bear and the Nightingale is a wonderful book. I hope you get to it soon.

  • Oh so many books on my TBR from here. I’ve only got The Snow Child though. Pfft. Have to grab The Muse and Swimming Lessons asap. Have to grab all of them asap.

  • I really like your list! The Bear and the Nightingale and The Snow Child are two I own and would also like to read because I’ve heard the writing in both is beautiful.

  • i finally got The Dark Circle in the mail so I shall be reading that soon(ish) and I also wanna pick up North and South. I haven’t read a classic in awhile and I’m kinda feeling in the mood for them

    • I think North and SOuth is a perfect classic to pick up if you are reading one after a long time. I hope you will enjoy The Dark Circle

  • Ooh I need to read The Bear and the Nightingale IMMEDIATELY!! *flails* And also is it terrible that I added the Muse purely on cover love?! I want it so bad! I’m glad you’ve had some lovely reads this year!! Here’s to hoping the second half of 2017 is just as awesome!

    • I hope the rest of 2017 is awesome too!! I really really hope you will read The Bear and the Nightingale soon. It is fantastic

  • The Muse is a beautiful book – outside and in. I’m so glad you liked it. I’m so excited to give “North and South” a try – I’m ashamed I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet…

    • I am glad you enjoyed Five Little Pigs too. I hope you will enjoy the ones you have added to your TBR from this list. Have a great weekend, Laila

  • This is a great list, Resh Susan! I have really enjoyed reading all your posts for these books as you’ve read them, too. It’s nice to see that your passions for these books have not waned! I often find when I put together lists like this some books I adored in the moment didn’t make it in the long run. But, that’s a casualty of mood-reading, I guess. Did you find any books you highly rated earlier this year didn’t make the cut? I haven’t read any of these books yet, but I did recently pick up a copy of The Bear and the Nightingale. I love Christie’s works but I haven’t read Five Little Pigs. I think my favorite of her’s is Ten Little Indians.

    • Thank you. Yes there are many books that I have rated 4 and 4.5 stars but not included in the list (Tea girl of Hummingbird Lane, Stay with me and many more). I only included the best that I loved among the ones I enjoyed.

  • The ones I’ve read fro your list are The Snow Child, North and South and A Game of Hide and Seek and I agree with you totally! I have Anna Karenina and The Dark Circle buried in the TBR, I must dig them out…

  • A lovely and interesting set of books – I have seen mention of many of them but not read any! Out of all of them, I’d be most attracted to the Indian short stories, I think. Happy second-half-of-the-year reading!

  • The Snow Child has been sitting on my shelves for a while. I’m glad it’s on your list, so now I know it’s a good one to pick up. I should be reading it soon (or at least I want to).

    I also enjoyed The Muse and Anna Karenina is a book that I’ve been wanting to read, but have just been intimidated by it’s size! The movie is great!

    • I have been intimidated by Anna Karenina too. But it isn’t so bad. Read a few chapters at a time and take a small break. I feel Anna K is best enjoyed like a TV show. I loved The Snow child. Hope you love it too.

  • I am going on a bookstore hopping this weekend and have bookmarked your page. I loved the medley of your book choices. Each so unique and heterogenous in its subject and the covers are so very beautiful. Some of these books are already in my TBR and your blog adds two more to the list- Snow Child and North & South. Thank you 🙂

    • That is such a joy to read that comment. I hope you will buy some lovely books to add to your reading list.
      Thanks for stopping by.

    • Ah! I can imagine the anguish. Keep up with your ban. Hopefully you can buy it before the year ends.

  • I haven’t read very many of these books so thank you for introducing them to me! Swimming Lessons seems really interesting, and I’m definitely checking that one out further! I hope the rest of 2017 is full of amazing books for you.

    I’m new to blogging and book reviewing, and I was wondering if you had any tips for newbie bloggers and book reviewers.

    If you have the time, please check out my blog @breenysbooks. I’d love any feedback. Have a wonderful day.

    • Swimming Lessons was my first favourite of the year so I hope you will love it too. Thanks alot for stopping by. I will be hopping over in a few days. I don’t have any advices as much – just be honest. write about what you love, interact with fellow bloggers and be consistent. You will get the hang of it soon. Good luck with your blog.

  • Swimming Lessons AND The Dark Circle are now on hold for me at the Library. I read Anna K last winter and loved it too.

    For books that came out in 2017, The Lucky Ones is probably my favorite.

    • I must check out The Lucky ones. I hope you will love the novels when you pick them up. Swimming Lessons has a great structure to create a suspneseful plot while The Dark Circle makes us realise how fortunate we are to live in a period with so many medical advancements

  • I’m still absolutely desperate to read The Bear and the Nightingale, the premise reminds me so much of the middle grade Mafi has been writing, that blend of charm and magic. I’ll be hunting down a paperback copy this weekend, that cover is too lovely to be buying on eBook <3

    • I was planning on buying an e-book myself but the husband has a weakness for pretty cover designs and ended up surprising me. You would not regret the paperback copy. It is pretty both on the inside and outside

  • I have to admit that the one that seems to call my attention the most is the Claire Fuller. I think that she and I follow each other on Twitter and even on Instagram, but I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I haven’t read any of her works yet. Seeing that she made it to your Best of 2017 (First Half) list, I’m seriously considering giving it a try.

    • I was pleasantly surprised too, since my attention does not last through a big book. I am glad I read it. I hope you will pick it up too

  • My dear Resh, your list flies soooo over my head, I feel a bit ashamed.
    (I will get therapy. Promise)
    I did smile when you confessed to liking Dame Agatha Christie… 🙂
    So do I, and I just (re)read) And then there were none in July. Love the construction.
    Be good.
    B.

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