December 2017 Book Review & Favorite Books of 2017
Happy New Year, everyone! This first post of 2018 is all about books – my final book review of the year of the books I read in December, a recap of all the books I read in 2017 (and there were a lot of them), and finally I’m naming my favorite books of 2017. So excited to share!
I ended the year reading 4 books in December and here are those reviews:
This book had us at hello! This was a book club pick and we were all literally hooked from the beginning. It grabs you from the start, and you just have to know what is going on with the characters. The storyline was one of those shockers that you couldn’t bear to really happen. It was one of those mysteries you couldn’t put down, but not the scary kind of mystery thankfully. I gave it 4.5 stars. It lost a half star simply because some parts were a little too clean and zipped up for reality but it was great nevertheless.
Guys! This is one of my favorite authors and the Winter Trilogy (Winter Street, Winter Stroll, and Winter Storms) she wrote was so sweet, so heartwarming, so festive at Christmastime, and the characters were so likeable. I had my mom read it last year, and she loved it too. And then this year – omg, there was this fourth book! I was so excited. This merged characters not only from the trilogy but from some of her other books too. I found myself misty-eyed for the characters as their stories wrapped up beyond what I had already accepted at the end of book 3. It was like a special treat to find out more about them. I gave it 5 stars. (Also, I’m so excited for her next trilogy that’s coming Fall 2018, set on a different island.)
I’ve mentioned a few several times that I love all the Christmas cheesiness, and anything festive. Did you read that post I did about my favorite Christmas things? The light up sweaters, the Hallmark movies, the decorations, the more festive (cheesy), the better. Well, enter this book and it’s right up my alley. This could totally be a Hallmark Christmas movie with the romance and match making, the dilemma, and the Christmas setting. I gave it 3.5 stars.
This is a story about one family with several different relationship storylines within, set on a vineyard. I loved getting to know them and finding out how they would resolve what was important to them while getting some wine facts too. It takes 800 grapes to make one bottle of wine? A reminder not to waste wine! I mean, all that effort! I found this book full-bodied and not over the top sweet. (See what I did there? Ha!) I gave it 4 stars.
Reading continues to be my outlet, my stress relief, and my getaway. Two of my besties, Megahn and Monica, and I, became a book club in 2016 and we’ve just been reading like crazy ever since. We each pick a book to read together each month, then we each read others on the side. We feel empty when there’s a not a new book in the queue. Before we knew it, we got addicted. Wrap that all up, and that’s how I got to read over 70 books this year. I exceeded my Goodreads Reading Challenge this year!
Here they are, all the books I read, with the star-rating for each. Those in bold are the favorite pick of that month.
January 2017
A Hundred Summers - Beatriz Williams (4 stars)
Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover (3 stars)
A Fall of Marigolds - Susan Meissner (4 stars)
On The Rocks - Erin Duffy (4 stars)
Scrappy Little Nobody - Anna Kendrick (4 stars)
Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend - Katrina Bivald (3 stars)
Confess - Colleen Hoover (5 stars)
Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin (2 stars)
The One That Got Away - Bethany Chase (3 stars)
Barefoot - Elin Hilderbrand (3 stars)
Home Front - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
The Book That Matters Most - Ann Hood (3 stars)
Instant Mom - Nia Vardalos (4 stars)
February 2017
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Foer (3 stars)
Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
March 2017
Giddy Up Eunice - Sophie Hudson (3 stars)
Driving with the Top Down - Beth Harbison (3 stars)
The Mother's Promise - Sally Hepworth (4.5 stars)
April 2017
The Charmers - Elizabeth Adler (3 stars)
Along the Infinite Sea - Beatriz Williams (5 stars)
The Life Intended - Kristin Harmel (4.5 stars)
Maybe in Another Life - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
My (not so) perfect life - Sophie Kinsella (4.5 stars)
May 2017
Moment Maker - Carlos Whittaker (4 stars)
June 2017
China Rich Girlfriend - Kevin Kwan (5 stars)
July 2017
The Blue Bistro - Elin Hilderbrand (4 stars)
Same Beach, Next Year - Dorothea Benton Frank (3 stars)
The Identicals - Elin Hilderbrand (4 stars)
Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult (5 stars)
August 2017
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (3.5 stars)
The Dry - Jane Harper (3.5 stars)
If You Only Knew - Kristan Higgins (5 stars)
So, a complete year of reading and it’s time to pick my favorite of the year! This year, I could not pick just one!
This is our unanimous book club favorite of 2017. This one was very memorable for all three of us. Kristin Hannah drives straight for the heart, I tell ya. This was a heart wrenching novel of the mother-daughter bond, and coming to learn the truth of one’s family as a very cold past is uncovered, and shocking news revealed in the most unexpected ways. It’s set in modern day but takes the reader back to Leningrad, Russia during the war. You will reach for your heart and for the Kleenex. I dare you not to cry. And psst, her novel, The Nightingale was my favorite book of 2016. Kristin Hannah just gets me.
But there’s more…
This is one that I will hold onto for years to come with its themes of race, justice and compassion. The author dives right into racism when the main character is an African American nurse who is reassigned patients when a white supremacist family requests her not to touch their newborn. The hospital grants the request and then the nurse is faced with a dilemma when the baby goes into distress and she’s the only one around. The case goes to trial and throughout the book, I became attached to the characters and found myself empathizing with all of them. The storyline and dialogue was intriguing because as the characters were learning about themselves and each other, so was I. I was consciously impressed while reading it, by the author's research and knowledge. I was clapping for her and for what this book must have meant for her - enormous amounts of research, fact finding, inquiry, empathy, and open mindedness. Then I read her Author’s Note and came to find out she befriended a former white supremacist who helped her with the character development from his real life stories. Wow!
Back in April, I read my first Higgins book, If You Only Knew, and swore at that time that would be my favorite pick but then this one won by just a smidge. So, read them both and you will have a great time. They are just light hearted and fun. On Second Thought includes a challenging family dynamic but follows a sisterly bond that is so endearing as it grows. And the hilarity the sisters go through – one of them was almost engaged then blind-sided by a breakup, then her ex blogs about it and it gets major attention online! What? No, he didn’t! The book had me laughing out loud sometimes, and teary-eyed feeling sad for the characters some other times. I love this author’s writing, especially when she includes what the characters are thinking but not saying aloud. I’m gonna say Higgins was my favorite author of 2017.
There ya have it. It was a fun year of reading. I set a goal to read 75 books in 2018, so let’s bring it on! Welcome, 2018 and happy reading, everyone!
I ended the year reading 4 books in December and here are those reviews:
Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline
This book had us at hello! This was a book club pick and we were all literally hooked from the beginning. It grabs you from the start, and you just have to know what is going on with the characters. The storyline was one of those shockers that you couldn’t bear to really happen. It was one of those mysteries you couldn’t put down, but not the scary kind of mystery thankfully. I gave it 4.5 stars. It lost a half star simply because some parts were a little too clean and zipped up for reality but it was great nevertheless.
Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand
Guys! This is one of my favorite authors and the Winter Trilogy (Winter Street, Winter Stroll, and Winter Storms) she wrote was so sweet, so heartwarming, so festive at Christmastime, and the characters were so likeable. I had my mom read it last year, and she loved it too. And then this year – omg, there was this fourth book! I was so excited. This merged characters not only from the trilogy but from some of her other books too. I found myself misty-eyed for the characters as their stories wrapped up beyond what I had already accepted at the end of book 3. It was like a special treat to find out more about them. I gave it 5 stars. (Also, I’m so excited for her next trilogy that’s coming Fall 2018, set on a different island.)
Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber
I’ve mentioned a few several times that I love all the Christmas cheesiness, and anything festive. Did you read that post I did about my favorite Christmas things? The light up sweaters, the Hallmark movies, the decorations, the more festive (cheesy), the better. Well, enter this book and it’s right up my alley. This could totally be a Hallmark Christmas movie with the romance and match making, the dilemma, and the Christmas setting. I gave it 3.5 stars.
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
This is a story about one family with several different relationship storylines within, set on a vineyard. I loved getting to know them and finding out how they would resolve what was important to them while getting some wine facts too. It takes 800 grapes to make one bottle of wine? A reminder not to waste wine! I mean, all that effort! I found this book full-bodied and not over the top sweet. (See what I did there? Ha!) I gave it 4 stars.
Reading continues to be my outlet, my stress relief, and my getaway. Two of my besties, Megahn and Monica, and I, became a book club in 2016 and we’ve just been reading like crazy ever since. We each pick a book to read together each month, then we each read others on the side. We feel empty when there’s a not a new book in the queue. Before we knew it, we got addicted. Wrap that all up, and that’s how I got to read over 70 books this year. I exceeded my Goodreads Reading Challenge this year!
Here they are, all the books I read, with the star-rating for each. Those in bold are the favorite pick of that month.
January 2017
A Hundred Summers - Beatriz Williams (4 stars)
Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover (3 stars)
A Fall of Marigolds - Susan Meissner (4 stars)
On The Rocks - Erin Duffy (4 stars)
Scrappy Little Nobody - Anna Kendrick (4 stars)
Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend - Katrina Bivald (3 stars)
Confess - Colleen Hoover (5 stars)
Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin (2 stars)
The One That Got Away - Bethany Chase (3 stars)
Barefoot - Elin Hilderbrand (3 stars)
Home Front - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
The Book That Matters Most - Ann Hood (3 stars)
Instant Mom - Nia Vardalos (4 stars)
February 2017
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Foer (3 stars)
Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
Love & Gelato - Jenna Evans Welch (3 stars)
Somebody I Used to Know - David Bell (4 stars)
Night Road - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
Lucky Boy - Shanthi Sekaran (4 stars)
The Knockoff - Lucy Sikes (4 stars)
First Light - Bill Rancic (3.5 stars)
Somebody I Used to Know - David Bell (4 stars)
Night Road - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
Lucky Boy - Shanthi Sekaran (4 stars)
The Knockoff - Lucy Sikes (4 stars)
First Light - Bill Rancic (3.5 stars)
March 2017
Giddy Up Eunice - Sophie Hudson (3 stars)
Driving with the Top Down - Beth Harbison (3 stars)
The Mother's Promise - Sally Hepworth (4.5 stars)
Everything Everything - Nicola Yoon (4 stars)
The Shack - William Paul Young (4.5 stars)
Goodbye Days - Jeff Zentner (3 stars)
The Shack - William Paul Young (4.5 stars)
Goodbye Days - Jeff Zentner (3 stars)
April 2017
The Charmers - Elizabeth Adler (3 stars)
Along the Infinite Sea - Beatriz Williams (5 stars)
The Life Intended - Kristin Harmel (4.5 stars)
Maybe in Another Life - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
My (not so) perfect life - Sophie Kinsella (4.5 stars)
The Charm Bracelet - Viola Shipman (3 stars)
The Fortunate Ones - Ellen Umansky (3 stars)
The Fortunate Ones - Ellen Umansky (3 stars)
May 2017
Moment Maker - Carlos Whittaker (4 stars)
Her Every Fear - Peter Swanson (4 stars)
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things - Bryan Greenwood (3 stars)
Summer Island - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
Present over Perfect - Shauna Niequist (3 stars)
One True Loves - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan (4 stars)
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things - Bryan Greenwood (3 stars)
Summer Island - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)
Present over Perfect - Shauna Niequist (3 stars)
One True Loves - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan (4 stars)
June 2017
China Rich Girlfriend - Kevin Kwan (5 stars)
In the Unlikely Event - Judy Blume (3 stars)
Behind Closed Doors - BA Paris (3 stars)
Forever, Interrupted - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
Rich People Problems - Kevin Kwan (4.5 stars)
We Were the Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter (3 stars)
Behind Closed Doors - BA Paris (3 stars)
Forever, Interrupted - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)
Rich People Problems - Kevin Kwan (4.5 stars)
We Were the Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter (3 stars)
July 2017
The Blue Bistro - Elin Hilderbrand (4 stars)
Same Beach, Next Year - Dorothea Benton Frank (3 stars)
The Identicals - Elin Hilderbrand (4 stars)
Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult (5 stars)
Edgar and Lucy - Victor Lodato (2 stars)
August 2017
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (3.5 stars)
The Dry - Jane Harper (3.5 stars)
If You Only Knew - Kristan Higgins (5 stars)
Dating You Hating You - Christina Lauren (3 stars)
Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult (4 stars)
Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult (4 stars)
September 2017
Why We Broke Up - Daniel Hadler (2 stars)
The Light We Lost - Jill Santopolo (4 stars)
The Wishing Box - Dashka Slater (2.5 stars)
Sunshine Sisters - Jane Green (3.5 stars)
The Best Man - Kristan Higgins (4 stars)
Why We Broke Up - Daniel Hadler (2 stars)
The Light We Lost - Jill Santopolo (4 stars)
The Wishing Box - Dashka Slater (2.5 stars)
Sunshine Sisters - Jane Green (3.5 stars)
The Best Man - Kristan Higgins (4 stars)
October 2017
The Perfect Match - Kristan Higgins (3.5 stars)
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng (4 stars)
The Perfect Match - Kristan Higgins (3.5 stars)
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng (4 stars)
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Saenz (3 stars)
Behold the Dreamers - Imbolo Mbue (3.5 stars)
Salem Falls - Jodi Picoult (4 Stars)
Behold the Dreamers - Imbolo Mbue (3.5 stars)
Salem Falls - Jodi Picoult (4 Stars)
November 2017
Do Not Become Alarmed - Maile Meloy (3 Stars)
Without Merit - Colleen Hoover (3.5 Stars)
On Second Thought - Kristan Higgins (5 Stars)
Do Not Become Alarmed - Maile Meloy (3 Stars)
Without Merit - Colleen Hoover (3.5 Stars)
On Second Thought - Kristan Higgins (5 Stars)
Class Mom Laurie Gelman (4 Stars)
After I Do - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 Stars)
Because of Bethlehem - Max Lucado (5 Stars)
After I Do - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 Stars)
Because of Bethlehem - Max Lucado (5 Stars)
December 2017
Most Wanted – Lisa Scottoline (4.5 stars)
Winter Solstice – Elin Hilderbrand (5 stars)
Most Wanted – Lisa Scottoline (4.5 stars)
Winter Solstice – Elin Hilderbrand (5 stars)
Merry and Bright – Debbie Macomber (3.5 stars)
Eight Hundred Grapes – Laura Dave (4 stars)
Eight Hundred Grapes – Laura Dave (4 stars)
So, a complete year of reading and it’s time to pick my favorite of the year! This year, I could not pick just one!
So, without further ado...
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
This is our unanimous book club favorite of 2017. This one was very memorable for all three of us. Kristin Hannah drives straight for the heart, I tell ya. This was a heart wrenching novel of the mother-daughter bond, and coming to learn the truth of one’s family as a very cold past is uncovered, and shocking news revealed in the most unexpected ways. It’s set in modern day but takes the reader back to Leningrad, Russia during the war. You will reach for your heart and for the Kleenex. I dare you not to cry. And psst, her novel, The Nightingale was my favorite book of 2016. Kristin Hannah just gets me.
But there’s more…
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
This is one that I will hold onto for years to come with its themes of race, justice and compassion. The author dives right into racism when the main character is an African American nurse who is reassigned patients when a white supremacist family requests her not to touch their newborn. The hospital grants the request and then the nurse is faced with a dilemma when the baby goes into distress and she’s the only one around. The case goes to trial and throughout the book, I became attached to the characters and found myself empathizing with all of them. The storyline and dialogue was intriguing because as the characters were learning about themselves and each other, so was I. I was consciously impressed while reading it, by the author's research and knowledge. I was clapping for her and for what this book must have meant for her - enormous amounts of research, fact finding, inquiry, empathy, and open mindedness. Then I read her Author’s Note and came to find out she befriended a former white supremacist who helped her with the character development from his real life stories. Wow!
On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins
Back in April, I read my first Higgins book, If You Only Knew, and swore at that time that would be my favorite pick but then this one won by just a smidge. So, read them both and you will have a great time. They are just light hearted and fun. On Second Thought includes a challenging family dynamic but follows a sisterly bond that is so endearing as it grows. And the hilarity the sisters go through – one of them was almost engaged then blind-sided by a breakup, then her ex blogs about it and it gets major attention online! What? No, he didn’t! The book had me laughing out loud sometimes, and teary-eyed feeling sad for the characters some other times. I love this author’s writing, especially when she includes what the characters are thinking but not saying aloud. I’m gonna say Higgins was my favorite author of 2017.
There ya have it. It was a fun year of reading. I set a goal to read 75 books in 2018, so let’s bring it on! Welcome, 2018 and happy reading, everyone!
Shal, thanks for the reviews! This is helpful since I value your opinion. I mean, you're just so commendable! ��
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, my commendable friend!
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