My Reading List for 2017

Can you feel it? The end of a year approaches. That means it’s time to revisit all the books I’ve read over the last year. As always most of this list correlates with my Goodreads reading challenge. (See my Goodreads Year in Books here.) It’s always a bit longer here because I can’t list any of the beta readings I do for friends.

I had no challenge this year. Which was great. There’s a lot of books on this list that I had been saving after the last few challenges. It was nice to be able to work through the proverbial nightstand pile. One minor note, there’s are a few books on here I’d consider novellas. Usually, they wouldn’t make the cut or they’d be shifted to another list, but I am keeping them this year. I read a few enormous tomes, so I feel they balance things out.

Since this list is always enormous, l forgo reviews. However, follow me on Goodreads where I do occasionally leave reviews. I call out some of my favorites of the year at the end of each list. As before, all links will go to Amazon as a default, but if one of these books sound interesting to you, then I encourage you to visit your local independent bookstore and purchase through them. It’s vital for your local economy to buy local whenever you’re able.

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Clik here to view. Novels

1. Yesterday’s Demons (The Verdant Revival Book 1)
   by Mike Ripplinger
2. Red Rising
   by Pierce Brown
3. Hard Magic
   by Larry Correia
4. The Incorruptibles (The Incorruptibles #1)
   by John Hornor Jacobs
5. Dawn (Xenogenesis #1)
   by Octavia E. Butler
6. The Golem and the Jinni (The Golem and the Jinni #1)
   by Helene Wecker
7. The Black Company (The Chronicles of the Black Company #1)
   by Glen Cook
8. The Last Days of New Paris
   by China Miéville
9. Two Serpents Rise (Craft Sequence #2)
   by Max Gladstone
10. Hammers on Bone (Persons Non Grata #1)
    by Cassandra Khaw
11. The Girl with All the Gifts (The Girl With All The Gifts #1)
    by M.R. Carey
12. The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1)
    by N.K. Jemisin
13. The “Wonderful” Wizard of Futhermucking Oz (Futhermucking Classics Book 1)
    by Matt Youngmark
14. Beta Reading
    by REDACTED
15. Rocannon’s World (The Hainish Cycle #1) …again
    by Ursula K. Le Guin
16. The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency #1)
    by John Scalzi
17. Beta Reading
    by REDACTED
18. River of Teeth
    by Sarah Gailey
19. The Magicians
    by Lev Grossman
20. The King in Yellow …again
    by Robert W. Chambers
21. The Half-Made World (The Half-Made World #1)
    by Felix Gilman
22. Engines of the Broken World
    by Jason Vanhee
23. The Brotherhood of the Wheel
    by R. S. Belcher
24. Alif the Unseen
    by G. Willow Wilson
25. Master and Commander (Aubrey/Maturin #1)
    by Patrick O’Brian
26. “I Give You My Body . . .”: How I Write Sex Scenes
    by Diana Gabaldon
27. A Monster Calls: Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd
    by Patrick Ness
28. The Rise of Ransom City (The Half-Made World #2)
    by Felix Gilman
29. Devil’s Call
    by J. Danielle Dorn
30. Full Fathom Five (Craft Sequence #3)
    by Max Gladstone
31. Lord Foul’s Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #1)
    by Stephen R. Donaldson
32. A City Dreaming
    by Daniel Polansky
33. The Stand
    by Stephen King
34. This Dark Earth
    by John Hornor Jacobs
35. Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #1)
    by Annie Bellet
36. Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1)
    by Fonda Lee
37. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
    by Susanna Clarke
38. The House on the Borderland
    by William Hope Hodgson
39. Mortal Engines (Mortal Engines #1)
    by Philip Reeve
40. All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)
    by Martha Wells

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Clik here to view. Favorite Novel of 2017:

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Clik here to view.The Golem and the Jinni
by Helene Wecker

I can understand why The Golem and the Jinni took so long to write. (Apparently, ten years.) It’s captivating. Wecker’s command of language is stunning. The story is a classic American tale exploring the immigrant experience through the eyes of two people who are both similar and yet unlike anyone else. A must read.

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Clik here to view. Favorite Novel Runners-up of 2017:

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Clik here to view.The Half-Made World
by Felix Gilman

This was recommended to me by a friend, and I am so glad I picked it up. The weird west is fast becoming one of my favorite genres. Its worldbuilding is superb and its characters fantastic. The conflict between the Line and the Gun is well realized. I was hooked and loved every moment I spent with its pages.

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Clik here to view.Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke

It has magic and fairies and English gentlemen magicians. Its characters are fully realized, its plot more intricate than most novels, and all of this is handled with a deft hand. (Oh, Clarke’s use of language is divine.) A love letter to Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and England.

Picking this was difficult this year. There are so many others I could have named as runners-up but tradition dictates I only pick two. Sorry other books and authors of aforementioned other books, thems the rules.

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Clik here to view. Graphic Novels:

1. House of the Holy
   by Mike Carey (Author), Dave Kendall (Illustrator)
2. Rat Queens Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery
   by Kurtis J. Wiebe (Author), Roc Upchurch (Illustrator), Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
3. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes …again
   by Neil Gaiman (Author), Sam Keith (Illustrator), Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator)
4. Rat Queens Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’Rygoth
   by: Kurtis J. Wiebe (Author), Stjepan Sejic (Artist)
5. Triceratots
   by: Josh Montreuil (Author & Artist)
6. Descender Vol. 1: Tin Stars
   by Jeff Lemire (Author), Dustin Nguyen (Artist)
7. Injection Vol. 1
   by Warren Ellis (Author), Declan Shalvey (Illustrator), Jordie Bellaire (Illustrator), Fonografiks (Illustrator)
8. House of Penance
   by Peter J. Tomasi (Author), Ian Bertram (Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Illustrator)

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Favorite Graphic Novel of 2017:

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Rat Queens Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery
by Kurtis J. Wiebe (Author), Roc Upchurch, Fiona Staples (Illustrators)

Rat Queens is a traditional D&D fantasy-style book, but it’s not the setting that’s so engaging. It’s its characters. Every single one is delightful in their own particular way. Hannah, Violet (my fav), Betty, and Dee are complex, and that complexity makes this book shine.

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Clik here to view. Favorite Graphic Novel Runners-up of 2017:

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Clik here to view.House of Penance
by Peter J. Tomasi (Author), Ian Bertram, Dave Stewart (Illustrators)

A story of guilt, loss, and humanity. The Winchester House is a strange place. This book explores Sarah Winchester’s motives behind the building of the infamous house. The art is gorgeous, if not a bit difficult. Violence should never be easy to confront, and House of Penance refuses to glorify.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
by Neil Gaiman (Author), Sam Keith, Mike Dringenberg (Illustrators)

So, this is a bit cheat, since Sandman has long been one of my favorite comic series of all time. But I needed to include it here. Gaiman’s book is still as delightful as it was when I first read it. Dream’s quest to regain his stolen possessions still serve as an excellent catalyst for a fantastic journey.

So there’s my list for 2017! I read a lot of amazing books and some really great graphic novels. (Sadly, no short stories this year.) I have no reading challenges in 2018. So, I plan on continuing with my escapism theme for the foreseeable future.

Are you looking for a good book? Want to see my reading lists from previous years? Check any of the links below and see what I was reading in the bygone halcyon days.

• 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 •

Next year, why not join me? Goodreads does a reading challenge every year, and I am an active participant. First, follow me on Goodreads (leave me a review while you’re there), and once the New Year arrives, participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2018.

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