Top Ten Tuesday: 5 favorite reads of 2017

This post brought to you by the Top Ten Tuesday series over at The Broke and the Bookish.

So I realized as I was writing this that in July I wrote a 'best of 2017' post! It was interesting to see that some of the same books ended up on my list again; but there are also some new additions.

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. As I said before: If 1984 and Catch-22 had a child, and that child went through a rebellious teenage phase, then the result would be this stunning, witty, and expansive novel. Part dystopian, part political satire, all amazing, this novel kept my eyes glued to every one of the 400 pages. It's hilarious and depressing and fascinating all rolled into one.This type of novel was what Jasper Fforde was made for-- I can't imagine what it would be like to be in his mind.
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. As I said before: I'm not sure where I first heard about this short story. Maybe a John Green recommendation? Either way I'm so glad I stumbled upon this sci-fi tale. I love my science fiction to be inventive, to think of other civilizations and technologies so different from our own, and then to craft a story out of their foreignness and Binti was all of that and more. Clearly taking it's roots from the author's own Nigerian roots it is both wildly inventive and universal in all the right ways, as a young woman leaves her village to travel thousands of miles through dead space to claim her spot at a prestigious university.
The Stars for a Light by Lynn Morris and Gilbert Morris. This is a fun historical fiction about a woman doctor back in a time when those two words did not go together. It's not the best book in the world but I enjoyed it, and I loved watching the characters evolve over the long series.
The Long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers. Check out my review for the whole story but in short: HOLY COW THIS IS AMAZING.
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. Check out my review but in short: HOLY COW THIS IS AMAZING.