This week on Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by Broke and the Bookish, we’re going back to the start of 2017 to bust out our top ten reads of the year… so far, that is. In just six months, I’ve read a total of 145 books, and given 66% of them a 4 or 5 star rating – how am I supposed to narrow it down to 10!? But, once I started looking back, my list was fairly easy to assemble – while I’ve read a lot of good books, there’s always that one book I can’t stop thinking about, or in this case, 10.

   

The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick: A grand, sweeping romance spanning the stars and globe alike, Roisin and Francois have crossed paths countless times before meeting in the Arctic, but only after a steady stream of heartbreak and sorrow will they be ready to face the biggest challenge of all: love. Call it fate, or call it destiny, The Comet Seekers calls all of life’s big questions into action, blurring the line between past and present, comet and star. (Read a full review HERE)

American War by Omar Elk Akkad: Set at the start of the second American Civil War in the not so distant 2074, oil has been outlawed, Louisiana is half underwater, and security drones pepper the landscape. It’s every man for himself as the enemy nears the largest refugee camp in the South. Desperate for change and hungry for revenge, Sarat fights for her family, but will the cost weigh the riches won?

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai: If you enjoy arguing the finer points of time travel or the paradox of parallel universes, or if you’ve ever spent a weekend binging Back to the Future – this is the book for you. Accidentally sabotaging his father’s life’s work (i.e. the first successful time travel experiment known to man), Tom flings himself into the past in hopes to save not only the experiment and get the girl, but, as we all know, time travel is never as simple as that.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer: The first book in VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy, it’s by far, my favorite. A group of scientists are dropped at the border of a territory known as Area X – a dense forest that mysteriously, and inexplicably, overtook the western United States almost overnight. Riddled with paranoia and fear, you might want to read this with the lights ON.

   

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit: Set during World War II, Anna and the Swallow Man delves deep into word play as Savit expertly interweaves Polish folklore and magical realism to create a haunting scene of impossibility. With her father missing, Anna is left alone to wonder the streets, until the mysterious Swallow Man takes her underwing.  Without a name, or a home, to guide her, she’ll learn the “rules of the road” as her ultimate means of survival.

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough: Told in parts by a struggling single mom and a picture-perfect housewife, the two women couldn’t possibly have anything in common other than a man. A love triangle in the purest fashion, Behind Her Eyes plays the long-game, keeping you in chase while saving the biggest punch for last – an OMG ending you’ll never coming!

The Vegetarian by Han King: Rooted by mental illness, and only extenuated by sexual abuse, scandal and estrangement, Yeong-hye’s nightmares are spiraling out of control and into real-life in this truly Kafkaesque novella. I finally see what all the fuss was about last year.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page: Caught by a tornado, Amy Gumm is whisked away from her trailer park life in Flat Hill, Kansas to the dusty outskirts of Oz where the Hollywood glitz and glamour has long faded, along with its magic. A brilliantly addictive series, you won’t be able to stop reading until you’ve devoured them all!

 

Caraval by Stephanie Garber: Equal parts romance and mystery, sisters Scarlet and Tella run away from home in hopes to join this year’s Caraval – a mystical show where the audience are the competitors. A game of chance with illusions behind every door, they’ll soon discover themselves as this year’s centerpiece, and Tella the pawn. I’ll be needing Part II of this series ASAP, please.

Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach: After a disastrous fire, Ava returns home to grieve the loss of her twin sister, until a string of mysterious emails lead her elsewhere. Is Zelda really gone? Or is this just another one of her zany plots to avoid the consequences of her debts? A family drama gone goose-chase, Dead Letters is the one read I can’t stop thinking about.

What are your new favorites?