Review of 2017 Reading

How has you reading gone in 2017? If you set yourself any targets, have you achieved them?

What are your best reads of 2017 and any that disappointed you?

I made my goal of reading 200 books in 2017. I was able to bring 14 of my series-up-to-date and I completed 16 more of my series. I also listened to 60 audio-books during the year.

Favorite Reads of 2017
Home by Harlan Coben
Found by Harlan Coben
The Travelers by Chris Pavone
Blowback by Peter May
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Speak Ill of the Living by Mark Arsenault
Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard
Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan
The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Dry by Jane Harper
The Stone Fields: Love and Death in the Balkans by Courtney Angela Brkic
Curse of the Narrows by Laura M. MacDonald
Here and Gone: A Novelby Haylen Beck
Birthdays for the Dead by Stuart MacBride
Playing with Bones by Kate Ellis
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
A Song for the Dying by Stuart MacBride
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Vendetta by Lisa Harris
The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
The Ex by Alafair Burke
Missing by Lisa Harris
The Executioner Chris Carter
Pursued by Lisa Harris
Burntown: a novel by Jennifer McMahon
Red Leaves by Paullina Simons
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell
Cast Iron by Peter May
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
Coffin Road by Peter May
The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier
The House on the Strandby Daphne Du Maurier
Saturday Requiem by Nicci French
The Prisoner's Gold by Chris Kuzneski
Hothouse Flower by Lucinda Riley
Say Nothing by Brad Parks
The Pictures by Guy Bolton
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
Down A Dark Road by Linda Castillo
Exit Strategy by Steve Hamilton
The Alchemy of Murder by Carol McCleary
The Boy Who Saw by Simon Toyne
Manderley Forever by Tatiana De Rosnay
An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Simon Said by Sarah Shaber
The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Take No Farewell by Robert Goddard
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Late Show by Michael Connelly
The Innocent by David Baldacci
Dancing With The Virgins by Stephen Booth
The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry
Glass houses: a novel by Louise Penny
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
Silent Scream by Angela Marsons
An Army of One by Tony Schumacher
The House on Cold Hill by Peter James
All The Colors of Darkness by Peter Robinson
The Hangman's Song by James Oswald
The Rooster Bar by John Grisham
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
Sunday Silence by Nicci French
Watching The Dark by Peter Robinson
Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay
Shallow Graves by Maureen Boyle
The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
Closed Circle by Robert Goddard
Watching the Ghosts by Kate Ellis

My Disappointments for 2017
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
The Sonnet Lover by Carol Goodman
The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

So you didn’t enjoy many books this year! 😂😂

>3 Andrew-theQM: Yes, I had a great reading year!

>4 EadieB: The good news is 57 of your favourites I have not read yet so plenty of good books ahead of me still! A number of your favourites I am planning to read this year.

>5 Andrew-theQM: Most of my favorites were either yours, Sergei or Carol's or Lynda's. It's sure to be a good book if you know others with similar taste have enjoyed it.

>6 EadieB: Definitely Agree, I’d also add Sergei to that list too as read a number of his highly rated ones too. I know if Eadie, Sergei, Carol, Lynda have rated a book highly it is highly probable I will love it.

>8 EadieB: I agree Sergei should be added to the list too!

I can’t get my favourites down below 33 and that is with cutting out some great books!

The Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly
Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Separation of Power by Vince Flynn
Conclave by Robert Harris
The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley
Cathar by Christopher Bland
The Executioner by Chris Carter
Time and Chance by Sharon Penman
The Martian by Andy Weir
Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin
The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
The Love Song Of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
Memorial Day by Vince Flynn
Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear
Ice Station by Matthew Reilly
Missing You by Harlan Coben
Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy
Triptych by Karin Slaughter
Need You Dead by Peter James
Take No Farewell by Robert Goddard
Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn
A lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
Insidious Intent by Val McDermid
What Angels Fear by C S Harris
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Joyland by Stephen King
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Closed Circle by Robert Goddard
Watching the Ghosts by Kate Ellis
Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley

>9 Andrew-theQM: That's a great list. I need to put some of them on my list for this year.

My favorites were:
The Widow by Fiona Barton
Any Means Necessary by Jack Mars
The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg
Fall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follet

My disappointments were The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly and Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian. I like both of these authors but didn't like these books.

>11 gaylebutz: I enjoyed The Widow and am keen to read The Child. The Fall Of Giants is a personal favourite and love that whole trilogy, in 2018 I intend to read The Pillars Of the Earth Trilogy

>12 Andrew-theQM: I loved The Pillars of the Earth 1st book and World Without End 2nd book. Can't wait to read the 3rd book, Column of Fire.

>13 EadieB: Aiming to Read all 3 this year as I target some big books!

>14 Andrew-theQM: Yes they are very big as I remember!

>15 EadieB: Oh Yes!
The Pillars Of The Earth 1104 Pages
World Without End 1264 Pages
A Column Of Fire 930 Pages

>16 Andrew-theQM: Keep a list of characters as you read as there are quite a few. Amazing books though. Who would ever think that the building of cathedrals would be so interesting?

>17 EadieB: This is definitely the year of big books (2018) so think I will need a number of lists!

>18 Andrew-theQM: Lists are always good. I have a few lists too!

>12 Andrew-theQM: >13 EadieB: My husband read Pillars of the Earth and loved it. I haven't read it but we watched the series on DVD and it was excellent. I was skeptical when it started because I don't always like period pieces but I was hooked all the way through.

💕 Most Favorite Books of 2017 💕

1. In the Blood - Lisa Unger - 5 Stars - 1/9/17
2. This Was a Man - Jeffrey Archer - 5 Stars - 2/26/17
3. Every Dead Thing - John Connolly - 5 Stars - 3/4/17
4. I See You - Clare Mackintosh - 4.5 Stars - 3/7/17
5. This Is Our Story - Ashley Elston - 5 Stars - 3/21/17
6. The Divided City - Luke McCallin - 5 Stars - 3/31/17
7. Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly - 5 Stars - 4/9/17
8. Fatherland - Robert Harris - 5 Stars - 6/8/17
9. Rules of Civility - Amor Towles - 5 Stars - 7/9/17
10. The Far Side of the Sky - Daniel Kalla - 5 Stars - 7/12/17
11. Glass Souls - Maurizio de Giovanni - 5 Stars - 8/27/17
12. Evil Games - Angela Marsons - 5 Stars - 9/2/17
13. Two Kinds of Truth - Michael Connelly - 5 Stars - 11/6/17
14. End Game - David Baldacci - 5 Stars - 12/2/17
15. Silent Scream - Angela Marsons- 5 Stars - 8/13/17
16. The Professionals - Owen Laukkanen - 5 Stars - 3/26/17
17. The Forgotten Girls - Owen Laukkanen - 5 Stars - 9/18/17

>21 Olivermagnus: 2018 has to be the year I try Angela Marion’s and Owen Laukkanen! I loved This Was A Man.

>20 gaylebutz: The TV productions of the first two bokks were great.

>22 Andrew-theQM: - I had so many more favorite books this year than ever before. I could easily have chosen four or five more Clifton Chronicles. It was one of my favorite audio listening experiences.

>24 Olivermagnus: I didn’t do it as an audiobook but was a great series.

I really can't compare in scope and volume to you guys but here are some of my favorites from 2017 in no particular order:
The Innocent by David Baldacci *5 stars
The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer *4 stars
Trial By Fire by J. A. Jance *4.5 stars
Velocity by Dean Koontz *4 stars
The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva *5 stars
Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen *4.5 stars
I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson *4.5 stars
Power Down by Ben Coes *4 stars
King & Maxwell by David Baldacci *4 stars
Mad River by John Sandford *5 stars
Nemesis by Catherine Coulter *4.5 stars
Agent X by Noah Boyd *4.5 stars
A Case of Redemption by Adam Mitzner *4 stars
The Hit by David Baldacci *5 stars
The Perfect Suspect by Margaret Coel *4.5 stars
Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly *4 stars
And my MOST favorite book of them all: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie *5 stars

To further answer Andrew's original question, only two books I read for 2017 I would really catagorize as disappointments:
The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry *3 stars
Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow *Incomplete (in my reading history that has only happened 2 other times and I never quit a book before at least 200 pages)

Looking at my list (and these were not ALL the books I read for 2017) I realize I'm not doing as badly as I thought. You guys are a good influence on my reading, thank you all.
And happy reading in 2018!!

>26 ColinMichaelFelix: I’m pleased to hear we are a good influence Colin, Happy New Year. I really need to get back into the Daniel Silva and Tess Gerritsen Series. I love Matthew Reilly and Scarecrow is next up for me. I also read and loved And Then There Were None in 2017.
Steve Berry often promises much but the books just seem to be missing something.