Today's TTT prompt—Top Ten Books With a High Page Count—is all about lengthy books. Are you a fan of thick, detailed door stoppers or do you avoid them like the plague? For me, it just depends. If a book is keeping me engaged and entertained, then I'll continue reading it no matter how many pages it has. If a book isn't holding my attention, then it doesn't matter if it's 50 pages or 5000, I'm going to DNF that sucker! I always read a mix of adult and children's books, most of which are mysteries/thrillers, historical fiction novels, or historical mysteries. Depending on which authors you read, these genres don't tend to produce the kind of epic tomes you see in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. I'd guess the page count of the books I read in any given year is around 200-250. Most years, I do take on a few thicker tomes, which for me usually means around 500 pages. This year, I've picked up more of them than I usually do, so for my list today, I'm going to share the ten longest books I've read in 2025 so far. 

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. 

1. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7683524304

Genre: nonfiction/U.S. history/Black history

What it's about: the massive migration of Black people out of the American South to northern, western, and midwestern states, from about 1910 to the 1970s

Page count: 622

Read for: book club

Affect of page count on reading experience: This book is interesting, but it definitely feels overly long and tedious. Other than the woman who recommended it, I'm the only one in my book club who finished it. Everyone else got too bored with it to read to the end.

2. Shift by Hugh Howey (SILO trilogy #2)

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7362810129

Genre: Dystopian/sci-fi

What it's about: With the world on the brink of certain destruction, select groups of people are invited underground to live in protected silos. Generations later, it's forbidden to even talk of the outside world, but there are always those whose curiosity and desperation get the better of them. What do they find beyond the silos? No one knows because those who leave never come back...

Page count: 579

Read for: I've been wanting to finish this series, which I started in 2018.

Affect of page count on reading experience: Although I really like the SILO books, there's no doubt that they get REALLY long. Longer than necessary. They don't have much plot to them, really, so the stories do get tedious and dull in places.

3. It Happened On the Lake by Lisa Jackson

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7528355859

Genre: mystery/thriller

What it's about: Harper Reed Prescott owns a large Victorian home on a beautiful private island which is also hers. She has no interest in either. After the mysterious deaths and other happenings that have occured there, she just wants to sell the whole property and be done with it. Unfortunately, there is much in her past and that of her family that still needs to be reckoned with... 

Page count: 586

Read for: NetGalley review 

Affect of page count on reading experience: This book is overwritten in every possible way. It was a huge slog for me and I'm still not sure why I plowed through the whole thing!

4. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking series #2)

My original blog review (2011): http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/2011/01/i-mean-seriously-could-patrick-ness-get.html

My Goodreads review (2025): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7717949658

Genre: YA dystopian/sci-fi

What it's about: Todd Hewitt has grown up on a planet other than Earth. Viola has come to his planet because Earth is no longer habitable. Todd's world is at war. Can he and Viola stop the violence, save their civilization, and protect the refugees from Viola's spaceship who are hurtling toward them hoping for peace and safety?

Page count: 553

Read for: re-reading the series because I LOVE it

Affect of page count on reading experience: The tension and action in this book are so unrelenting that the pages fly by. You barely notice how long it is.

5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking series #1)

My original blog review (2011): http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/2011/01/knife-of-never-letting-go-leaves-me.html

My Goodreads review (2025): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/874857816

Genre: YA dystopian/sci-fi

What it's about: Todd Hewitt's parents came to a new planet to find refuge away from a dying Earth. Now an orphan, Todd has become disillusioned with the rules of his town. He is running away when he encounters Viola, whose scouting ship has just crashed nearby. Together, the parentless teens flee toward a city where they've heard they can find safety. The mayor of Todd's town, who isn't about to let them go, is in hot pursuit, determined to catch them no matter the cost.

Page count: 528

Read for: re-reading the series because I LOVE it

Affect of page count on reading experience: Ditto what I said above about The Ask and the Answer.

6. Wool by Hugh Howey (SILO trilogy #1)

My original blog review: http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/2018/01/subterranean-dystopian-trilogy-starts.html

Genre: Dystopian/sci-fi

What it's about: See summary for Shift above.

Page count: 509

Read for: I want to finish the SILO trilogy, which I started in 2018.

Affect of page count on reading experience: Wool moves at a faster pace than Shift, so it doesn't feel as long, but it does get slow in places.

7. The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan (available November 25, 2025)

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7573787746

Genre: Mystery/thriller

What it's about: When Dr. Anya Brown publishes a translation of an ancient folio, she receives the attention of a secret women's organization that has been hunting for a certain book of power for over a century. A rival group also wants the tome. Caught in the middle of a deadly fight she doesn't understand, Anya has to figure out how to get herself out of it—before she's the next person to be mysteriously murdered.

Page count: 496

Read for: pleasure - Macmillan is one of my go-to mystery/thriller authors

Affect of page count on reading experience: Macmillan usually writes contemporary mysteries and thrillers that are quick-paced and engrossing. This book is a big departure from her norm. Unfortunately, I found The Burning Library overly long, tedious, confusing, and boring. 

8. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7843112501

Genre: historical fiction

What it's about: When her father cuts her off, insisting she become financially independent, Layla Beck is forced to take a job with the Federal Writers' Project. Tasked with writing a history of backwards Macedonia, West Virginia, she is unenthusiastic to say the least. As Layla gets to know the Romeyns, the quirky family with which she's boarding, her attitude slowly changes. She changes their lives as well, bringing unwanted tension, unwelcome questions, and unasked for observations that force the Romeyns to acknowledge some painful truths.

Page count: 486

Read for: pleasure and for the Literary Escapes Reading Challenge

Affect of page count on reading experience: Overall, this novel is quite charming and engaging. It is excessively long, though, and definitely would have benefitted from some serious trimming.

9. The Women by Kristin Hannah

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5736912487

Genre: historical fiction

What it's about: The life of a privileged young nurse is changed irrevocably when she volunteers to serve in the Vietnam War. When she returns home to California after two tours expecting a hero's welcome, she's dismayed to find her family dismissive of her experiences and her countrymen critical. Dealing with PTSD and these issues takes her to the very edge of her sanity. Can anything bring her back?

Page count: 471

Read for: pleasure

Affect of page count on reading experience: This is another book that is way longer than it needs to be. There's no real plot, so it feels episodic, repetitious, and dull, especially in the latter half when the main character is back in the U.S.

10. The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7136265693

Genre: historical fiction

What it's about: After being involved in a political scandal, a young writer is shipped off to Montana to work with a Works Progress Administration team to write a guide for the state. There, she encounters the intriguing mystery of a long-missing boxcar librarian. She's determined to find out what really happened.

Page count: 446

Read for: Goodreads review

Affect of page count on reading experience: This book kept my attention through all of its many pages. I enjoyed it.

I'd like to complete the Chaos Walking and SILO trilogies before the end of the year as well as a few more chunksters, so I've still got some hefty reading in front of me. What about you? What lengthy tomes have you read this year? Which door stoppers are your favorite? What's the longest book you've ever read? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. 

I was out of town for last week's Top Ten Tuesday, I'm late to the game today, AND I have no creative ideas for the prompt du jour, BUT I'm here. That counts for something, right? Today, we're supposed to be talking about the Top Ten Books That Include/Feature [insert your favorite theme or plot device here]. The sky is the limit with this one and, yet, I got nothin'. So, I'm going to get a jump on next week's topic: Top Ten Books On My Spring 2025 To-Read List. I'll post a Part Two next week.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

- Part One - 

1. Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber—I just started this cozy mystery today since I'm in the mood for something lighthearted and fun. The story's a little silly—I mean, the heroine's name is Allie Catt, after all—but it's entertaining so far. It's about a murder that takes place at a themed dinner Allie is catering. When her best friend is accused of the killing, it's up to Allie to use all the sleuthing she's learned from her beloved books to catch the murderer.

2. The House of Lost Secrets by Anstey Harris—Ever since Rachel Willoughby first invited Jo Wilding to Clachan, her family's cottage in the wilds of Scotland, it has been a dream refuge for Jo. The rugged landscape captured her heart, as did Jo's brother. Years later, Rachel beckons Jo back to the seaside sanctuary to reveal a long-buried secret, one that could change their friendship forever.

3. Isle of Ever by Jen Calonita (available March 25, 2025)—This forthcoming middle-grade fantasy novel is the first in a new series about a 12-year-old girl who learns she's the heir to an unimaginable fortune. All she has to do is follow a set of clues, find an island that disappeared long ago, and break a 200-year-old curse. Easy peasy! What could possibly go wrong?

4. Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human by Carlos Whittaker—This is my book club's pick for March. It sounds intriguing and inspiring.

5. The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien (available April 1, 2025)—This is the 11th installment in one of my favorite cozy mystery series. When a rash of thefts and murders descends on Asia Village, private detective Lydia Shephard is called in to help. Enlisting the aid of Lana Lee, she launches an investigation that seems to be pointing to a secret organization that might just have ties to Lana's own family.

6. Red Rising by Pierce Brown—Sci-fi isn't really my thing, but I do like a compelling dystopian story. I've heard so many good things about this book, the first in a series, that I finally just bought myself a copy. It's about a man who lives in a society on Mars that uses a strict caste system. When he discovers that his life at the bottom is a lie, he risks everything to infiltrate the institute, a proving ground for people wanting to be part of the top caste. Will his sacrifice be worth it if he has to become the very thing he despises? 

7. The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary by K.B. Jackson—I need to read a book set in the state where I was born for a reading challenge. This middle-grade novel fits the bill and it just sounds like an enjoyable read. It's about a kid who moves from Florida to Washington State. Fearing he'll be teased for being a Sasquatch hunter, he's thrilled to find two new best friends with the same interest. Together, they form a Bigfoot hunting company and tackle their first intriguing case.

8. Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell—This mystery/thriller doesn't come out until July 29, but I have the e-ARC and I'm dying to read it! The story stars Aubrey Spencer, an architect who is fascinated by derelict and abandoned buildings. While photographing the Seabrink Hotel, a once glamorous edifice that has sat empty for decades but is about to be renovated, she meets an online celebrity who is equally fascinated by the old hotel. When the man's corpse is discovered the next morning at the bottom of a cliff, Aubrey is understandably shaken. Although the police think the death was an accident, she's not so sure. It's not the first time someone has been killed at the old hotel. Aubrey can't let it go until she finds out what really happened to the dead man.

9. Dust by Hugh Howey—I read Wool and Shift earlier this year, then took a break from the intense storyline. Now, I need to finish the trilogy by reading Dust. Jules is the star of the book as she leads Silo 18 in a war to save their lives from destruction.

10. Death at the Dinner Party by Ellie Alexander—I've been enjoying Alexander's Secret Bookcase Mystery series. This third installment sees Annie Murray hosting a spooky dinner party at an old farmhouse with a sinister past. Everything is going swimmingly until a guest is killed at the table. Who murdered the man and why? When her good friend is accused of the crime, Annie finds herself once again investigating a murder.

There you go, ten books I'm hoping to read this Spring. What do you think? Have you read any of them? What are your Spring reading plans? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. 

I'm a little late to the party, but I'm here. Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

I don't know about you, but I have a bad habit of getting excited about a book, acquiring said book, and then totally forgetting the book exists in the world, let alone right there on my bookshelf or Kindle. Sound familiar at all? Today's TTT topic is all about this weird, inexplicable phenomenon: Top Ten Books I Couldn't Wait to Get My Hands On and Still Haven't Read. This is another one of those prompts that could have been a Top One Hundred list, but ain't nobody wanna read that, so I'll restrain myself and stick to the assignment. While I definitely have older examples, the volumes on my list are the first ten that caught my eye while I was perusing my bookshelves. 

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Homecoming by Kate Morton—This is the first book that came to mind for this topic. I adore Morton and get excited every time she publishes. Extra so this go around because I didn't love her last novel. (There's a first time for everything, I guess.) Homecoming has gotten great reviews. I just need to read it already. The story is about a journalist living in England who returns to her native Australia to care for her elderly grandmother. While poking about in the older woman's attic, she discovers intriguing clues that propel her to investigate a 60-year-old unsolved murder that, shockingly, seems to have ties to her family.

2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann—Like all buzzy books, this one had a long waitlist at my library, so I bought myself a copy...which has been gathering dust on my bookshelf ever since! It's the nonfiction account of a British ship that wrecked in 1742. Two groups of survivors arrived home at different times and in separate cobbled-together vessels. With wildly different stories about what happened to them, the question became: What really happened aboard the Wager?

3. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng—I'm always up for a unique dystopian novel and this one caught my attention as soon as I heard about it. I even bought a copy to enjoy at my leisure, although I planned to get to it sooner rather than later. Hasn't happened yet. It's about a young Asian American boy living in a tumultuous new world that is trying to regroup following years of economic chaos and angry violence. The government says that anything "unpatriotic" (including the poems his mother wrote before she abandoned him) should be eradicated. When he gets a mysterious letter with only a drawing on it, it sends him on a daring journey to find the mother he hasn't seen in three years.

4. Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese—This historical novel tells the reimagined story of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous character, Hester Prynne. I really should pick it up one of these days!

5. Fly Away by Kristin Hannah—After loving Hannah's most recent novels, I wanted to read some of her backlist ones. I purchased this one only to later realize it was the second book in a duology. Oops! Once I read Firefly Lane, I'll get to this sequel, which continues the story of the great friendship between Tully Hart and Kate Ryan.

6. How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis—While my housekeeping skills can always use refining, I hear this slim self-help book really isn't about cleaning at all. Lots of my busy mom friends have recommended this to me as a guide that helped them feel better about all they're doing and get rid of the shame and guilt they feel over not being able to accomplish as much as they want to in their long, crazy days filled with constant cleaning, cooking, childcare, etc.

7. The Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey—Dystopian novels have always been my jam. I loved Wool when I read it, so much so that I bought a boxed set of the three-volume series. Have I read Shift or Dust? No, no I have not. The story is about apocalypse survivors who have been living through the fallout underground. Tired of the confinement, some of them want to bust out and take their chances on the outside. They get their wish, for good or ill...

8. Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert—Moloka'i is an impactful historical novel that I still think about even though it's been years since I read it. Since I liked it so much, I purchased the sequel. I feel like I need to re-read the first book to remember who's who and what's what before I move on with the story, but I've yet to actually do it because as much as I may have enjoyed a book, I'm not much for re-reading.

9. What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon—Of the three books I've read by Harmon, I adored two of them (Where the Lost Wander and A Girl Called Samson). This time-slip novel is one of her most well-loved. It's about a woman grieving the death of her beloved grandfather, who always regaled her with stories of his childhood in Ireland. Sucked back to that time period, she finds herself the unwitting guardian of a young boy. Even if she could return to her time, could she bear to leave the child she is coming to love as her own?

10. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn—I feel like the last hist-fic lover on the planet that hasn't read anything by Quinn. This is the book of hers I most want to read. Based on a true story, it's about a bookish student who is forced to take up a gun and defend her native Ukraine from Hitler's oncoming invasion. She soon becomes a proficient killer, a national hero, and a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. Then an old enemy comes calling...

There you go, ten books I was really excited to read and still haven't gotten to. What's on your shelf of shame? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Protected from the toxic air outside, a whole city of people live in a silo that extends 144 floors underground.  With no elevator or alternative way to move quickly from the bottom of the structure to the top (or vice versa), the residents remain mostly on their own floors, rarely making the arduous trip up to the first.  There's little to see there, anyway—only a ruined world, desolate and deadly.  Why bother?  Leaving the silo altogether would be suicide, so no one dares.  Only those who are forced out flee the safe, subterranean world.  Exile means almost instant death; no one survives that sentence.  

When the silo's venerable, long-time sheriff makes the shocking decision to leave the silo, he sets a life-changing chain of events in motion.  He selects a surprising candidate to take his place, 34-year-old mechanic Juliette "Jules" Nichols.  Unused to the comparative luxury of life on the silo's top floors, she struggles to find her place tackling a new job in an unfamiliar neighborhood.  Although she has no experience in law enforcement, she's smart and determined to do her job well.  It's only as she begins to study the inner workings of her community, however, that Jules realizes it's not quite the utopia it seems to be.  In fact, the silo hides some devastating secrets—revelations that could change everything.  The more Jules uncovers, the more her tenuous place at the top is jeopardized.  In order to make crucial changes, she'll have to risk everything to expose long-buried truth.  Will her efforts be successful?  Or will hers be the next corpse rotting away just outside the silo's sheltering walls?

Wool, the first book in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian trilogy by Hugh Howey, is a beast of a book.  At 500+ pages, it's hefty and yet, the novel never drags.  Propulsive and engrossing, it speeds along, capturing the reader's attention with complex characters, imaginative world-building, and an intriguing plot.  Yes, the novel embraces typical dystopian elements that will undoubtedly feel familiar to genre fans.  At the same time, though, Howey's inventive world manages to feel fresh and new.  Everything about this vividly-detailed book kept me completely riveted.  I ate Wool up and cannot wait to get going with Shift, the second installment in this addictive series.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Icebreaker by Lian Tanner; The Compound by S.A. Bodeen; and The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and blood/gore

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Wool from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

In evaluating my reading year, I realized that I actually read a lot of new-to-me authors in 2017, so today's Top Ten Tuesday topic should be a breeze.  Picking my ten favorites will be the tough part.  While I contemplate that question, why don't you click on over to The Broke and the Bookish and join in the TTT fun?  All you have to do is read a few simple instructions, make your own list, and start hopping around to different blogs.  The book blogosphere is full of a variety of fun sites.  It's always exciting to discover new ones and revisit old favorites.  Trust me, you want in on the action!

Okay, here we go with the Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2017:

1.  Megan Miranda—I read three books by Miranda this year, so she definitely needs to be on this list.  I enjoy her twisty mystery/thrillers.  I have Fragments of the Lost out from the library right now and plan to read others by her this year.

2.  Anna Lee Huber—Lark introduced me to this author's Lady Darby mystery series.  I read the first two books last year and plan to read at least that many more this year.  

3.  A.J. Jacobs—Like many members of my church, I'm a *little* obsessed with family history.  While at RootsTech a few years ago, I heard A.J. Jacobs speak about his goal to organize a global family reunion by researching his roots and inviting all his "cousins" to New York City for a giant get together.  He's a charming and funny speaker, so I have been anxious to read It's All Relative, the book he wrote about this project.  It was such an enjoyable read that I want to read more from Jacobs.  I didn't get to his Drop Dead Healthy before I had to return it to the library a couple weeks ago, but I'm going to start with that one.

4.  Ashley Weaver—The Amory Ames mystery series is another discovery I made this year.  I read the first two books in 2017 and plan to continue with the series in 2018.  I've been trying to read cleaner, less gruesome mysteries lately and these fit the bill nicely.  

5.  John Marsden—This Australian author is best known for Tomorrow, When the War Began, his YA dystopian series about a group of teens who are hiking in the outback when their town is invaded by an army from a distant country.  The books follow the kids in their efforts to figure out what's going on and fight back against a powerful enemy.  I read the first three books in the series last year and plan to finish the last four this year.

6.  Jenny Colgan—I read The Bookshop on the Corner by Scottish author Jenny Colgan  back in May and really enjoyed it.  I'm definitely planning to read more of her books this year.

7.  Hugh Howey—I've only read one book by Howey, but I really enjoyed Wool, the first book in his SILO trilogy.  I'm planning to read the next two this year.

8.  Emily Bain Murphy—One of my favorite books of the year, The Disappearances, is this author's debut.  I don't know what Murphy has in the works, but I'm excited to read it!

9.  Anne Corlett—I forgot all about The Space Between Stars when I was making my "Best of 2017" lists, but I loved this debut novel.  I'll definitely be watching for more from this author.

10.  Lisa Wingate—I enjoyed Before We Were Yours, Wingate's newest novel (2016), last year.  I need to look for more of her books in the new year.

Who did you discover this year?  I'd really like to know as I'm always on the lookout for new authors to love.  Leave me a comment and I'll happily return the favor.

Happy TTT!    

Even though the year isn't *quite* over yet—thank goodness, since I've still got 50 books to read to reach my goal of 200!—I'm going to play along today and talk about the best reads I enjoyed in 2017.  In the "Books Read in 2017" section at the bottom of my blog, you can see that I starred 22 books as favorites, so I'll have to narrow it down to my 10 most favorite. Before we get to that, though, I want to mention two things:

(1)  I'm hosting a fun giveaway that hasn't received a lot of entries yet.  This means your chances of winning a copy of Celebrate Every Season with Six Sisters' Stuff are really, really good!  Thick and glossy, this cookbook retails for $22.99.  It's full of yummy recipes, easy crafts, and fun ideas for every season of the year.  Whether you want this for yourself or for Christmas giving, you have to enter to win.  Take a look at this post for more details.  Good luck!

(2)  Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme.  It's a great way to discover new blogs, give some love to those you already visit, and, of course, add some intriguing new reads to Ole Mount TBR.  To join in, all you have to do is click on over to The Broke and the Bookish, read a few guidelines, make your own list, then have a good time hopping around the book blogosphere.  If you want to add some pizzazz to your Tuesday, TTT is the ticket.

Okay, here we go with my Top Ten Favorite Books of 2017:

1.  The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny—I adore the Chief Inspector Gamache series, so it's not surprising that both installments I read this year made it to my favorites list.  All the books are excellent.  This one, eighth in the series, is an especially intriguing "locked room" mystery set in a remote monastery that does not allow visits by outsiders.  Until a monk turns up dead.  Gamache and his right-hand man are called in to find the killer.

2.  How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny—This mystery, ninth in the series, revolves around a dead woman who—Gamache is surprised to discover—is not just any old lady, but a celebrity with a very, very interesting history.  As he investigates her murder, Gamache also has to deal with personal and professional turmoil, all of which make this novel difficult to put down.

3.  The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron—This was the first book I read in 2017 and boy, did it start my reading year off right!  This YA novel is unique and intriguing.  The less you know about it going in, the better.  Trust me, though, it's worth the read. 

4.  The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry—I read this one, an even more unique YA novel, because it was nominated for a Whitney Award.  It ended up winning in the YA General category and also being selected as a Michael L. Printz Honor title, neither of which surprised me at all.  It's a lovely historical that's interesting, exciting, and well-written.

5.  Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate—Adoption stories always reel me in, and this one was no exception.  The novel tells a heartbreaking story based on the real-life antics of Georgia Tann, a money-hungry woman who basically sold babies for her own profit and gain during the 1930s and 40s.  Ultimately hopeful, it makes for an engrossing read.

6.  Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew—I loved this inspirational book about wrestling with your questions and doubts.  Dew writes in an uplifting, engaging way that just speaks right to my soul.  This is a life-changing book, which I absolutely adored.

7.  You May Already Be a Winner by Ann Dee Ellis—I enjoyed this quirky MG novel set in a locale (Provo, Utah) with which I'm very familiar.  It's about a young girl living in a trailer park who dreams of winning the lottery and making a better life for herself, her mother, and her younger sister.  It's a sweet read about appreciating what you have—even, maybe especially, when it seems like you don't have much at all.

8.  Wool by Hugh Howey—This dystopian chunkster may look intimidating, but it's actually very readable.  The world it introduces is complex and fascinating.  I loved immersing myself in this one.

9.  Lemons by Melissa Savage—This MG novel is as bright and enjoyable as it sounds.  It stars two Bigfoot hunters who make a startling discovery right in their own backyard!

10.  My Bonny Light Horseman by L.A. Meyer—I've long been a fan of the irresistible Jacqueline "Jacky" Faber.  Her adventures never fail to make me smile.  Since her creator passed away suddenly in 2014, I am reading the series slowly, savoring each book, knowing there will be no more.  This one, sixth in the series, is just as delightful as all the rest.

There you go, my Top Ten.  You can see the other 12 books I enjoyed most this year by scrolling to the bottom of my blog and checking out the titles on my "Books Read in 2017" list that have asterisks.  So, what do you think of my list?  Have you read any of these?  What were the best books you read this year?  I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!