Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books Published In The Past Decade






Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week, I’m talking about my favorite books published from 2008-2018. I’m going to feature one book from each year. This list made me feel old. I can’t believe some of these books came out so long ago!

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Best Books Published In The Past Decade








The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins



Published: September 2008


Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.















The Year Of The Flood (MaddAddam #2) by Margaret Atwood




Published: September 2009 


The times and species have been changing at a rapid rate, and the social compact is wearing as thin as environmental stability. Adam One, the kindly leader of the God's Gardeners—a religion devoted to the melding of science and religion, as well as the preservation of all plant and animal life—has long predicted a natural disaster that will alter Earth as we know it. Now it has occurred, obliterating most human life. Two women have survived: Ren, a young trapeze dancer locked inside the high-end sex club Scales and Tails, and Toby, a God's Gardener barricaded inside a luxurious spa where many of the treatments are edible. 

Have others survived? Ren's bioartist friend Amanda? Zeb, her eco-fighter stepfather? Her onetime lover, Jimmy? Or the murderous Painballers, survivors of the mutual-elimination Painball prison? Not to mention the shadowy, corrupt policing force of the ruling powers.

Meanwhile, gene-spliced life forms are proliferating: the lion/lamb blends, the Mo'hair sheep with human hair, the pigs with human brain tissue. As Adam One and his intrepid hemp-clad band make their way through this strange new world, Ren and Toby will have to decide on their next move. They can't stay locked away.















Room by Emma Donoghue



Published: September 2010


To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. 

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough . . . not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.
















Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1) by Laini Taylor



Published: September 2011


Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands," she speaks many languages—not all of them human—and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?















The Fault In Our Stars by John Green



Published: January 2012


Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.


















Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell



Published: September 2013


Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan.

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words. And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?














All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr



Published: May 2014


Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.















A Darker Shade Of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab



Published: February 2015


Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. 

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.















Salt To The Sea by Ruta Sepetys



Published: February 2016


World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.















The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1) by Mackenzi Lee



Published: June 2017


Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.















Vengeful (Villains #2) by V.E. Schwab



Published: September 2018


Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there's Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn't know about his most recent act of vengeance.

Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.

















What are your favorite books from the last few years?





32 comments:

  1. How weird! I haven't heard of Year of the Flood 😮 I've read The Handmaid's Tale and recently got a copy of Lady Oracle. Have you read The Blind Assassin? Is it a good read?

    I love the historical fics you recommend! I've been wanting to get a copy of All The Light We Cannot See. Room sounds very interesting too! I'll need to check it out.

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  2. I love Mackenzie Lee but haven't read that series. I did enjoy This Monstrous Thing though. Some good looking books here and I'm seeing Room on lots of lists!

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  3. Hunger Games and Fangirl were on my list too! You have some.other great ones up there too!!

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  4. Ooh, The Year of the Flood is a good choice. I'm honestly surprised that book hasn't been made into a film or TV show yet.

    My TTT.

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  5. Hunger Games = awesome.
    Fangirl = on my kindle but haven't read yet.
    Gentlemans... = I'm stalking it but the kindle price is £12.99 and I'm too cheap to pay that for an ebook! lol

    Good list. :)

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  6. I should have put The Hunger Games on my list. Ergh. And Fangirl too- I saw that one on another list and was like oh yeah. So many though... great list.

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  7. SALT TO THE SEA is on my list today, too. It's such a memorable book! I really need to read ROOM. I've seen it on a few lists today and I'm amazing I still haven't read it.

    Happy TTT!

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  8. I'm surprised The Montauge Siblings books didn't make more lists, I loved them both <3 And I love everything Schwab and Fangirl! Great choices :)

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  9. I read three books on this list (Fangirl, TFioS, ADSOM), all were solid reads for me.

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  10. I can't believe All The Light We Cannot See came out 5 years ago!

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  11. The Hunger Games was a great book, as was Fangirl. I really need to read those VE Schwab books, Salt to the Sea and Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

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  12. Love Gentlemen's Guide! Such a great one and of course Hunger Games is classic!]

    www.tbrandbeyond.com

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  13. There are so many great ones on this list! I enjoyed all the ones I've read that are on your list! The only ones I haven't read are The Year of the Flood and All the Light We Cannot See. I own a copy of the latter so I'll get to it someday. Hopefully.

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  14. Some great books. I loved Gentlemen's Guide too. Funny how many september releases are on your list. :D

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  15. Yes to the Hunger Games! I loved that series as soon as I read it and would love to do a reread at some point.

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  16. Room was on my TBR for years before I finally faced facts that I was never going to read it. I still kinda have FOMO over that one. I enjoyed both TFiOS and Fangirl - and The Gentleman's Guide was a lot of fun.

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  17. Almost put Salt to the Sea on mine. The choices were impossible, really. And I ran mine 2010-2019. If I'd gone back to 2008, chances are high I would have said Hunger Games too. It sounds trite now, but it was EXPLOSIVE when it came out.

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  18. Yes to Daughter of Smoke and Bone and The Hunger Games!

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  19. I haven't read many of these books, but I have heard of them! I'm not sure I could make a top ten list on this topic, since I don't know when many of the books I've read have been published, and it would probably consist of a ton of titles from the Skulduggery Pleasant series. I think the VE Schwab books look cool, I've seen her books everywhere but haven't read any yet.

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  20. I am sure “All the Light We Cannot See” would be in my top ten. A lot of my books would be non-fiction (history, biographies, memoirs). Jon Mecham, “Soul of AMerica: The Battle for our Better Angels,” Arthur Brooks, “Love Your Enemies”, Candice Millard, ‘Hero of the Empire The Boer War, A Daring Escape, a nd the Making of Winston Churchill”, Eric Larson, “Dead Wake,” Harrison Scott Key, “The World’s Largest Man,” (along with a book by Rick Bragg) are some titles that would probably make the list.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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  21. Ahh this is a lovely list! I can't believe some of these titles were released so long ago, it feels like yesterday that the first Hunger Games was released ahah :) I love your picks here. I'd also have Hunger Games and TFIOS on my list, I think :D

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  22. I loved a few of the books on your list. The Gentleman's Guide, THG, DoSaB.

    Good choices.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  23. I so agree with you on Salt to the Sea!!!

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  24. Great list! I've read and loved 9 of them.

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  25. YOU CHOSE SUCH GOOD BOOKS, I CAN'T EVEN....

    All the fault in our stars, Hunger Games, Salt to the seas; were all great!

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  26. Great list! I wholeheartedly agree with The Hunger Games, A Darker Shade of Magic, and Vengeful. They were SO GOOD.

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  27. Okay, I'm happy to see that I've either read these OR they're high on my radar. The only one that I hadn't really given much thought to is THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD. I'll have to check that one out.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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  28. YES Hunger Games! And I can't wait to get to Year of the Flood...I love Atwood!

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  29. I loved A Darker Shade of Magic and I have the second book on my Kindle, but I never seem to find the time to read it because of ARCs. I am getting better with requesting ARCs, though, so maybe I'll get to it before the end of the year. 👍✨

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  30. I've not read any of them but I know quite a few others who enjoyed Fangirl as well :)

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