Favorite Books Released in the Last Ten Years

This is such a fun Top Ten Tuesday post! Literally just the other day I had thought to myself how fun a decade post would be where I shared my favorite book from each year the last ten years. So I was just a little excited when I saw the topic for this week. I’ll be using Goodreads and sorting my ‘read’ books by publication year to determine which books are my favorite, though I didn’t necessarily read them the year they pubbed.

Also, so sorry about my little three day hiatus. We’ve had really horrible and dangerous weather, my son was sick last week and ended up in the hospital over the weekend (he’s okay!), I’ve been so stressed and anxious I haven’t been sleeping….. So, yeah….. I hated letting days go by without any posts (it stressed me out to the max) but I didn’t have much of a choice. I’ll talk about all this and go into more detail in my monthly wrap up happening on Saturday. For now, onto the books.

2009 – Gayle Forman’s If I Stay was such a pivotal book for me. I first read it when I was in high school and going through a very difficult time. Never before had I read a book that had the ability to completely transport me away from all of my problems before. I devoured Mia’s story in a matter of hours and it was so wonderful to cry about something other than what was going on in my own life.

2010 – If you like zombies, but haven’t read Feed by Mira Grant yet, then I cannot recommend it enough! I like zombies when it comes to movies and tv shows, but when they’re in books I typically run the other way….until now. Grant’s writing is fast paced, exciting, and keeps you on the edge of your seat while at the same time providing a ton of emotion that punches you right in the heart.

2011 – Divergent is one I discovered long after everybody else – the entire series was actually already released before I picked the first book up. I remember tearing through and binging all three books so fast. When I first read this I was actually still somewhat new to the YA genre. Growing up I mostly read classics and older middle grade because they were appropriate and safe. I had always loved reading and did it pretty constantly, but never knew that this is what books could be like. My world was changed.

2012 – There are periods I go through where I completely devour any memoir I can get my hands on – they’re just so fascinating to me. I especially enjoy them if they deal with medical mysteries or anything else along those lines. I first read Susannah Cahalan’s Brain on Fire about a year after it came out and I was floored by her honesty, grit, and determination to find answers. This story is raw and at times terrifying. In 2016 Netflix made a movie of it starring Chloe Grace Moretz and it’s also well worth your time.

2013 – The Ruining by Anna Collomore was one of the first YA thrillers I read and I loved it! Collomore did such a fantastic job of weaving a story that keeps you guessing and questioning everything that happens. It’s been quite a few years since I read this and really had forgotten about it until I found it on my shelf after my major unhaul. I’m going to try and start rereading at least one book a month and this one is at the top of my list.

2014 – Meira! My baby! I seriously love this book series so so so much. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch was such an impressive debut and one of the few fantasy novels that I am head over heels in love with. Meira is such a strong female character and the entire world/story that Raasch built is so complex and interesting! I actually loved this series so much that I’ve been too nervous to read her newest one, These Rebel Waves, because I’m terrified I won’t find it as good and end up horribly disappointed.

2015 – Confess by Colleen Hoover has my entire heart. Auburn and Owen are the ultimate OTP and you can’t change my mind about it. This is by far my favorite CoHo book. The emotion within these pages is astounding and even though I’ve already read it several times I always find myself anxiously waiting to see what happens. I’m always so invested in the story and these characters that it’s like I’m afraid somehow the ending will change and ruin me forever.

2016 – Wow. It’s hard to actually think of any words when I remember how wonderful Kathleen Glasgow’s Girl in Pieces was. This was such a hard hitting novel. Girl in Pieces was absolutely the book I needed at the time and I’ll forever be grateful to Glasgow for giving us a piece of herself and sharing Charlie’s story with readers. It’s so powerful and for me was relatable in ways. We absolutely need more books like this. I’m excited to say that Glasgow’s newest, How to Make Friends with the Dark, was just as incredible as well and you can read my full review for that one.

2017 – Oh, Alicia Cook, what a treasure you are! If poetry is something you enjoy then you need to pick up Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately. Honestly, even if you aren’t into poetry you should give this collection a try. Cook’s words hit me hard and I saw a lot of myself in the pages. I’m thankful she has continued to share so much of herself through her poetry. I’ll read anything she writes.

2018 – HI HELLO YES I WILL TAKE ANY OPPORTUNITY I CAN GET TO SHARE TILLIE WALDEN’S GRAPHIC NOVEL, ON A SUNBEAM, WITH YOU. To say this was incredible would be an understatement. The art was so good. The story was so good. The characters were so good. The way everything was interwoven was so so good. I really loved this one.‬ It left me breathless and I adored the queer rep in it. I’m ridiculously excited for her upcoming graphic novel, Are You Listening?.

2019 – Is anybody really surprised yet that I’m putting Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley as my favorite book of 2019? If you are then you shouldn’t be. This book punched me in the gut, left me crying and in disbelief, and was like a mirror in so many ways. I will forever be grateful for this book and I’m oh so glad that Nate’s story is in the world because it is so needed. You can read my full review for this wonderful book and read Smedley’s guest post on profanity in YA books.

Before you go, pick a year and tell me what your favorite book from that time is!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted each week by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Visit her blog to see her decade post and find other’s lists as well!