Ten Best Books, 2009 to 2018 Edition (Congrats, You Win … Bragging Rights?)

Posted May 28, 2019 by Sammie in book list, chat with me, recommendations, recommended, top ten tuesdays / 37 Comments

It’s time for a blast from the past! But, you know, in that really dorky way that only bookdragons can pull off.

Because we’ve got to be good at something, and clearly this whole people thing isn’t working out, and it’s not looking great for having realistic expectations, either.

Remember when you were young and you did those time capsule sheets with your favorites for each year, because everyone thought they were totally cool and you were pretty sure you’d want to remember your awesome eight-year-old self because, pffft, who wouldn’t? Except now that you’re pushing thirty, you’re desperately burning all the evidence that your eight-year-old self ever existed in the hopes people believe you were sixteen when you were born.

Anyone? Just me? Well, this is going to be like that. Except different. We’re celebrating the top ten books released in the past 10 years with one pick per year! As if choosing favorites wasn’t hard enough.

All I could think while writing this post is a Golden Globes, except for readers and authors.

So, you know, everyone’s decked out in cosplay of their favorite characters, and there are no speeches, because everyone would rather hide in a corner than give a speech on stage. And there’s a coffee fountain by the buffet. Obviously. And all you win are bragging rights. Because we’re all poor now, after spending all our spare cash on books.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is favorite books released in the past 10 years (one for each year). Since 2019 isn’t over yet (and it’s waaaay too early to call it), I’m stopping at 2018.

Dragon Divider

✦ 2009 ✦

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Warbreaker


Reasons:
✿ Best depiction of mercenaries as … mercenaries?
✿ Because people can be lovable and stabby at the same time.
✿ The banter is top notch.
✿ Talking sword, FTW!
✿ I mean … it’s Sanderson. What did you expect?

Read Review

Dragon Divider

✦ 2010 ✦

A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Purpose


Reasons:
✿ Bailey is a good dog, 10/10, deserves all the pats.
✿ Josh Gad voices Bailey in the movie.
✿ Which has nothing to do with the book, but it’s Josh freaking Gad.
✿ Perfect when you’re in the mood for a feel-good story.
✿ But still breaks your heart in all the right ways.
✿ Sometimes you just need a book with a happy ending, okay?

Dragon Divider

✦ 2011 ✦

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

Out of Oz


Reasons:
✿ Apparently, the only 2011 release I’ve read? Whaaa….?
✿ No, really, about 60% of 2011 major releases are on my TBR …
✿ I actually loved this series to death. Even though this is my least favorite book from it.
✿ Took a super creepy movie I hated and made it something deep and rich and full of life. And death.
✿ I waited 10,000 years for this book to release.

Dragon Divider

✦ 2012 ✦

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe


Reasons:
✿ Forced me to feel all the feels … but I forgive it, anyway.
✿ I relate to Dante for so many reasons.
✿ Dante’s parents’ relationship is #goals.
✿ Highly moving and relatable coming of age story.
✿ Also, really well done coming out story.
✿ Everybody learns and grows in this book, including the parents.
✿ Because parents aren’t perfect or something? Weird.

Dragon Divider

✦ 2013 ✦

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Vicious


Reasons:
✿ The world needs more superhero/villain books.
✿ Even though everyone here is technically a villain …
✿ And also sort of heroes, in a word sense?
✿ Look, it’s complicated. In a good way.
✿ Every villain is the hero of their own story.
✿ Lots of awesome superpowers.

Dragon Divider

✦ 2014 ✦

A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor

A Trail Through Time


Reasons:
✿ Best book of the year? Probably not. Highly entertaining? Heck yes.
✿ One of two books and two novellas in this series published in 2014, which is impressive.
✿ Filled to the brim of situational comedy and banter and sarcasm.
✿ What it lacks in a sensible plot, it makes up for in hilarity.
✿ Who knew history could be so … fun? Huh.

Dragon Divider

✦ 2015 ✦

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae


Reasons:
✿ The formatting is super unique and an experience of its own.
✿ AIDAN is boss, but also a teensy bit scary?
✿ THE BANTER. Gosh, could not get enough of this.
✿ Relatable and believable characters in an unbelievable situation.
✿ Lots of pew, pew, boom, oops someone got flushed into space.

Dragon Divider

✦ 2016 ✦

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry


Reasons:
✿ Everything written by Backman is pure brilliance in word form.
✿ Made me ugly cry and cry laugh … sometimes at the same time.
✿ Elsa is the little girl I always wanted to be.
✿ Granny is the old lady I one day hope to be.
Minus the dying. I’m obviously going to live forever.
✿ Beautiful story told by a slowly unraveling plot.
✿ It just really takes you on a journey full of ordinary people who wind up being extraordinary.

Read Review

Dragon Divider

✦ 2017 ✦

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow


Reasons:
✿ All the magic and whimsy I’ve been craving since Harry Potter.
✿ Fun and light while also being deep and dark.
✿ DRAGONS! Also, dragon riders!
✿ Jupiter North. Enough said.
✿ Really interesting new world to explore.

Dragon Divider

✦ 2018 ✦

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead


Reasons:
✿ It’s been over a year and I am still freaking broken from it.
✿ Seriously. What is life anymore?
✿ That ending. THAT ENDING.
✿ Just when I thought the characters couldn’t get any better, they did.
✿ The Thunderhead is just brilliant.
✿ The twists! The turns! THE TOLL!

Read Review

Chat With Me

What books would win your Book of the Year award for the past decade and why?

37 responses to “Ten Best Books, 2009 to 2018 Edition (Congrats, You Win … Bragging Rights?)

    • Yes! Go read Vicious. 😀 Highly recommend it. I’m a big fan of the “even villains can be heroes” sort of stories. Or really anything that raises those sorts of moral issues.

  1. Gosh I cannot wait for book 3 of Nevermoor but I NEED to read The Toll so badly. I may reread Scythe and Thunderhead in celebratory anticipation

    • It’s really close on which one I’m most excited for, except that Nevermoor book 3 is more of a bubbly sort of excitement, and The Toll is more of a quiet, dying-on-the-inside sort of desperation to find out what happens. So, ultimately, I suppose that one wins out, just by its very nature. xD I’ll be preordering them both, though, so that’s something to look forward to, at least! Aaaand Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff also comes out at the end of the year. So much to look forward to.

      • Yes Nevermoor is a happy what’s going to happen next feeling and The Toll is a rumbling feeling considering how Thunderhead finished where I need to know what happens next!
        Looks like The Toll will be a belated birthday present to myself!!

        • Ha, that’s funny! I was planning on making it an early birthday present for myself. It must be right between our days haha. So for our birthdays, we can simultaneously suffer our soul crumbling into ash. Yay? Sounds like a pretty good way to spend any kind of birthday, belated or otherwise, honestly.

    • Sure did! It was beautiful, and they had some top-notch talent in the film (though, I may just be biased because I love Josh Gad and I’ve always had a teensy bit of a crush on Dennis Quaid.)

      • lydiaschoch

        Yay! So glad to hear they did a great job with it. I’ll definitely bump it to the top of my to-watch list now.

        And Dennis Quaid is a cutie. 🙂

        • Definitely recommend it! The sequel just hit theaters: A Dog’s Journey, and it looks like another tear-jearker. I wouldn’t expect anything else.

    • I hope you enjoy them when you get to them! 🙂 I already suspect that The Toll will be my favorite of 2019. 😉 But we’ll see. There’s still plenty of time for me to fall in love with something else before it comes out.

  2. Anne Bennett

    I loved Aristotle and Dante, too. It really was the best of the best the year it was published. I also enjoy reading Fredrick Backman, though I haven’t read the one you listed here.

    • I highly recommend this one! If you’ve ever read A Man Called Ove, this is in the same vein, with the sarcasm and comedy, even while broaching really deep, serious concepts and finding your place in a world it doesn’t always seem you fit into. It’s a fantastic book!

  3. AAAAAGH, the ending of Scythe! So intense. Aristotle & Dante was such a good book, and I see a few others here still on my to-read list. Great post!

    • Intense is a good word for it. Sort of made my soul shrivel up a bit and I may have shrieked out loud at the ending of Thunderhead, but heeeey I was home alone so it’s all good. xD I cannot wait for September. Hope you enjoy them when you get to the ones on your TBR!

  4. I’m so happy to see Illuminae on your list! I loved it even though it didn’t make my “favorite” of the year. And A Dog’s Purpose!! I still haven’t read the book but I LOVED the movie, and I really want to see the sequel:-)

    • It was tough to choose some of these, for sure, but I was blown away by Illuminae. The book was really good, and the movie was slightly different from the book, if I recall, but it was close enough. Before the movie came out, I wasn’t sure how they were going to pull it off and stay true to the book, but they did a good job. I can’t wait for the sequel! Looks like it’s going to be great.

  5. I’ve had “My Grandmother Asked Me” on my shelf for year – I really need to pick it up! I love a good Backman induced ugly cry. After reading “Beartown” and “Us Against You” back to back last year, I took a break, but it’s time for another sob session ; )

    • Yes, definitely! Though I love all his books, I think that one’s my favorite. I actually haven’t read Beartown and Us Against You yet. I started Beartown, but I’m a mood reader, and I just couldn’t get into it at that point, so I set it aside. I’ve been waiting for a good time to pick it back up again.

  6. Reading through your list I kept saying “Oooh, yes, that one! And that one! And that one!” So, great list! 😂 Many favorites on it–Thunderhead, Illuminae, Vicious, Aristotle & Dante! This was definitely a lot tougher than I expected. I struggled hardest with 2017, so many good books that I didn’t realize were published that year! I have a feeling if I had to do this again next year, 2019 would be even harder to choose from! Haha

    • Ha, thanks! I’m glad you liked it. 😀 Picking just one per year was soooo hard. 2017 was probably my hardest year, too. I mean, 2018 was tough because yeah, there were a lot of great books, but I always knew it would be Thunderhead, because that just broke me. xD

  7. I love that cover of Warbreaker. Mine is the usual UK white-ish one, so it does match all my others… but that is beautiful.

    AHHHH Nevermoor! I LOVED Nevermoor! It completely exceeded all of my expectations and I cannot WAIT for the third one to come out. The second it does, I am ON IT.

    I couldn’t really get on board with Illuminae though. I think I struggled with the format – I just don’t enjoy having to turn my book upside down to read it 😀

    • Well, for the sake of fair play, you all have the better looking Elantris cover, which I’m slightly jealous about because it’s all cool and glowy green and ours is just … meh.

      YES! I’m so glad you liked it. I wish there were more details on the third one. Makes me nervous that it’ll end up getting pushed back or something. xD I doubt that’s the case, but that’s where my paranoid brain goes lol.

      You definitely have to be able to appreciate a little out-of-the-box reading in order to enjoy Illuminae, so I totally understand that. I thought it was pretty neat having to turn it and such lol. I was super annoyed with some of the pages that had (clearly somewhat important) text on them that were intentionally faded/dark. I couldn’t read them. That was my biggest complaint with it. Because I’m nosy and if there’s words, I want to know what they are.

  8. ILLUMINAE YES. I LOVE THAT ONE. very much. I also really want to pick up Nevermoor soonish! That one seems really cute and magical with a great whimsical atmosphere that just transports you into a world you don’t want to leave. c:

    • That pretty much hits the nail right on the head as far as Nevermoor! It’s the same sort of whimsical, magical world that captures your interest like Harry Potter. Except with more whimsy. And it’s high fantasy instead of low fantasy. I’m so looking forward to book three. Can’t recommend the series enough. 😀

  9. Sarah Ellis

    Illuminae (all the heart eyes!!) – I got my husband to read it immediately after I finished it. He got me to read Scythe after he finished it. I keep meaning to pick up Nevermoor because I know I’ll love it and I’ve had since it released. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment 🙂

    • I’m so jealous. I wanted to share Scythe with hubby, but he couldn’t get into it. Because he’s lame, obviously. So I’m just sitting here in my own little pool of misery all alone until I get my hands on The Toll and see how the series ends. xD I definitely recommend Nevermoor! I kept putting it off, too, despite people constantly recommending it to me, but I ended up whipping through that and the sequel because I just couldn’t get enough. 🙂

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