It seems only logical that one of my first posts of 2018 is one that gives a shout-out to all of my favourite reads of 2017; when I first decided I was going to do this post I thought I would only include 10 books, but as it turns out there are 20 books that I just have to put on this list. Despite probably being able to comfortably say which books are my top 3 reads of the year, I’ve decided to list the books in order of author names just so I don’t get stressed out trying to decide where each would go on a chronological list of enjoyment.
Lisa See
China Dolls by Lisa See
This book was such a journey. I love Lisa’s writing because she tells so many different stories within one book… because of the time period it’s obvious the war is going to be a part of the book, but even with that knowledge it took me by surprise because I was so gripped by a completely different story! The way it crept up on me as a reader made me realise that the war and the rounding up of the Japanese etc. all came quite suddenly and that things related to war affected people when their focuses were elsewhere. The suddenness of it made it so much more real and so much more emotional.
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
I am so emotional right now; Lisa See’s writing is magnificent and I’m so in love with this book and its predecessor. I was nervous about reading this book because I loved the first one so much and I was worried this one wouldn’t compare to the first, but wow it did!
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Woah, the last part of this book has left me breathless – the pace was upped fantastically and WOW I need to read the second book asap. I loved this book after the first couple of chapters and knew immediately that I’d need to read more of Lisa See’s books.