Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where we get a new topic for a top 10 list.
It’s hard to keep track of all the book released every year and the quality of these books are so good, it makes it hard to pick just one. Since I haven’t read a 2019 release this year, I will be spotlighting books up to 2018. The final decision wasn’t easy, but here are the best books I read in the last 10 years.
1. 2009 – The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan: The conclusion to the Percy Jackson series was brilliant. The big battle came to ahead, but the book still retained that sense of adventure that made it fun in the first place. It also gave us a chance to reflect on just how much these characters have grown over the years and finally saw Annabeth and Percy get together.
2. 2010 – The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta: This book was emotional, to say the least. Melina Marchetta just has a way with words that immediately connect with you. The Piper’s Son takes place five years after Saving Francesca, turning its attention to Tom. It’s a story about the messy path to reconnecting. It’s about facing the hurt and anger and finding the strength to move past it.
3. 2011 – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: The Night Circus remains to be the most magical book I’ve ever read. It’s an intricately crafted novel that captivates you from the very beginning and transports you to a magical world of wonder and mystery.
4. 2012 – Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor: This book was my favourite instalment in the series. This book sees our heroes on opposite sides of the brewing war. Karou loses herself in her grief and anger, mimicking Akiva’s journey prior to the first book. It was painful to see how apart they are from each other, but this journey was necessary for Karou to understand how the consequences of war can fuel such strong emotions. It was this path that gave them the chance to openly forgive one another.
5. 2013 – These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: A tough choice for this year, but because I adore these characters so much, These Broken Stars takes the crown. Even with its sci-fi elements, this book put the focus on Tarver and Lilac’s growth and while frustrations amounted from the open-ended plot holes, those lingering questions were addressed in the conclusion of this series making it a wholly satisfying read.
6. 2014 – The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski: How could I not have this book on my list. The Winner’s Trilogy is one of the best series I’ve ever read. If you’re a fan of forbidden romances then this is the series for you. It also introduces us to Kestrel, a woman who displays a different kind of strength as she acknowledges her weakness in battle, but is a brilliant strategist, whose intelligence is an asset to those around her.
7. 2015 – I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios: 2015 was a good year for books, but regardless of all the other brilliant books published, I’ll Meet You There was always going to be my number one pick. Everyone knows how deep my love for this book is. It is pure emotion as two lost souls fight for each other and for themselves. It’s messy, it’s complicated, but you also finish the book with a strong sense of hope.
8. 2016 – Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: Another tough year to chose from, but my morally ambiguous gang of outsiders take the crown for 2016. The dynamic between these characters is incredibly complex, but after the events of Six of Crows, the bond between these characters is tight, even if its not always that clear. It’s non-stop action, but left plenty of room for intimate moments.
9. 2017 – A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab: I couldn’t pick any other book for 2017. A Conjuring of Light was my most anticipated book of the year, and it was a fantastic conclusion to this magical series. The stakes were higher than ever, but with sheer resilience and a degree of trust, our character’s take on the embodiment of magic itself in what can only be a thrilling experience.
10. 2018 – Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff: As you know, 2018 was a tough reading year for me, but Obsidio was the clear winner for me. Obsidio was a rollercoaster from start to finish, often putting our character’s at the heart of danger. Despite the high sci-fi elements, the core of this series was always about the destructive yet hopeful nature of humanity and was a stellar conclusion to one of the most unique book series ever.
What were the best books you read in the last 10 years?
I thought about doing this post this week, but I couldn’t even remember books from last year! Anyways, I see lots of my own favorites too including Marchetta, Demetrios, and The Winner’s Curse.
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Marchetta and Demetrios will always be on the auto list! Their books crush me in the best possible way.
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Lots of popular books here. Great list!
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Thank you.
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A Conjuring of Light was on my list this week too! I loved The Last Olympian but it didn’t quite make my list, too many great books to choose from. Personally, I really didn’t like Days of Blood and Starlight, but that’s just me. I liked Crooked Kingdom but not as much as Six of Crows and there were other books from 2016 that I enjoyed more.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/28/top-ten-tuesday-213/
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If Six of Crows didn’t come out in the same year as I’ll Meet You There then that would have come first haha. Choosing one book for each year was so hard though.
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Ugh I know, some years had so many good books coming out!
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I adore the cover for The Last Olympian.
My TTT.
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It’s so dynamic.
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Yeay for The Last Olympian!
The Night Circus and These Broken Stars covers are awesome.
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It was such a brilliant conclusion to the Percy Jackson series.
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I’ll Meet You There, YES. This book is incredible and I have you to thank for making me read it. I love it ahh ❤ I haven't read These Broken Stars, but I've heard great things about it and that cover has my heart. I'm so glad this was a satisfying series! I need to read it at some point 🙂
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I will proudly shout my love for that book until everyone reads it!! I still need to find my Josh haha. These Broken Stars was one of my first forays into sci-fi/fantasy so it’ll always have a special place in my heart.
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Great list! Crooked Kingdom made my list this week, too. I need to re-read The Night Circus – I feel like I can’t remember much about it!
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Crooked Kingdom was everything I wanted from the sequel. I totally understand what you mean with the Night Circus. I remember how I felt when I read it, but a lot of moments are a blur for me.
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Loved I’ll Meet You There. It’s so good!
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It will forever be one of my favourites.
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Crooked Kingdom was good. I need to read something by VE Schwab and more of Laini Taylor. Great list!
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I’d definitely recommend any Schwab book, especially her Shades of Magic series.
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The Night Circus made my list too, it’s amazing! Great choices 🙂
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It’s one of the most atmospheric books I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to read her next book.
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I loved a Conjuring of Light ❤ That series got me hooked on Schwab books! Great list 🙂
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A Conjuring of Light is one of the most satisfying conclusions I’ve ever read.
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The Illuminae Files is one of my all time favorite series. Those books were soo good!
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They were truly incredible, even if they did stress me out.
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Such a great list! I loved days of blood and starlight. And Night circus is an awesome pick! And I love crooked kingdom, a conjuring of light and obsidio too 🙂
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The quality in books has just gone up over the years, so choosing just one was near impossible.
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The Night Circus was such a beautiful book. I remember loving it when I read it. I can see why you chose it.
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Never has a book stuck with me for as long as the Night Circus.
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That’s lovely!
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I’ve read almost all of these books and there are a lot of great ones here! The only one I haven’t read is The Piper’s Son which I own a copy of so I hope to read it someday!
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I can highly recommend the Piper’s Son. It’s an understated contemporary that makes the experience so raw and realistic.
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I imagine making this list is quite the challenge.
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Narrowing down the list to just one a year was near impossible.
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I wouldn’t even try to do it. 🙂
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So I went to a HUGE garage sale in Ottawa (it’s about 3 or more blocks) and bought the first four books of the Percy Jackson series (only $8.00 CAD for all four)! I never got into them when I was younger, so I’m excited to FINALLY see why everyone loves this series so much.
Great post!
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Yaaaaaas!! That is what I like to hear. When it comes to fun filled adventures, you cannot beat the Percy Jackson series.
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I can’t wait to finally get a chance to sit down and read them!!
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Saving Francesca means so much to me and I recently bought The Pipers Son so I’m really really stoked that you mentioned it here in your blog post! I definitely think I will love it, too. Thanks so much for sharing your picks! c:
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The Piper’s Son is a brilliant followup to Saving Francesca and it’s such an emotional book that really makes you feel even more connected to the characters. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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