my end-of-the-year top books over the past few years

Some books made me think

-hm, why did I put that in my top list? It was solid, but seeing how my tastes changed over time, I don't know if it'd warrant a spot (ex. "Will", "Where the Crawdads Sing", "My Sister's Keeper", "Homeland")

-damn, some books were in contention and made a strong close case, but the competition was fierce that year. or I placed a rule upon myself that wouldn't allow me to include it on the list (ex. high school literature books, "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow", "Red Rising")

Well anyways,

End of the Year Top book lists (in no particular order)

·         From Before

o   The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

·         2021

o   *(didn’t put books I read before in top 5, even though they made a strong case)

o   Top 5

§  Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

§  Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy by Andrew Yang

§  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

§  Kindred by Octavia Butler

§  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

o   In Contention

§  1984 by George Orwell*

§  Animal Farm by George Orwell*

§  Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

§  Dune by Frank Herbert

§  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee*

§  Red Rising by Pierce Brown

§  Golden Son by Pierce Brown

§  Native Son by Richard Wright*

§  Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

§  The Giver by Lois Lowry*

§  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury*

·         2022

o   Reread

§  The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

§  Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

§  Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

§  The Outsiders by S.E. Hilton

§  Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

o   New

§  Circe by Madeline Miller

§  Homeland by Cory Doctorow

§  Will by Mark Manson and Will Smith

§  My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

§  The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

·         2023

o   Top 5

§  Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card

§  Scythe by Neal Shusterman

§  The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

§  Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes

§  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

o   Top 10 (was in contention for uniqueness)

§  Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card

§  Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

§  Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

§  Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card

§  Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien

§  The Last Election by Andrew Yang and Stephen Marche

§  A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

§  Feed by M.T. Anderson

§  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

§  Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata