If you, like me, approach the end of the year with a sense of ever-heightening anxiety about all the books you didn't get a chance to read in the previous 12 months, then this list of the 20 best books of 2017, according to Amazon will certainly exacerbate the panic.
On Wednesday, Amazon.com announced their highly anticipated selections for the Best Books of 2017, naming Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann as the number one book of the year. Grann's nonfiction title, a finalist for the National Book Award, chronicles the serial murders of members of Osage Nation, and how this real life tragedy led to the creation of the FBI.
"In a year when there were many strong contenders for Best of the Year, David Grann’s book offered readers something exceptional,” said Sarah Harrison Smith, Editorial Director of Books and Kindle at Amazon.com in a press release.
In addition to a general list of best books, Amazon also released its top picks in a variety of genres, including literary fiction, thrillers, romance, and young adult. The titles were all chosen by Amazon's editorial team, led by Harrison Smith.
Take a look at the top 20 titles below, and be sure to tell your family and friends which you want to receive this holiday season:
'Killers of the Flower Moon' by David Grann
This celebrated nonfiction book delves into the little known true story of the serial murders of members of Osage Nation — a community of people who were, in the 1920s, the wealthiest people per capita in the world, thanks to the rich oil supply that ran below their land.
'Little Fires Everywhere' by Celeste Ng
This profound novel centers upon the intertwining paths of two very different families: the seemingly perfect Richardson family and the mother-daughter duo Mia and Pearl Warren. When both families become embroiled in a custody battle involving a Chinese-American baby, they are all forced to come to terms with their own pasts and secrets.
'Beartown' by Fredrik Backman
Beartown is a dying town where the community has hinged all their hopes upon the shoulders of a few teenage boys — the junior ice hockey team, who are set to compete in the national semi-finals.
'Exit West' by Moshin Hamid
Nadia and Saeed were new lovers when they decided to flee their crumbling country via a mysterious doorway that will transport them to an unknown location. But when they arrive in their new home, they must reckon with their refugee status and content with a rushed intimacy that may not be destined to last.
'Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow' by Yuval Noah Harari
This nonfiction book addresses the future of mankind in all its complexities, answering the one question on all our minds: where do we go from here?
'Lincoln in the Bardo' by George Saunders
The winner of the Man Booker Prize, Lincoln in the Bardo is a moving treatise on grief, told through a fictionalized account of the death of Abraham Lincoln's son, Willie, and narrated by a chorus of ghosts.
'The Heart's Invisible Furies' by John Boyne
Written by the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, this novel is the story of Cyril Avery, a gay Irish man, and his life's adventures through the history of modern Ireland and the fight for LGBTQ rights.
'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' By Sherman Alexie
In this wrenching memoir, celebrated author Sherman Alexie chronicles his tense relationship with his complicated mother, during her life and after her death.
'Sourdough' by Robin Sloan
San Francisco-based software engineer Lois Clary doesn't have much of a life outside of coding. But when her favorite sandwich shop closes and the owners leave her the starter for their infamous sourdough bread, she embarks on a whole new life path.
'The Dry' by Jane Harper
Decades ago, Federal Agent Aaron Falk fled his hometown in fog of suspicions after being accused of murder. Now, his best friend — and his alibi for the murder — is dead, and he's back for the funeral. But Aaron didn't tell the truth back then. And he's not the only one with secrets.
'The Lost City of the Monkey God' by Douglas Preston
Author Doug Preston was on a mission with a team of scientists to find the Lost City of the Monkey God — a legendary hidden city in the Honduran interior — when he and the others contracted a rare, incurable, and potentially lethal disease. In this nonfiction book, he writes the true account of the journey.
'My Absolute Darling' by Gabriel Tallent
Fourteen-year-old Turtle lives in the remote woods of the Northern California coast with her father, a violent, charismatic man named Martin. When she meets high school boy Jacob, she must reckon with the knowledge that there's a world that extends beyond her troubled home life.
'Ginny Moon' By Benjamin Ludwig
Ginny Moon has just been adopted by her fourth family, and she should be happy about it. But she has always had a Plan B — a plan to escape — because she needs to return to a place from her past and right the wrong she created.
'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' by Arundhati Roy
Spanning multiple years and countries, The God of Small Things is an expansive novel that truly exemplifies the talent of Man Booker winner Arundhati Roy.
'Priestdaddy' by Patricia Lockwood
Thirty-year-old Patricia Lockwood has been forced to move back in with her parents, along with her husband, due to financial constraints. As if that wasn't bad enough, her father also happens to be a Catholic priest. In this memoir, she serves up her — and her dad's — hilarious life story.
'Spoonbenders' by Daryl Gregory
Spoonbenders follows a family of psychics who are forced to use their supernatural abilities to save themselves from outside forces, including the CIA, the mafia, and a skeptic who threatens to discredit their existence.
'4 3 2 1' by Paul Auster
On March 3, 1947, Archibald Isaac Ferguson is born. That's the one thing that's constant. From then onward, his story takes on four simultaneous and very different paths, all of which are chronicled in this wonderfully inventive novel.
'This Is How It Always Is' by Laurie Frankel
Rosie and Penn's son, Claude, has told them he wants to be a girl when he grows up. The parents decide to keep it a secret — but eventually, it seeps out into the world, and they must all deal with their secrets and their truths.
'American Fire' by Monica Hesse
In this nonfiction book, Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse travels to Accomack County to investigate the mysterious wave of arsons that have struck the community. But as she delves into the background of the suspected arsonist, Charlie Smith, she realizes there's more to this story than meets the eye.
'Turtles All The Way Down' by John Green
In his first novel since 2012, John Green beautifully tackles teenage mental illness, friendship, and first love through the story of Aza Holmes, a 16-year-old girl with OCD who is on a mission with her best friend to discover what happened to missing fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett.
