Best Books of 2017

I loved Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. It's a psychological thriller that caught my eye thanks to my appreciation of Gillian Flynn novels like Gone Girl and Dark Places, and I seriously could not put it down once I started! Behind Her Eyes has one of the most shocking and interesting twists I've ever read (with understandably polarized opinions), but if you love a complex thriller, I highly recommend it. — Erin Cullum, assistant trending and viral features editor

Homesick For Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh is a collection of stories unlike any you've ever read before – hilarious, imaginative, and utterly enjoyable, they all ultimately tell the tale of the human condition, for better or for worse. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

The 2017 Man Booker Prize went to George Saunders's Lincoln in the Bardo, and boy, was it well deserved. While the novel centers on Abraham Lincoln – and a grain of truth mined from history – it's an utterly original, thoroughly poetic story of family, loss, and resilience. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is one of those books that grabs your heart, gives it a squeeze, and refuses to let go from start to finish. An exploration of racism in today's society, it should be essential reading for anyone living in America in 2017. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Min Jin Lee's Pachinko was a National Book Award Finalist this year, and tells the story of a Korean immigrant family who's struggling to make it in 20th century Japan. Stunningly rich in its complexity and beautiful in its prose, it's a story that we don't often hear but bears reading (and re-reading) over time. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Honestly, if you love supernatural dystopia and haven't picked up the Bone Season series, you're doing yourself a disservice. Mime Order, the second novel in the series, leaves off on a crazy cliffhanger, and Paige Mahoney — now Underqueen of London's criminal population — is still reeling from a shocking betrayal in Samantha Shannon's third installment, The Song Rising. She now carries the weight of an entire population on her shoulders as she prepares to lead a revolution. The book moves much faster than its predecessors, and because I'm an absolute sucker for forbidden love. I was all about this novel in particular because of the painful and at times very pleasing will-they-won't they between two of my favorite characters. And also important things like war and stuff. — Hilary White, editor, Culture

In The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit Michael Finkel basically documents this one dude who just decided at like 20 that he wanted to live in the woods alone, so he did it for like 25 years or something. It's a true story and it takes place in the deep woods of Maine (AKA it's f*cking freezing). Shocking that he survived, which was mostly by B&E and stealing! — Murphy Moroney, assistant editor, Moms

I really enjoyed reading One Day We'll Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul. It's so refreshing to hear a woman of color speak out candidly about her experiences as a writer and feminist who has a strong online presence. Her dark humor is as entertaining as it is relevant, and I loved reading about her cultural background and how she reconciles much of her family's tradition with her ethical and political beliefs. All around, this book of essays is a must-read for anyone who wants to laugh and learn more about how our generation is bridging the gap between our parents' culture and our millennial ways. — Gina Florio, editor, Fitness

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House by Alyssa Mastromonaco is a must-read for anybody who's even remotely interested in how Washington works, but is worth reading for anyone who enjoys brilliant wit and once-in-a-lifetime stories. I will warn you, though: you'll probably end up reading it more than once. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

One of the most interesting non-fiction books of the year is unquestionably Kory Stamper's Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries. Stamper, a lexicographer, explores every aspect of how it is exactly that a word comes to hold the meaning that we know it to hold, and just what it takes for a fad to become a fact – all while indulging in some of the most A+ wordplay of all times. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

I've read Omar El Akkad's masterpiece American War twice this year, and there's a very good reason why that is: it's unlike anything I've ever read, and impossibly perfect in every imaginable way. The story of what happens in a futuristic America where war breaks out and pits us against one another, El Akkad's portrait of society is something that I will be talking about for years upon years to come. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Eden Collinsworth's Behaving Badly: The New Morality in Politics, Sex and Business is a fascinating treatise on how we look – and don't look – at morals in today's society. It analyzes every aspect of our lives through the lens of what's changed and what's stayed the same, and I can guarantee you'll walk away from reading it with a new perspective on things you thought were no big deal. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch isn't your normal dystopian novel: it completely reimagines where we are as a society – from where we live to who we worship – and in doing so creates a brand new history that echoes that of Joan of Arc. It's a beautiful story, with one incredible of a plot. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Jeff VanderMeer's last literary undertaking, The Southern Reach Trilogy is getting the full Hollywood treatment this Spring, and it's hard not to think that Borne is going to follow hot on its heels. The story centers on a woman struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape who stumbles upon some discarded biotech that soon becomes her friend and a part of her daily sanity – a journey which starts to unravel everything she thought she knew about The Company, the people who are responsible for the way that Earth has decomposed. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Kristen Radtke's graphic novel Imagine Wanting Only This is astoundingly powerful; there are very few meditations of grief and loss that will leave you so completely speechless in a way that this one does. Traveling around the world through Radtke's drawings will lead you to discover how clearly our past defines our future – and I couldn't be more grateful for that experience. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

A dystopian future is the backdrop for The Ship, but Antonia Honeywell's much-loved novel (which came out in 2015, but only got released stateside this year) is truly a tale of the lengths we go to in order to save ourselves, and the importance of knowing the value of other people. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Weike Wang's very impressive first-ever work,Chemistry, will either make you anxious or ease your anxiety with its reliability. The story follows a nameless young Chinese-American scientist ridden with self-doubt, whose professional and romantic lives "fall apart." As an immigrant myself, I related so much to the stream of conscious and, at times, grammatically incorrect writing. — Alessandra Foresto, director, Voices

MSNBC host Chris Hayes returns to writing with A Colony in a Nation, a must-read exploration of how our country has fallen into two segments – a colony, and a nation – and what it is that means for the future of America as we know it. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

OK to be fair, I could go on for days about basically anything Sarah J. Maas touches, so I'll keep it short. A Court of Wings and Ruin is book three in the sexiest YA series I have ever had the pleasure of reading (again . . . and again). The final installment has battles of epic proportions, fantastical beings you couldn't have imagined in your worst nightmares, and a group of main characters that are literally impossible not to love. It's light and heavy, serious and sexy, fun and fulfilling. — Hilary White, editor, Culture

Ann Helen Petersen's Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman is a nod to every woman who refuses to conform. Through compelling observations about society's treatment of celebrities like Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian, Petersen will make you rethink how we talk about women both in popular culture and in our own lives, too. — Lisa Peterson, senior social media strategist and contributing editor

Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing is a snapshot of lives across generations, mapping and connecting relationships that have been lost both literally and figuratively through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This reimagining, though fictional, creates a connectivity that makes me as a black woman, feel whole. Homegoing is a necessary read for everyone, and is so intense and interesting that you get lost in its pages almost immediately. — Tembe Denton-Hurst, assistant editor, Makeup.com

Everyone has a secret in Paula Hawkins’ latest bewitching psychological thriller, Into the Water, which is just as un-put-down-able as The Girl on the Train. With twisty surprises at every bend, this haunting tale of sisters, betrayal, and the murky waters of our memories will stay with you long after you turn the last page. — Tara Block, director, Voices

Forget everything you think you know about the Shadowhunter world portrayed on Freeform's Shadowhunters TV show and dive into the Dark Artifices series, which is a successor to Clare's best-selling The Mortal Instruments novels. Here's why I can't put these down (even when I know I maybe should): Urban fantasy. Badass women. Steamy romances that'll make you take multiple cold showers. Fairies, demons, vampires, galore! Also really lovable characters you'll get very attached to only to have them ripped away. But hey, it's fantasy so they can always come back, right? Right?! — Hilary White, editor, Culture

Poet Patricia Lockwood's memoir of growing up the daughter of a Catholic priest, Priestdaddy, is hands down one of the funniest books I've read in years — with a weird, raw heart at its center. — Lindsay Miller, director, News and Culture

Since We Fell is Dennis Lehane's best yet, IMO. I also liked how much back story there is in the book. It felt like I was reading two separate stories mid-way through but it oddly worked. I loved it. — Murphy Moroney, assistant editor, Moms

National Book Award Finalist The Leavers is Lisa Ko's exploration of what it's like to be an orphaned son of immigrants who's adopted into a wealthy white world, and a moving portrait of just how complicated life can be. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

No, this collection of national treasure David Sedaris's journal entries doesn't have to be read in one go, but you'll find it hard to resist doing so. Theft By Finding's off-kilter insights and strange musings about the mundanities daily life made me cackle out loud . . . and made me exceptionally sad that he doesn't tweet. — Lindsay Miller, director, News and Culture

I loved Edan Lepucki's California and her follow-up novel, Woman No. 17, did not disappoint. A dual tale of a young woman trying to find herself and an older woman trying to lose herself, you'll be riveted from page one. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Victor LaValle's beautiful novel The Changeling takes the classic fairy tale and flips it on its head in New York City. Every single page will leave you guessing what's coming next. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Roxane Gay, easily one of the leading feminist voices of our era, has penned a memoir of her body, Hunger, that is triumphant in its unflinchingness. — Lindsay Miller, director, News and Culture

Janet Mock's Surpassing Certainty is one of my favorite reads of the year. Not only is it just as enthralling and informative as her first memoir, Redefining Realness, Janet also provides a blue print for all twenty-somethings who are still figuring out who they are and who they really want to be. — Terry Carter, assistant editor, Celebrity and Entertainment

I could not put this book down from the first page. I loved it so much we put Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the June POPSUGAR Must Have Box! Imagine Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe narrating her life story. It was all the best things about old Hollywood: the glitz and glamour with ton of gossip and smoke and mirrors. It exposes the fake news that big stars lived behind back in the day because they couldn't be themselves. From the marriages that were never real but great for big screen ticket sales to the true friendships that develop on set. The book is fun and easy to read. It's sexy and sometimes heart-wrenching, and of course has just the right amount of plot twists to make it that much more entertaining. — Lisa Sugar, president and editor-in-chief

The Answers by Catherine Lacey has haunted me for much of 2017 – once I read it, the book's sparse prose and brutally honest portrayal of the emotional life of a woman was a part of me. It's a worthwhile read. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Final Girls by Riley Sager is far and away the best thriller that came out this year. Apparently, the author has written some other stuff before and used the pen name "Riley Singer" in this case. — Murphy Moroney, assistant editor, Moms

The Graybar Hotel was written by Curtis Dawkins from behind bars, as he serves a life sentence for murder. That fact makes these interconnected stories even more breathtaking in their reality, and adds even more color to the prisoners which he portrays. It's not something you'll read every day, but everyone should read it. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Alisa Nutting is one of my favorites, and Made For Love is the wacky, lovable, brilliant romp I hoped. Think robots, dolphins, millennials, technology, and boomers all rolled up into one beautiful comedy – one that I loved very, very much. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

The Burning Girl is the very real story of the evolution and decomposition of a female friendship, and it's done in a way that will leave you reeling. I'm still reeling. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Daniel H. Wilson wrote one of my favorite books of all time, Robopocalypse, and with The Clockwork Dynasty the former robotics engineer turns his talents not on the end of the world but to the beginning. Not only will you be thoroughly entertained, you'll probably learn a little something about history, too. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Fallen Heir is the fourth book in The Royals series and I loved it almost as much as the first (Paper Princess). The entire series is cross between Gossip Girl and Cruel Intentions — are you intrigued yet?! The series is YA, but I'd say more New Adult since some of the themes are bit more mature and scandalous. It was my favorite quick read of the year! — Amanda Murray, senior native style editor and content strategist

Sour Heart, the first release from Lena Dunham's Random House imprint, Lenny Books, is a collection of coming-of-age stories centered around the Chinese American experience. Jenny Zhang's (Rookie) stories are expertly crafted and at times, so obscene that you have no choice but to be moved. — Sen Cai, editorial intern

Part Twin Peaks, part Westworld, I loved Adam Sternbergh's The Blinds so much. It took me to another place and it was one that I was utterly fascinated by – and I couldn't put it down. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Annalee Newitz's Autonomous takes place in a world where the market for drugs is king and AI bots are our friends – yet it's the fact that it is a totally understandable, eerily prescient reality that makes the book so damn readable. It's truly one of a kind. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss brings together the unlikely duo of a young woman and an old man who are looking for different things but seeking the same sense of truth. Very rarely does a book dance upon words so beautifully, and make you feel like you've just eaten the most delicious treat of all. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

You'll want to beat the rush and read Little Fires Everywhere ASAP — before Reese Witherspoon's production company turns it into the next Big Little Lies. Set in too-perfect Shaker Heights, OH, this novel explores a few different mother-child relationships, including single motherhood, surrogacy, adoption . . . and I'll stop there before I give you a spoiler. — Alessandra Foresto, director, Voices

Salman Rushdie's The Golden House is a delightful hybrid of a Wes Anderson world and the closeknit community of the West Village in New York City – in other words, it's beautiful to look at and won't let you down. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Speaking of Sarah J. Maas and her masterpieces: My favorite series of all time (right behind Harry Potter, of course), is Maas' Throne of Glass novels. I won't even start in on how incredibly amazing this high fantasy collection of books are, but I will just say this: don't let the "YA" label on these deter you from picking them up. If you love Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings for their extensive and epic world building, or if you are a character-driven reader, or if you can't deny loving endless examples of dynamic female leads, or if you simply love a well-written story with heart, then well, I'm not sure what you're waiting for. I digress. Tower of Dawn was originally supposed to be a companion novella to the Throne of Glass series, but it evolved into a full novel that simply must be read. Did I said "read"? I meant devoured. — Hilary White, editor, Culture

Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing pushes the bounds of originality and tells the story of a family trying to get by in the best way they can. It will leave you breathless. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Those who were hesitant to read a "rehash" of the 2016 election can rest assured that Clinton's book, What Happened transcends all that. Sure, she reflects on her staggering loss, but she also offers up a portrait of a life's work, sharp-witted feminist critiques, and one of the most digestible breakdowns of Russia's election meddling you'll find anywhere. — Lindsay Miller, director, News and Culture

Philip Pullman brought back the beloved characters of His Dark Materials for a brand new trilogy this year, and La Belle Sauvage, the first part of The Book of Dust is every single thing I had hoped it would be and more. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Masha Gessen was nominated for a National Book Award (and a whole lot of other things) for The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, and if you have any interest in understanding the context in which the 2016 Russian election hacking happened, it's a must-read. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Her Body and Other Parties is one of those books that I immediately lent out to friends so that they could know exactly what I was talking about when I referenced some of the iconic stories in Carmen Maria Machado's debut short story collection. It's stunning, original, and definitely makes for great subway reading. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

The first question I always get when I say that I've read this book is whether or not it's like Jennifer Egan's previous work, A Visit From the Goon Squad. My answer? Manhattan Beach is nothing like it, but in the best possible way: Egan inhabits the past in a way I never thought imaginable, and down to every single last detail I was speechlessly impressed with how riveted I was by this New York City period piece. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Gabrielle Union's We're Going to Need More Wine is probably one of the funniest and most candid books of 2017. Not only does she tackle taboo topics like sex and race in America, she also manages to weave in heartwarming stories of her family and friends that will leave an imprint on you long after the book is finished. — Terry Carter, assistant editor, Celebrity and Entertainment

It's been a while since I pre-ordered a book, but I knew I had to have my hands on Rupi Kaur's second poetry collection, The Sun and Her Flowers, as soon as possible. My copy of her first book, Milk and Honey, is all underlined words and dog-eared pages; I basically wanted to bookmark every phrase. Her writing is sharp and moving in its simplicity, a peek into someone's heart, and both collections take you through an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. Even if you haven't read her work, you've likely seen a few pictures of her poems and illustrations on Instagram — and if you buy her book, trust me, you'll be tempted to snap a photo yourself. — Laura Meyers, viral and trending features editor

My favorite new book of the year is Ta-Nehisi Coates' We Were Eight Years in Power. Through this collection, Coates does a lot of reflecting on our current political state and examines a lot of the events that got us to this point. It's a challenging read that is, yes, heartbreaking and enraging but also incredibly necessary. — Kelsey Garcia, assistant trending and viral features editor

Written by the actress best known as Jessica Jones and Jane in Breaking Bad, Krysten Ritter's debut novel Bonfire is awesome. It has a strong female lead character you can root for even in dark, disturbing situations. The suspenseful thriller about the girl who got away from the small town but has to return and deal with the people from her past she couldn't wait to escape from again soon. Mystery, murders, high school mean girls — it's got it all! — Lisa Sugar, president and editor-in-chief

For anyone who loved The Handmaid's Tale, Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich is a must-read. Chilling, fast-paced, and utterly fascinating; it's a book that transports you to another world and leaves you kissing the ground you stand on as you turn the final page. — Chelsea Hassler, senior editor, News and Culture

Will you think I'm a dweeb if I say I'm REALLY into Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey right now? Wilson is the first woman to translate this epic, and I straight-up cried at the first stanza. As a nice Greek girl, I've always been into this story, but I've never been so engrossed by such a poetic, fluid translation. Plus, Wilson doesn't shy away with grappling through Odysseus's most sh*tty moments. When he comes home to slaughter his faithful wife's many suitors, he instructs his son to kill the women who have slept with them. Previous translations have referred to these women as "sluts" or "whores;" Wilson calls them "girls" who were most likely young slaves. In doing so, Wilson breaks over 3000 years of misogynist precedent, and gives these characters a backstory previous (male) translators conveniently forgot to include. — Alaina Demopoulos, editorial assistant, Beauty