When I started blogging, I decided to list my top ten books of the year at my anniversary instead of close to the calendar new year so that I would have reviewed a year’s worth of books. It’s that time again. My actual anniversary is tomorrow, but that’s not usually a book blogging day for me. This year for perhaps the first time, I haven’t had multiple books by the same author to choose between. Also unusual for me because I read so many vintage books, most the books on this list were published recently. Unusual for me, too, is that half the books are written by men.

I was only reviewing three books a week last year, so that made the list of Top Ten books a bit shorter than usual but a little easier to choose from.

It was really an excellent year for historical fiction for me. Of the ten books I chose, six are historical, one is dystopian, two vintage contemporary, and one contemporary fiction. Of the historical fiction books, one was set in the 18th century, one in the 19th century, three in the 20th century, and one spans the time between the 17th century and the present.

So, here they are, in the order that I reviewed them:

• Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
• Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
• The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
• Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
• North Woods by Daniel Mason
• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
• The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett
• The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
• The Bee Sting by Paul Murray