All Time Fave Books from the Past Three Years

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday challenge was to list our top ten faves from the past 3-5 years. While I have loved quite a few books from those years, calling out faves was difficult for me. Just because I really like or even love a book doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a favorite.

So, I had to figure out what makes a book a favorite. For me, a favorite is a book I know I will absolutely reread someday. I’m not a big re-reader, so that seems like the best criteria for deciding what makes the list.

Here are the five books I am planning to reread some day (all of which I have actually reviewed! Links go to my reviews):

I read the hardback, but I love the paperback cover so much I’m using it here.

1. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones  – This book about sisters and family and lies is just so great. The character work here is excellent. Even though almost all of them make terrible decisions, they are all sympathetic.

2. A Corner of White / The Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty – A Corner of White  is just lovely, and The Cracks in the Kingdom absolutely delighted me. Jaclyn Moriarty blends realistic fiction and fantasy for a cross worlds tale about loneliness and family in these first two books of a trilogy.

3. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – This book was like Rowell’s gift to me. Excellent characters, terrific parents, and a slow-building and engrossing love story.

4. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale — Someone picked this for the children’s lit book club I belong to, so I knew nothing about it going in, and I wound up absolutely loving it. Dashti is so great, and everything just comes together so nicely.

5. Saving Francesca / The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta — Both of these books are practically perfect in every way. Great characters, great family stuff, awesome friend stuff. Just…great.

Tell me: Did any of your faves make my list? What’s your criteria for picking favorites?

(And, yes, I know I’m missing a book in the graphic. The formatting gets all wonky when I go beyond five. Thanks for that, WordPress!)