Here is my annual list of books that I rated at 9 or above. I rate most books I really enjoy as 8, but since that list would be over 100 books, I feel the need to limit myself.

I always have dreams of getting this list out in early January, or at the very least closer to when I put out my By the Numbers list. That’s maybe a goal I should be more realistic about, as both lists are quite time-consuming to put together. With this list in particular, I always want to have reviewed all the books I’m telling you were my favorites. I did go back and review some more of them, so that now slightly less than half of my 40 favorite books have reviews linked to them. Perhaps another year! In the meantime, the book covers will give some idea of the books.

Here is my standard disclaimer about rating books:

“I have never liked doing a public scale rating of books – the librarian in me would rather describe what’s in the book and let you decide if it sounds good for you. But I do give books number ratings on my own private spreadsheet. I shamelessly borrowed the Book Smugglers’ 10-point rating system for this, where 0 is “I want my time and my money back”, 5 is “meh” and so on. For my purposes, 7 is a book I enjoyed, 8 is one I loved and 9 is one I really, really loved. 10 only gets given out retrospectively to books I find myself re-reading and thinking about a lot – a true personal classic.”

Middle Grade

• Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshni Chokshi
• Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack
• Button Box by Bridget Hodder and Fawzia Gilani-Williams. Illustrated by Harshad Marathe

• Cece Rios and the King of Fears by Kaela Rivera
• Friends Forever by Shannon Hale & LeUyen Pham
• Kiki Kallira Conquers a Curse by Sandu Mandanna

• Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat. Read by Sura Siu
• Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
• Mirrorwood by Deva Fagan

• Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza by Laekan Zea Kemp
• Wingbearer by Marjorie Liu and Teny Issakhanian

Teen

• And all the Stars by Andrea K. Höst
• Chaos on Catnet by Naomi Kritzer
• Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee
• Himawari House by Harmony Becker

• Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. Read by Emily Woo Zeller
• Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

• So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow
• Travelers along the Way by Aminah May Safi

Adult

• All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
• Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
• Network Effect by Martha Wells

• Good Neighbors by Stephanie Burgis
• Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys
• Maus Book I by Art Spiegelman

• Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
• Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library by Amanda Oliver
• Spindle Splintered by Alix Harrow

• This Long Thread by Jen Hewett
• Touchstones by Stephanie Burgis

• Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. Read by Suehyla El-Attar
• Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Rereads

Middle Grade

• Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe (with my daughter)
• Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna (with my daughter)

• Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horowitz. Read by Merissa Czyz (with my daughter)
• Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge

Teen

• Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson et al
• Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
• Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Adult

• True Pretenses by Rose Lerner

Congratulations on making it to the end of this list! Please let me know which of these books you also love, and if there are any I haven’t reviewed that you’d especially like a review of.