2017 has been a stellar year for literature, and when I sat down to rate my top ten, I found myself stymied. Working up to it by offering the best of each genre seems more approachable, although still daunting. Most of these titles occupy multiple genres, but I needed to find a way to recognize all of these, and this is the best way I know how. By genre, the best of this year:

Magical Realism

Literary Fiction

Humor

Horror

Contemporary Fiction

Historical Fiction

Mystery

Biography

Southern Fiction

Nonfiction

Fiction

Short Story Collection

LGBT Fiction

YA

Honorable Mentions: