The Best of 2018

Another good year of reading. I expect a spectacular year in 2019. Stay with me because this will be my tenth year of blogging about books. 

There were a lot of books that I wished that I had gotten to this year. Actually, I have a whole list, including Transcription, Virgil Wander, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, November Road, All the Lives We Never Lived, and Why Religion. I’ve got them all on my Kindle. I hope to start the new year with them and make January a big month. Join me on the journey.

So, anyway, here is my list for 2018.

Best Book of the Year

The Library Book by Susan Orlean. Nobody does narrative nonfiction better than the ever-curious Susan Orlean.

Literary

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Many smoldering fires in a brilliantly written book.

White Houses by Amy Bloom. Everything we didn’t know about Eleanor Roosevelt.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles. Historical fiction at its best.

French Exit by Patrick deWitt. Absurdist comedy.

Picture Books

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy. Praise for everything RBG.

Mysteries and Thrillers

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn was my first mystery of the year and probably the best.

The Third Hotel by Laura ven den Berg. Weird but highly effective.

Audio (Miriam and Sci Fi—can you believe it???)

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Much better than the movie.

Science Fiction (Two sci fi in one year. Unheard of!)

Artemis by Andy Weir. A fascinating look at a colony on the Moon.

Nonfiction

Milk by Mark Kurlansky. Everything you wanted to know on the topic—and more. Great narrative nonfiction.

Super Hero Ethics by Travis Smith. This is not an important book, but a really fun read.

Spiritual

You are Not Alone by Debbie Augenthaler. A book to pass on to a grieving friend.

Brother John: A Monk, A Pilgrim, and the Purpose of Life by August Turak. A beautifully illustrated look at the spiritual life.

Memoir

Educated by Tara Westover. A stunning look at the power of education and persistence.

Best Titled (maybe not the best book, but a great title)

The Little Old Lady Behaving Badly by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg. My little granddaughter loved to call me “the little old lady behaving badly.”

Important but Disliked (Can there be such a category)

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult.  I knew I was reading an important topic but I felt manipulated.