According to the calendar, it’s the last day of 2018 and according to Goodreads, I’ve read 114 books this year. In June, I shared my favorite reads of the year so far–they are also included in the list below. You can read that HERE. I thought this would be the perfect time to share some of my top reads of 2018.
I’d stretched myself this year as a reader and tried to read out of my comfort zone. Despite the wide range of genres, I find the books I love the most always have a strong thread of hope. This list is in no particular order.
Buckle up. This could be a wild ride.
1. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
This book was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2013. Now, I’ll tell you that’s not normally something that makes me run right out and read a book. So, I went into this story cautiously and then I fell in love with it. Set in the 1920’s in the harsh, achingly beautiful Alaskan frontier, we meet Jack and Mabel, a couple in their late 40’s who’ve been unable to have children and are seeking . . . something. I know, I know, it sounds like it might be a bit of a slow read but, you guys, this is a page-turner.
Enter Faina, a young girl who appears out of nowhere and thrives in the snow–a literal snow child. A touch of magic twines its way through this story, partly based on the fairy tale of the same name.
Number of Ugly Cries: 3
2. The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
If I had to choose my favorite read this year, it would probably be The Child Finder even though it’s not my typical reading fare. I’ve recommended so much to all my reader friends, they’re probably sick of me talking about it, But I can’t help it. This book has stuck with me since I read it early this year and I’m anxiously anticipating the sequel in late 2019.
Naomi is a child finder, the child finder. She’s spent her life finding the children no one can. As once a lost child herself, she feels a connection to these children that others can’t. We meet Naomi when she’s hired to find Madison, a young girl who went missing in the Oregon wilderness three years ago,
The story is told in several different points-of-view, including Naomi–both past and present, and a few others you’ll have to read the book to find out about. The writing in this book is gorgeous and the story is riveting. It, again, is a page-turner. But, I will admit the subject matter may be difficult for some.
Number of Ugly Cries: 2
3. Beartown by Fredrik Backman
There was a lot of hype about this book before I read it. I was a fan of Backman after reading A Man Called Ove but Beartown is an entirely different beast of a book and, if I’m being honest, I loved it more than Ove. Set in a small, failing town in Sweden obsessed with their junior hockey team. It’s a book about hockey and it’s a book that’s definitely not about hockey.
When a sexual assault happens, the town is rocked to its core and it’s in this event that the truth of who each character is, the core of them, becomes evident. It’s just really, really good. This story is a standalone but it is also the first in a trilogy. The second book was released earlier this summer. Yes, I will be reading it when I get my greedy hands on it.
This story is told in multiple points-of-view, in an omniscient voice–all the things we’re told not to do as writers. But Backman does it beautifully and in a way that’s addictive for readers. These are characters who will stick with you for a long, long time after.
Number of Ugly Cries: A lot
4. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
This story was a beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful one to watch unfold. Told in two points-of-view, the present day story follows Avery, the beloved daughter of a senator, who’s come home to help her father through health issues. The second point-of-view is that of twelve-year-old Rill Foss, a river gypsy living with her parents and four siblings on a boat in the Mississippi River in the 1930’s.
How their two stories ultimately intertwine is a sad, terrible story based on the real-life accounts of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. Yet, the story does come full circle to end on a note of hope and, yes, laughter.
The writing is lovely and lyrical and pays such homage to the setting. The river itself becomes another character until itself, one full of beauty and music. The first few chapters are a tiny bit slow (not a complaint. I still loved every word.) so give it until at least page 50 and then it’s impossible to put down.
Number of Ugly Cries: 1 (But it lasted, like, the last 40 pages.)
5. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
I’m not sure where The Blue Castle has been all my life but I’ve found it and someone will have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands now. L. M. Montgomery, best known for Anne of Green Gables, only wrote a few books for adults and this is one of them. Charming, funny, and fairytale-like in its premise, it ticks so many of my boxes.
Valency is twenty-nine, unmarried, rather plain, and living a proper (utterly mundane) life in small-town Canada in the 1920’s. Her family controls her every waking hour but they can’t take away her rich imaginations including the Blue Castle, a place she’s dreamed of since she was a child.
When Valency (seriously, new favorite heroine name. I’m naming my next cat this. I swear it) receives some life-altering news, she begins making drastic changes. Her family thinks she’s nuts but she’s finally decided she doesn’t give a d—m (as Roaring Abel might say). Speaking of Roaring Abel, this book is chalked full of fun characters that will make you smile—mostly from their absurdity.
Finally, The Blue Castle is a love story, and a great one at that. Valency wants one last thing and, instead, she’s given so much more. Sigh. Heart flutters. More sighing. Plus, how can I NOT like a book where cats factor so heavily into the happily-ever-after? Go read this, ye romantic-hearted people. You shall enjoy it greatly.
Number of Ugly Cries: 0
6. The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi
A story of two women’s whose friendship spans years, continents, and insurmountable odds. This is told in each woman’s point of view in two different timelines—the years hop around a bit. Set in India, it’s also a heartbreaking look into human trafficking and the caste system. I particularly enjoyed Mukta’s voice and storyline.
At times, the pacing is a bit slower than I liked but the writing is solid and there are some very poignant, powerful moments. Overall, this is ultimately a story of the power of friendship and love, strength during our darkest moments, and, above all, hope.
Number of Ugly Cries: 1
7. The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstal
If you’re a fan of Southern fiction, this is a must-read. Willow Havens is ten years old and obsessed that her mother will keel over dead. It’s not so far-fetched when you consider Willow was born when her mother, Polly, was 58 years old. (Okay, okay, I know. It seems a bit unlikely but it’s fiction, y’all. Go with it.)
Polly is everything you want in a Southern mama—cantankerous, outspoken, unconcerned with how other people see her. She is a force of nature. Over the next seven years, Willow allows us into her life with Polly and that of her two much older siblings.
There’s the boy-next-story Willow might love, Polly’s secret life before she was married, a lost love, a murder, and an over-the-top faith healer. A bit coming of age, a bit family drama, all Southern, it’s certainly worth the read.
Number of Ugly Cries: 2
8. Educated by Tara Westover
This is a book that I suspect will find its way on many lists this year and it deserves it all. It’s a raw and heartbreaking memoir of Tara Westover who grew up in a small, isolated Mormon community. Tara’s homeschool education consisted less of reading and math and more in the harsh world of her father’s endless rants about the government and constant stockpiling for the “end times” and her older brother’s violent, abusive behavior.
Somehow, Tara managed to educate herself and through shear grit found herself admitted to Brigham Young University, then Harvard, and finally Cambridge where she received her PhD in history.The writing was strong, the story addicting.
The last half or so of the book was a bit weaker as (I believe) Westover herself struggled (still struggles, I imagine) with family, loyalty, trust, and making sense of the world she grew up and the world as she sees it now.
Number of Ugly Cries: 2
9. The Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed this story tremendously. The main character, April May, is pretty unlikable. Dare I say that’s part of her charm? She makes first contact with CARL—a ten foot tall metal statue that appears in New York and 63 other locations around the world.
But more than a story about otherworldly creatures, this is a thoughtful journey through the pitfalls of fame and social media, and how the most famous make themselves into a commodity.
A very interesting read and that’s why it makes the list.
BUT THE #}#^+*%% ENDING!!!
Number of Ugly Cries: 0
10. Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford
Set in the seedy Tenderloin of 1900’s Seattle and in the more respectable 1960’s Seattle, Love and Other Consolation Prizes is the story of Ernest Young. After being sold in China and brought to America as a five-year-old, his life is a series of homes and schools until the day he’s auctioned off at the 1909 world’s fair. He’s won by Miss Flora, the infamous owner and operator of a high-class brothel. There, he works as house help and there he also meets, Maise, the daughter of Miss Flora, and Faun, a servant who was brought over from Japan on the same boat Ernest was. Strangely, Ernest finds a place that feels like home and he also finds a love that will last a lifetime.
In the 1960s, the world’s fair is back and we find Ernest living alone, separated from his love for the last three years as she battles dementia brought on by an infection in the brain. His oldest daughter is a reporter and she begins questioning about his life as a boy in Seattle.
As this storyline is woven throughout, the reader begins to see the story of Ernest’s life. At its core, Love and Other Consolation Prizes is a love story. I found the prose beautifully written, easy to read, and heart-gripping.
Number of Ugly Cries: 2
11. Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darzni
I stumbled upon this book when I was in a pinch and needed an audiobook to listen to while I sit in the never-ending school pick up line. I’d never heard of Forough Farrokhzad before I began this book.
Born in 1930’s Iran, Forough was a poet, filmmaker, and all-around rebel in a time and place when women weren’t permitted to be any of those things. This is was fascinating and unflinching look into Forough’s world. Time and again, she seemed to have to chose between her passion (writing) and living in society.
Her story reads like fiction—failed marriage, a child, forced admittance to a mental institution, an illicit affair, arrest, and more, only to die at age 32.
The author has done a superb job of bringing Forough to life again. Her prose is beautiful and her knowledge of the subject matter shows heavy, thorough research. This was definitely a departure from my usual reads but I’m glad I did. The audiobook narrator was very good and kept me interested.
Number of Ugly Cries: 1
12. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Rhodes Scholar Ella Durran is 24 years old. Born in the Midwest, drawn to the political world, and driven to greatness, she arrives at Oxford with a job working on an (almost) presidential campaign long distance and hoping to study British Literature. Sure, it’s a strange choice for someone set on a life in politics but, when in Rome . . . er, Oxford.
And that’s the just the attitude that tangles her up with Jamie Davenport. He’s just supposed to be a fling, a taste of the local life, because in June, Ella is returning home. But, Jamie is more than she expected and has secrets no one knows about. As her feelings for Jamie grow, Ella is faced with a choice—one that will ultimately set her life on an entirely difference path.
This story has it all, a love story, engaging side characters, a new beginning, and unexpected choices. At times heartbreaking, the ending left me hopeful and satisfied.
Number of Ugly Cries: 1
13. The Martian by Andy Weir
You know that question about what fictional character you’d invite to dinner? I have my answer:
Mark Watney.
We’d go to an all-you-can-eat buffet where all potatoes have been banned and we’d have a really good time.
I don’t like science-y books but I really loved this science-y book because of Mark. Mars, population 1, didn’t stand a chance against his ingenuity and pure cussed stubbornness and will to live. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Number of Ugly Cries: 0 (But I’m pretty sure I did a happy dance at the end.)
It was incredibly hard to whittle this list down to just a handful of books. If you’d like to see what else I’ve read this year, click HERE.
What were some of your favorite reads of 2018?