The Best Books I Read in 2018

Photo by Tall Hair Creative

It's that time of the year again - time to recap the best books I read this year! The year isn't over, of course, & so I'll probably fit in a couple more before 2018 draws to a close - I'm hoping to hit 100 - but I'm still going to go ahead & share my 10 favorites of the year.

If you want to keep up with my reading in 2019...

• Follow me on Goodreads, where I keep track of & review everything. 
• Check out the very nerdy bookstagram account I created a few months ago.
• Be sure to catch my monthly book review posts right here on the blog. This link will take you to past reviews & all my book-related posts. 

And without further ado, the best of my year!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is probably one of my favorite books ever, not just this year. & I need to get my hands on everything else Reid has ever written. It tells the story of a Hollywood starlet whose fame began in the '50s. So juicy! So salacious! And yet, somehow, also so tender, so full of genuine feeling. Everyone told me this book was great, & everyone was right. This book is not what you think it will be - & I, for one, could not put it down.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

This was the first book I finished in 2018, & did it ever set the bar high! Eleanor is a deeply odd, socially awkward, single, thirtysomething woman who has maintained a surprising lifelong relationship with her violently abusive mother - & has no other relationships to speak of until she meets Raymond, a coworker who becomes her very first friend. This story both broke & warmed my heart.

Bad Blood: Secrets & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

I was stunned to read the story of Theranos, the Silicon Valley scam company that fooled everyone - & made millions before its fall. How had I never heard of its existence?! This was a real-life thriller, a true crime novel like you've never read before. Carreyrou, the journalist who broke the original story, did incredibly thorough reporting & even better writing to make this book a reality.

Honorable Mentions: As always, I read so many good books this year that it would be impossible to pare it down to just three - & was still really tough to pare down the top 10. Here are the best of the bunch, in no particular order:

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: Read this if you appreciate emotional, complex, character-driven novels, especially if post-apocalyptic is your jam.
   
• The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli: Read this if you're looking for heartwarming but realistic YA fiction. And, um, aren't we all?
   
• You'll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein: Read (or listen!) to this is you're a thirty- or forty-something woman with a good sense of humor about you mental & emotional issues.
   
• Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert: Read this if you've ever struggled with your mental health, your sexuality, your family, your feelings... basically, if you've ever been a person, period.
   
• The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn: Read this if you're looking for a slow but complex thriller with an unreliable narrator & a chilling twist.
   
• The Year of Less by Cait Flanders: Read this if you're trying to delve into thoughtful minimalism or or just want to do some goddamn decluttering.
   
• The President Is Missing by James Patterson & Bill Clinton: Read this if you're overwhelmed & upset by current real-life politics & want an escape into sensationalized political heroism.

What's the best book you read this year? What's on your to-read list in 2019?