It’s about that time, my darlings!! 2018 isn’t quiiiiiiiite over, I thought I’d go ahead and share my Best Books of 2018 with you in case you’re looking for some reading recommendations (or a last minute Xmas present)!
The best books I read in 2018.
Goodreads says I read 207 books this year, which isn’t as many as last year but is still a pretty healthy sampling of books. Let’s take a look at some of the best ones!
The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty.
This book is first on my list for a reason. It’s SO GOOD. If you like fantasy at all, you must read it immediately. There’s a super creative world (inspired by Middle Eastern and Islamic folklore), a strong female main character, and an enthralling, edge-of-your-seat storyline. I didn’t realize how badly I was craving epic fantasy that takes place in a society that doesn’t resemble feudal England. Read this immediately.
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson.
This is such a weird book and I loved it. It’s primarily about two things: deep, abiding female friendship (something I love reading about) and unlikely magic. There’s also murder, mystery, and zombies.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.
I’ve been continuing my mission to broaden my mind by reading more contemporary romance novels (instead of just historicals) and this one was truly fantastic. The main character is a high powered statistician whose Asperger’s is getting between her and her ability to have a physically fulfilling relationship. She decides to hire a uniquely qualified tutor, and from there, events unfold!
A reminder before we move forward that when I say “romance novel” on this list, I do mean the kind with sex.
A Duke by Default (Reluctant Royals #2) by Alyssa Cole.
The first book in this series was on my 2017 best books list and I’m delighted to put this one on the 2018 list. Not every series is strong in every single installment, but so far, this one is. The hero in this contemporary romance is a Scottish swordsmith. The main character is a newly sober NYC socialite who moves across the ocean to take a job as the armory’s social media manager. #swordbae
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi.
There really isn’t much that I love more than a good YA fantasy novel with a strong heroine at the helm, and this is a fantastic one. Like City of Brass, this is the first in an incomplete series, so if that’ll make you crazy, don’t read it yet. Also like City of Brass, this book stands out because it’s fantasy that’s not based on a feudal European world. Children of Blood and Bone‘s world is inspired by the author’s Nigerian heritage, and the plot addresses many vital contemporary issues, especially those of racial prejudice and xenophobia.
The Lost Queen (The Lost Queen Trilogy #1) by Signe Pike.
I’m not sure we’ve discussed my love for Arthurian legends before, but they’ve been a particular weakness of mine ever since I read Mists of Avalon in fourth grade. This book takes place several generations before the mythical Arthur and it centers on Languoreth, who the summary describes as “a powerful and, until now, tragically forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin.” Um, yes please!
The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare.
New from Tessa Dare, one of my favorite romance novel authors! This book is a perfect example of why she’s one of my favorites. The story starts on a high note with a very unusual and adorable funeral (yes, I said a funeral is adorable) and continues creative and delightful all the way through.
Puddin’ (Dumplin’ #2) by Julie Murphy.
Have you seen the movie Dumplin’? It’s good, but it’s a pale shadow of the original book’s magnificence. (It’s here in my Best Books of 2015). Puddin’ is the squeal to Dumplin’. It’s the expanded story of Millie Michalchuk, one of the lovable misfits who is a minor character in Dumplin‘.
Puddin’ is not quite as magical as Dumplin‘, but it is still a delight and I enjoyed it thoroughly. A genuinely heartwarming story of a young woman trying to figure out who she wants to be while facing the extra challenge of being fatter than society thinks she should be.
Wicked and the Wallflower (The Bareknuckle Bastards #1) by Sarah MacLean.
This is the latest series from Sarah MacLean, another of my favorite romance novel authors, and it’s fantastic. It’s classic Sarah MacLean: a woman who usually follows all the rules meets a man who follows none of the rules and romance and personal growth ensue. Just a little dark and utterly delicious.
Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh.
Science Fiction is my least favorite book genre (other than nonfiction). It just doesn’t generally float my boat. So when a good friend of mine with excellent taste in books and her librarian sister recommended this SciFi romance series over and over again, my response was “ehhhh.” But I finally gave these books a chance and they’re fantastic. I’ve only read the first nine or so and some are better than others, but overall this series is creative, vividly written, and fully devourable.
If you want to see what else I read this year, you can check out my Goodreads here. Spoiler alert: I read a LOT of romance novels. #noshame
Want more books? See best books of the year archive, my list of books that make me feel better here, and my whole index of book reviews here.
This post contains affiliate links. I thought I read a lot of books in 2016. Then Donald Trump became President, and my anxiety levels skyrocketed. My favorite way to self-soothe is reading, so my 2017 book total blows 2016 out of the water. Also, I love the Goodreads “Your year in reading” feature. How else would I ever have discovered that I read 84,218 pages this year? That makes me feel like a true book nerd badass. Almost all of what I loved this year was genre fiction. When the real world is stressful, sometimes there’s nothing better than to vanish into a story that takes you somewhere else, even if it’s just for a while. Also, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that 100% of these books are by women, and 100% of the fiction has female main characters. In other words: I was so annoyed with men in general in 2017 that I couldn’t stand to read about them or even read books by them. I credit this to our awful President and his cohort of creeps. I’ve always loved reading books about powerful women, but current events have left me uninterested in anything else. Keep reading to hear about the the best books I read in 2017 (in no particular order): This book is stunning. Dark, complicated, surprising; with an intricate cast of characters and and a gorgeously crafted world. It’s the first in a series, but I actually loved this one book so much that I haven’t gone back for more yet. I do that sometimes when I don’t want to risk a disappointing sequel soiling my experience of a great opening novel. I think I’m about ready now: soon I’ll reread Kushiel’s Dart and then pick up the next in the series. Fun fact: I’ve followed Loretta Chase’s blog for years, but I only just discovered my love for her books. After the first, I read as many as I could get my hands on (19 in quick succession). If you enjoy a good historical romance novel – especially if you like ’em with a healthy sprinkle of darkness in the storyline – go read everything you can find by Loretta Chase immediately, just like I did. You won’t be sorry. I know it’s cheating to include a whole series, but the way that I read it’s hard to differentiate individual books. Also: I’m still in the middle of book 5, so it’s possible this series takes a turn. But right now I’m all about it. These books mature along with their characters. The plot of the first book is relatively simple, but the complexity of the story increases exponentially as each book adds layers to the characters’ universe. The main character is a powerful woman and every book is filled with strong female characters. I want to read more by Sarah J. Maas in 2018. This books sounds silly – and it IS silly – but it also makes some fantastic points. Self-care is so important, and this book is all about how to take care of yourself in a world that constantly demands so much of us. It also makes a great gift, thanks to its hilarious title. I read SO many books in 2016. Some of the reading was due to all of the planes, trains, and waiting around of plentiful 2016 jewelry travel: this was as glamorous as lounging on a private terrace at a hotel on the Italian Riveria and as pungent as standing outside the Javitz Convention Center in 96 degree weather waiting to get on a bus from NYC to Baltimore. 2016 also involved two separate Emergency Room stays for me: one horrible, prolonged food poisoning incident and one crazy freak accident that ended in 15 stitches. Both of those necessitated weeks of recovery, not to mention the initial waiting room reading time. I also read in a hospital waiting room while waiting for my adorable leprechaun of a nephew to be born; a much happier hospital visit. 2016 brought another 6 months of physical therapy for my ongoing adventures in Things That Are Wrong With My Feet: that was 40 minutes of icing and heating a week, minimum, plus reading in the podiatrist’s waiting room. I also struggled more than usual with seasonal depression and anxiety this year, both of which which always make me want to burrow into a blanket nest and read forever. So basically: some of 2016 was great, and I read during the spaces between all of the incredible things I was doing. But also 2016 was really hard, and books make me feel better. I think Uprooted was the first book I finished in 2016 and it’s still one of the very best. I loved it so much I wrote a full review for you already – and I was delighted when several of you picked up the book on my recommendation and emailed me afterwards to share how much you loved it, too. I think I’ll re-read it soon: it’s worth visiting more than once. (See the full review here.) Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown. This lesbian YA love story is just the right balance of sweet and heartbreaking. It’s about love and identity and friendship and family. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. This book is SO weird. One chapter in, I was tilting my head to the side and going “wait, what?” and that feeling lasted through the entirety of the novel…but in a good way. It was unlike anything else I’d ever read, and the writing was so good that I was convinced of all the weirdness and just accepted it as a story. Violent and strange, but utterly captivating. It feels like modern mythology – the story is huge and improbable and dark and fascinating. (See my full review here.) An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. There’s really nothing in the world like a great YA fantasy story, in my humble opinion. This one is electric: the sophisticated and tightly woven story involves a richly built world and several strong, fierce female characters to admire. It’s the first in a series, and soon to be a movie, I believe. (See my full review here.) All the Rage by Courtney Summers. All the Rage is a brutal, heart-wrenchingly perfect answer to the question “What is rape culture and why does it matter?” I read this brilliant, difficult book in one sitting and I was destroyed for the rest of the day: I wandered around my apartment, looking for things to clean or organize so that I could remind myself I’m in control of my own life. If more people read this book, I think that we as a civilization would be in better shape. Even more important now that the US is about to have a pussy-grabber in chief in the White House. (This may go without saying, but please consider this book to have a big, loud trigger warning for sexual assault.) Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare. This book is a delight. It’s a shining example of the kind of joyful, somewhat silly, excellently written, fully engaging romance novel that was all I wanted to read for a large portion of 2016. Tessa Dare is a treasure and this is her doing what she does best. These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker. The premise for this first book in a series is thus: several Victorian era young adults discover that they all have certain special powers. I read this book in its entirety the night of the accident I mentioned above, the one that left me with 15 stitches. I was in a lot of pain and I couldn’t sleep. I’d heard this book was good, so I turned to it in hopes it would distract me. As a result, my memories of this novel are incredibly vivid. I was focusing so hard on the story that I have my visualizations of what was happening burned into my mind so clearly that they feel more like scenes I saw in a movie. A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean. The latest book in Sarah MacLean’s latest series!! I generally love all of MacLean’s books, but this series didn’t start off as quite strongly as I’d hoped it would. However, this second book MORE than makes up for that. A Scot in the Dark was published in 2016 and I’ve already read this three times. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. This is a gorgeous, all-encompassing YA love story. Nicola Yoon had a book on my best books of the year list in 2015, too – she’s on a roll. Be sure to read this one before it becomes a movie and you miss out on the chance to imagine the characters for yourself. Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro. I’ve been aware of Bitch Planet for years – the fiercely feminist comic book series with a vociferous following – but I hadn’t read until this November. It was November, 9th, to be exact: the day after Donald Trump won the Presidential election. I read every edition of Bitch Planet in one sitting, and when I got up I felt like I had the strength to go on, because I knew I wasn’t alone in the bewilderment and rage of being a feminist in 2016 (and now 2017). This book was described to me as a novel about a woman who is so busy taking care of other people that she doesn’t realize she’s having a heart attack. This book is thoughtful and deep and real and explores an important area of modern womanhood that doesn’t often get much attention: how much of ourselves we lose while leaning in and trying to “have it all.” I was expecting a tearjerker, having read Forman’s YA novels, Leave Me is more subtle than that. Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James. It might sound weird to take a successful romance novel series into the second generation…but I’m seriously loving Eloisa James’ tales about the adult children of her famous Desperate Duchesses characters. This novel follows the adult Eugenia Strange, who unexpectedly meets a man who makes her reconsider what she thought she knew about love and how she’s spending her widowhood. The jewelry on the book cover is wildly anachronistic, but what can you do? This book is dark and the premise is heartbreaking but it’s exquisitely written and ultimately leads the reader to feel hopeful about the depths of brokenness that the human soul is capable of overcoming. (See my full review here.) Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. Three young women – born sisters, but separated as young children – are preparing for the ceremonial year in which they must all vie for the right to be Queen. They each have their own unique gift; a talent with potion, a connection to the elements, or a connection to the natural world. One of them will win, and there’s only one path to victory: be the last sister left alive. A fierce, engaging book with unique, badass female characters. There you have it! Now tell me: what are the best books YOU read in 2016?? Want more amazing reads? Check out the best books I read in 2015. They’re still good! (Ditto for 2014, if you want EVEN MORE books.) You can also find my full Index of Book Reviews here or at the top of the page anytime.My favorite reads of 2017.
234 is a new personal record. What can I say? Books make me feel better. Lots of re-reading this year, too. Sometimes you just need to read a book that you already know you love.
I did round up my total by one book: I’m in the middle of one and I’m assuming that I’ll finish it in the next week.Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey.
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase.
The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.
The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have with People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do by Sarah Knight.
The best books I read in 2016.
That’s really a lot, even for me: especially because I was so very busy this year.
Here are the best books I read in 2016 (in no particular order):
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