Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Best Books I Read in 2018 Pt. I: Ft. 2018 Non-Fantasy Releases & Backlist Titles


Happy New Year's, everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve, whether you partied the night away or were in bed by ten. I am not much a party animal myself, so I had a nice quiet night in--just the way I like it. And now that the year is officially (almost) over, I can finally start talking about my year in books! First up is part one of my favorite books. I know it might sound crazy to have multiple parts, but I read over a hundred books this year and so many of them were simply fantastic.

Since I tend to read more fantasy than any other genre, I decided to split up my best of lists into two parts: Part I: non-fantasy 2018 releases & backlist titles; Part II: 2018 fantasy releases (coming Thursday)! I just don't want these lists to be super long, really, but I want to fit them all in. I'll also be tacking on my End of Year Survey/Year in Books post later this week to showcase some fun stats about the books I read this read. Without further ado, let's jump into some of the best books I've read this year!

2018 Releases (non-fantasy):
For clarification: a few of these non-fantasy titles are more in the magical realism realm, but I'm including them here since they tend to pop up in non-fantasy categories elsewhere as well. 

The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte: Growing up, I went to an elementary and middle school that didn't really teach us anything about dinosaurs, and then by high school it just isn't a subject that's really taught. I've always been interested in dinosaurs, but my lack of dino knowledge has always been so embarrassingly small that I just refrained from looking into it. That all changed with this awesome book that I was so excited to read--and I loved! If you want a nice comprehensive look at the history of dinosaurs, from the beginning to the end, including all the different types of dinos, then you have to read this book. Brusatte is a fantastic narrator and makes this book endlessly fun and engaging to read and not at all dry.
Amazon | Book Depository

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale: If you've been on my blog before, then you've probably seen me gush about this book more than enough, but that's because it was so stunning that I knew it would be a favorite from the moment I finished it in early 2018. It's magical, heartbreaking, and all-around a truly wonderful story. There's a toy store, two brothers, the toymaker himself, a young girl seeking a job, and unexpected magical elements sprinkled throughout. REVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne: Simply put, Boyne is a genius. This is second book I've read by Boyne (the first being The Heart's Invisible Furies, which I loved and was a 2017 favorite book) and it did not disappoint in the slightest. This book is filled with unlikable characters that you can't look away from and a story centered on the inside of publishing life that's equally riveting. REVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository

I Love You Too Much by Alicia Drake: It feels like I read this book years ago, but apparently it was just in January 2018! This book broke my heart in the most devastating and perfect way possible. There is the most beautiful, precious boy in this book that I just wanted to give a hug and tell him everything will be okay. Seriously, this book broke me somehow. I don't even know what else to say.
Amazon | Book Depository

The Wisdom of Wolves by Jim & Jamie Dutcher: This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. Wolves are some of the most beautiful and fascinating animals to me. I grew up with my mom being a huge wolf lover and ambassador, which has in turn made me love and have the utmost respect for these animals. In the wildlife world, the Dutchers are the wolf couple to talk to. They essentially lived alongside wolves for a certain period of time to observe them (without interfering) and better understand how they communicate, how they survive, and how they work together as a family. Their experiences are documented in many places, but this book really showcases the traits that we both share with wolves and can learn from wolves. If there's one book on this list that I think is most important to read, it's this one without a doubt. REVIEW + INTERVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami: Before this book came out in English, I was hearing that it was one of Murakami's best. Then it finally came out in October and I started seeing tons of negative reviews for it, so I was nervous... and I ended up loving it anyway! I think it's one of Murakami's best and it's one that I'll definitely keep thinking about. People seem to complain that Murakami keeps writing the same mundane stories, but one, that's his style, and two, it's so much more than that! This book felt like it should be mundane, but for some reason I couldn't stop turning the pages.
Amazon | Book Depository

Backlist Titles:
Kings of Paradise (Ash and Sand Book 1) by [Nell, Richard]

In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente: This is the most perfect collection of folktale-esque stories that I've read in the longest time. I didn't expect to get sucked into this story-within-a-story-within-a-story-within-a-story.... but I did! There's something truly remarkable about this book and it's one that I plan to revisit for many years to come. And I believe there's a second installment to this, so hopefully I'll pick that up this year sometime. REVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes: I love dark Alice in Wonderland-inspired stories and this book was no exception. I was actually surprised at just how dark and intriguing it was. This is technically a YA book I believe, and I was impressed with the character development and the story elements included, especially a particularly frightening prison..
Amazon | Book Depository

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington: This was such an incredible start to a new fantasy series and I truly loved every minute of it. I hadn't felt this sucked into a new epic fantasy in a long time (especially one coming in at 600+ pages) and I highly recommend it to someone looking for something exciting and welcoming. It almost felt comforting in a way. I'm planning to start the sequel soon, and the third book comes out this year! (so no waiting!) REVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository

Kings of Paradise by Richard Nell: This grimdark fantasy blew me away. I had heard this one was good and was considering checking out sometime when the author sent me an email about reviewing it--of course I would! This was ridiculously good and I love finding self-published fantasy of this high caliber quality and detail. It's a bummer it got knocked out of the SPFBO contest early, but it seems it was just a case of the wrong person reading it, so it's still a winner in my book. REVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository

A Cavern of Black Ice by J.V. Jones: This was a hidden gem of dark fantasy that I didn't realize I was missing. This has a super cold, dark setting with insanely harsh conditions and equally harsh characters and lifestyles, but there are also characters that I grew to love and enjoy following. I really can't recommend this enough if you're looking for some incredibly epic dark fantasy. REVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository

The Wicker King by K.A. Ancrum: I don't read a lot of YA contemporary, but this one really caught my eye and I'm so glad it did because this was beautiful. It's dark, showcases great mental health rep and relationships, and is overall an incredibly worthwhile read. This book is also really neat because since it's about a young man's descent into madness, the pages start off white and slowly get darker and darker until you have black pages with white font. I love those added details, and I think that's a small part of what really set this book over the edge into absolute favorite for me.  REVIEW
Amazon | Book Depository


That's it for part one! Have you read any of these books? What were some of your favorite 2018 reads? I'll have my favorite 2018 fantasy releases up this Thursday!

10 comments:

  1. I haven't read ANY of these. I'll definitely be checking out the rest of your lists.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't read any of these, but The Wicker King sounds intriguing - the layout of the book sounds very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just read this and am already filling my Amazon cart with new titles! Living without a bookstore anywhere close makes blogs like this crucial. Wisdom of wolves is going to be my first read. If it's not too forward of me, I definitely recommend "Shadow Mountain" by Renee Askins if you're a wolf lover. Picked it up in Yellowstone National Park years ago and read it two or three times a year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fantastic, I'm glad to be of help! Thank you so much for the recommendation! Shadow Mountain seriously sounds like the perfect book for me (and my mom) and I am without a doubt going to check it out soon. Thanks!

      Delete
  4. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs looks amazing! I always loved dinos too, but haven't read a book about them in ages- I think I need this one! I could use a refresher in dino stuff anyway, and the field seems to have changed a lot in the last few years. Definitely gonna get that one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This book would be perfect for a refresher! I hope you enjoy it! It was such a fun way to get into dinosaurs and learn a bit about the field itself--it sounds like a fairly fun and welcoming one.

      Delete
  5. I've not read any of these but I keep hearing great things about The Wicker King.

    ReplyDelete