I've separated the selections into fiction, short stories, and nonfiction. My top books are listed in chronological order of when they were read rather than a definitive number one pick. After the title I've included the author, number of pages in the book and the date I reviewed it on She Treads Softly. As usual, there were many excellent books to chose from that received my highest rating. I chose to do an honorable mention list this year.
Fiction: Top Ten novels for 2018
The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor, 288 pages, 1/10/18
The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn, 448 pages, 1/11/18
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, 448 pages, 2/7/18
The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, 496 pages, 5/30/18
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, 448 pages, 6/6/18
Clock Dance by Anne Tyler, 304 pages, 6/27/18
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, 384 pages, 8/12/18
Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter, 480 pages, 8/19/18,
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, 480 pages, 11/24/18
Watching You by Lisa Jewell, 336 pages, 12/13/18
Honorable Mention:
Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner, 368 pages, 1/25/18
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern, 384 pages, 2/21/18
The Flicker of Old Dreams by Susan Henderson, 320 pages, 3/14/18
The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman, 224 pages, 3/21/18
The Very Marrow of Our Bones by Christine Higdon, 440 pages, 4/8/18
The Overstory by Richard Powers, 512 pages, 4/8/18
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, 368 pages, 4/22/18
The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H. Winthrop, 240 pages, 5/6/18
The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz, 512 pages, 5/9/18
Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles by Anne Tyler, 24 pages, 5/23/18
The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts, 192 pages, 6/14/18
The Distance Home by Paula Saunders, 304 pages, 7/29/18
Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon, 384 pages, 8/8/18
Tear Me Apart by J. T. Ellison, 496 pages, 8/27/18
Broken Field by Jeff Hull, 360 pages, 10/3/18
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger, 352 pages, 10/4/18
The Witch Elm by Tana French, 528 pages, 10/14/1
Top 6 Short Story Collections:
Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck, 176 pages, 2/7/18
Guardian Angels and Other Monsters by Daniel H. Wilson, 304 pages, 3/14/18
The Price of the Haircut by Brock Clarke, 240 pages, 3/20/18
Property by Lionel Shriver, 336 pages, 4/22/18
The Mutual UFO Network by Lee Martin, 304 pages, 6/14/18
Hits and Misses by Simon Rich, 240 pages, 7/22/18
Nonfiction: Top Ten
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, 352 pages, 2/9/18
Classic Krakauer by Jon Krakauer, 160 pages, 2/23/18
A Wilder Time by William E. Glassley, 224 pages, 3/1/18
Into the Storm by Tristram Korten, 228 pages, 4/22/18
The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester, 384 pages, 5/9/18
Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces by Michael Chabon, 144 pages, 5/20/18, essays
Calypso by David Sedaris, 272 pages, 5/23/18, essays
The Library Book by Susan Orlean, 336 pages, 10/21/18
Influenza by Jeremy Brown, 272 pages, 12/12/18
The Hand of God: Finding His Care in All Circumstances by Alistair Begg, 256 pages, 12/20/18
2018
Books
1. Phone by Will Self, 624 pages, 1/2/18, so-so
2. The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan, 284 pages, 1/3/18, highly recommended
3. Strangers by Ursula Archer, Arno Strobel, 320 pages, 1/4/18, highly recommended
*4. The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor, 288 pages, 1/10/18, very highly recommended
*5. The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn, 448 pages, 1/11/18, very highly recommended
6. City of Endless Night by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, 368 pages, 1/12/18, highly recommended
7. Walking the Bones by Randall Silvis, 464 pages, 1/14/18, highly recommended
8. SINthetic by J.T. Nicholas, 176 pages, 1/14/18, highly recommended
9. The Sky Is Yours by Chandler Klang Smith, 464 pages, 1/18/18, recommended
*10. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley, 384 pages, 1/25/18, very highly recommended
*11. Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner, 368 pages, 1/25/18, very highly recommended
12. The Day after Oblivion by Tim Washburn, 560 pages, 1/28/18, recommended
13. Perish by Lisa Black, 320 pages, 1/30/18, highly recommended
February – 19 books
14. Look for Me by Lisa Gardner, 400 pages, 2/1/18, highly recommended
15. The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch, 400 pages, 2/7/18, highly recommended
*16. Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck, 176 pages, 2/7/18, very highly recommended, short stories
**17. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, 448 pages, 2/7/18, very highly recommended
*18. I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, 352 pages, 2/9/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
19. Going Viral by Dahlia Schweitzer, 256 pages, 2/9/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
20. Force of Nature by Jane Harper, 336 pages, 2/15/18, highly recommended
21. A Perfect Universe: Ten Stories by Scott O'Connor, 256 pages, 2/15/18, highly recommended, short stories
22. The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu, 256 pages, 2/15/18, highly recommended
23. The Rending and the Nest by Kaethe Schwehn, 304 pages, 2/17/18, recommended
24. The One by John Marrs, 416 pages, 2/18/18, recommended
*25. Sunburn by Laura Lippman, 304 pages, 2/21/18, very highly recommended
26. Last Seen by Rick Mofina, 544 pages, 2/21/18, highly recommended
**27. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern, 384 pages, 2/21/18, very highly recommended
28. The Hush by John Hart, 432 pages, 2/23/18, highly recommended
*29. Classic Krakauer by Jon Krakauer, 160 pages, 2/23/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
30. The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Radley Balko, Tucker Carrington, 416 pages, 2/27/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
31. My Name Is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd, 368 pages, 2/27/18, highly recommended YA
32. The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd, 336 pages, 2/27/18, so-so
March – 24 books
*33. A Wilder Time by William E. Glassley, 224 pages, 3/1/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
34. If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin, 384 pages, 3/7/18, highly recommended
35. The Girlfriend by Sarah Naughton, 368 pages, 3/7/18, highly recommended
36. The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum, 304 pages, 3/7/18, highly recommended
37. They All Fall Down by Tammy Cohen, 384 pages, 3/8/18, highly recommended
38. The Children's Game by Max Karpov, 384 pages, 3/8/18, highly recommended
39. The City Where We Once Lived by Eric Barnes, 244 pages, 3/8/18, highly recommended
*40. Guardian Angels and Other Monsters by Daniel H. Wilson, 304 pages, 3/14/18, very highly recommended, short stories
41. The Girl in the Moon by Terry Goodkind, 488 pages, 3/14/18, so-so
42. The Neighbors by Hannah Mary McKinnon, 384 pages, 3/14/18, recommended
43. To the Edges of the Earth by Edward J. Larson, 352 pages, 3/14/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
*44. The Feed by Nick Clark Windo, 336 pages, 3/14/18, very highly recommended
**45. The Flicker of Old Dreams by Susan Henderson, 320 pages, 3/14/18, very highly recommended.
46. Lacking Character by Curtis White, 208 pages, 3/20/18, so-so
47. SINdicate by J.T. Nicholas, 180 pages, 3/20/18, highly recommended
**48. The Price of the Haircut by Brock Clarke, 240 pages, 3/20/18, very highly recommended, short stories
49. Tangerine by Christine Mangan, 320 pages, 3/21/18, recommended
*50. The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman, 224 pages, 3/21/18, very highly recommended
51. The Wild Inside by Jamey Bradbury, 304 pages, 3/22/18, so-so
52. Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen, 304 pages, 3/22/18, highly recommended
53. The Other Mother by Carol Goodman, 352 pages, 3/27/18, highly recommended
54. Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser, 336 pages, 3/27/18, highly recommended
55. How to Be Safe by Tom McAllister, 240 pages, 3/28/18, recommended
56. Worth Killing For by Jane Haseldine, 352 pages, 3/29/18, highly recommended
April – 17 books
57. The Waters & The Wild by DeSales Harrison,320 pages, 4/4/18, recommended
58. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, 464 pages, 4/4/18, highly recommended
*59. The Very Marrow of Our Bones by Christine Higdon, 440 pages, 4/8/18, very highly recommended
*60. The Overstory by Richard Powers, 512 pages, 4/8/18, very highly recommended
61. Macbeth by Jo Nesbø, 464 pages, 4/10/18, highly recommended
62. After Anna by Lisa Scottoline, 400 pages, 4/11/18, highly recommended
63. Go Ask Fannie by Elisabeth Hyde, 304 pages, 4/11/18, highly recommended
64. The Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin, 336 pages, 4/12/18, recommended
65. The Life List of Adrian Mandrick by Chris White, 288 pages, 4/12/18, recommended
66. The Big Ones by Lucy Jones, 256 pages, 4/12/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
67. Raising the Dad by Tom Matthews, 320 pages, 4/18/18, recommended
68. The Plague by Kevin Chong, 256 pages, 4/18/18, recommended
69. Liar's Candle by August Thomas, 320 pages, 4/18/18, highly recommended
*70. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, 368 pages, 4/22/18, very highly recommended
**71. Property by Lionel Shriver, 336 pages, 4/22/18, very highly recommended, short stories
*72. Into the Storm by Tristram Korten, 288 pages, 4/22/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
73. Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel, 352 pages, 4/25/18, recommended
May – 20 books
74. The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy, 336 pages, 5/2/18, highly recommended
75. 2020 by Kenneth Steven, 160 pages, 8/21/18, highly recommended
76. Everything That Follows by Meg Little Reilly, 320 pages, 5/2/18, recommended
77. The Fourth Sacrifice by Peter May, 512 pages, 5/2/18, recommended
78. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, 352 pages, 5/6/18, highly recommended
*79. The Mercy Seat by Elizabeth H. Winthrop, 240 pages, 5/6/18, very highly recommended
*80. The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester, 384 pages, 5/9/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*81. The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz, 512 pages, 5/9/18, very highly recommended
82. How It Happened by Michael Koryta, 688 pages, 5/15/18, highly recommended
83. The Crossing by Jason Mott, 336 pages, 5/15/18, highly recommended
84. The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll, 384 pages, 5/16/18, recommended
85. Tin Man by Sarah Winman, 224 pages, 5/16/18, highly recommended
86. Little Disasters by Randall Klein, 352 pages, 5/20/18, recommended
87. Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces by Michael Chabon, 144 pages, 5/20/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
88. Late-K Lunacy by Ted Bernard, 428 pages, 5/23/18, did not finish
*89. Calypso by David Sedaris, 272 pages, 5/23/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*90. Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles by Anne Tyler, 24 pages, 5/23/18, very highly recommended, short story
**91. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, 496 pages, 5/30/18, very highly recommended
92. The Maw by Taylor Zajonc, 320 pages, 5/30/18, highly recommended
93. Still Lives by Maria Hummel, 288 pages, 5/31/18, recommended
June - 17 books
94. When We Disappear by Lise Haines, 304 pages, 6/6/18, highly recommended
**95. Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, 448 pages, 6/6/18, very highly recommended
96. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman, 352 pages, 6/7/18, highly recommended
*97. The Mutual UFO Network by Lee Martin, 304 pages, 6/14/18, very highly recommended, short stories
*98. The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts, 192 pages, 6/14/18, very highly recommended
99. The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson, 368 pages, 6/20/18, recommended
100. The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder by Sarah J. Harris, 368 pages, 6/20/18, highly recommended
101. The Melody by Jim Crace, 240 pages, 6/20/18, recommended
102. The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton, 288 pages, 6/20/18, highly recommended
103. What My Sister Knew by Nina Laurin, 384 pages, 6/21/18, highly recommended
104. The Possible World by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz, 368 pages, 6/27/18, highly recommended
105. Remind Me Again What Happened by Joanna Luloff, 288 pages, 6/27/18, recommended.
106. It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal, 336 pages, 6/27/18, recommended
**107. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler, 304 pages, 6/27/18, very highly recommended
108. Still Water by Amy Stuart, 336 pages, 6/29/18, recommended
109. Generation Game by Sophie Duffy, 256 pages, 6/29/18, highly recommended
110. Don't Make Me Pull Over! by Richard Ratay, 288 pages, 6/29/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
July – 15 books
*111. The Amazing Adventures of Aaron Broom by A. E. Hotchner, 240 pages, 7/3/18, very highly recommended
112. Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding, 352 pages, 7/6/18, recommended
113. Half Moon Bay by Alice LaPlante, 272 pages, 7/6/18, so-so
114. Creepy Crawling by Jeffrey Melnick, 352 pages, 7/8/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
115. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, 320 pages, 7/8/18, recommended
116. The Last Thing I Told You by Emily Arsenault, 416 pages, 7/10/18, highly recommended
117. The Pharaoh Key by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, 320 pages, 7/15/18, highly recommended
118. Watch the Girls by Jennifer Wolfe, 400 pages, 7/15/18, highly recommended
119. Whistle in the Dark by Emma Healey, 336 pages, 7/22/18, highly recommended
120. Believe Me by JP Delaney, 352 pages, 7/22/18, highly recommended
121. Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas, 336 pages, 7/22/18, recommended
*122. Hits and Misses by Simon Rich, 240 pages, 7/22/18, very highly recommended, short stories
123. As Wide as the Sky by Jessica Pack, 352 pages, 7/25/18, recommended
124. The Book of Ralph by Christopher Steinsvold, 416 pages, 7/25/18, highly recommended
**125. The Distance Home by Paula Saunders, 304 pages, 7/29/18, very highly recommended
August – 15 books
126. Read Me by Leo Benedictus, 256 pages, 8/2/18, so-so
127. Our House by Louise Candlish, 416 pages, 8/2/18, highly recommended
*128. Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon, 384 pages, 8/8/18, very highly recommended
129. The Drama Teacher by Koren Zailckas, 400 pages, 8/8/18, highly recommended
130. The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer, 368 pages, 8/12/18, highly recommended
**131. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, 384 pages, 8/12/18, very highly recommended
132. Feared by Lisa Scottoline, 400 pages, 8/16/18, highly recommended
133. A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean, 270 pages, 8/16/18, so-so
134. Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins, 480 pages, 8/18/18, recommended
*135. Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter, 480 pages, 8/19/18, very highly recommended
136. Ohio by Stephen Markley, 496 pages, 8/21/18, recommended
137. Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey, 272 pages, 8/21/18, highly recommended
138. Born Scared by Kevin Brooks, 256 pages, 8/23/18, recommended YA
*139. Tear Me Apart by J. T. Ellison, 496 pages, 8/27/18, very highly recommended
140. The Other Sister by Sarah Zettel, 384 pages, 8/30/18, highly recommended
September – 14 books
141. Better Times by Sara Batkie, 156 pages, 9/1/18, highly recommended, short stories
142. Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart, 352 pages, 9/1/18, highly recommended
143. Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia, 336 pages, 9/2/18, highly recommended
144. When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica, 336 pages, 9/5/18, so-so
145. Three Little Lies by Laura Marshall, 352 pages, 9/16/18, highly recommended
146. In Her Bones by Kate Moretti, 320 pages, 9/16/18, highly recommended
147. Lies by T. M. Logan, 432 pages, 9/16/18, recommended
148. The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling, 304 pages, 9/19/18, recommended
149. Escaping the Rabbit Hole by Mick West, 304 pages, 9/19/18 highly recommended, nonfiction
150. The Watcher by Caroline Eriksson, 240 pages, 9/20/18, recommended
151. The Testament of Harold's Wife by Lynne Hugo, 304 pages, 9/26/18, highly recommended
152. I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan, 384 pages, 9/26/18, very highly recommended
153. The Night in Question by Nic Joseph, 320 pages, 9/30/18 recommended
154. Rainsongs by Sue Hubbard, 240 pages, 9/30/18, highly recommended
October -14 books
*155. Broken Field by Jeff Hull, 360 pages, 10/3/18, very highly recommended
156. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, 384 pages, 10/3/18, highly recommended
*157. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger, 352 pages, 10/4/18, very highly recommended
158. Under My Skin by Lisa Unger, 368 pages, 10/10/18, highly recommended
*159. The Witch Elm by Tana French, 528 pages, 10/14/18, very highly recommended
160. Open Your Eyes by Paula Daly, 304 pages, 10/17/18, highly recommended
*161. The Forbidden Door by Dean Koontz, 480 pages, 10/17/18, very highly recommended
162. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, 480 pages, 10/17/18, so-so
163. Gaslighting by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, 272 pages, 10/21/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
**164. The Library Book by Susan Orlean, 336 pages, 10/21/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
165. Resistant by Rachael Sparks, 216 pages, 10/24/18, so-so
**166. The Splendor of Birds: From National Geographic, 512 pages, 10/25/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
167. Shell Game by Sara Paretsky, 400 pages, 10/28/18, highly recommended
168. Deranged by T.R. Ragan, 288 pages, 10/28/18, highly recommended
November -12 books
169. An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire, 272 pages, 11/2/18, highly recommended
170. We Were Mothers by Katie Sise, 352 pages, 11/2/18, so-so
171. Love and Invention by Benjamin Constable, 323 pages, 11/3/18, highly recommended
172. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition, 592 pages, 11/6/18, nonfiction
*173. Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg, 288 pages, 11/11/18, very highly recommended
174. River Bodies by Karen Katchur, 290 pages, 11/11/18, so-so
175. Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates, 336 pages, 11/14/18, recommended
176. Milkman by Anna Burns, 360 pages, 11/14/18, recommended
**177. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, 480 pages, 11/24/18 very highly recommended
178. Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiani, 496 pages, 11/26/18, highly recommended
179. The Dark Heart by Joakim Palmkvist, 320 pages, 11/28/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
*180. Broken Ground by Val McDermid, 432 pages, 11/29/18, very highly recommended
December
181. We All Fall Down by Cynthia Clark, 288 pages, 12/5/18, recommended
182. Sound by Bella Bathurst, 224 pages, 12/5/18, highly recommended, nonfiction
*183. Influenza by Jeremy Brown, 272 pages, 12/12/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
*184. Watching You by Lisa Jewell, 336 pages, 12/13/18, very highly recommended
*185. The Hand of God by Alistair Begg, 256 pages, 12/20/18, very highly recommended, nonfiction
186. The Guilt We Carry by Samuel W. Gailey, 336 pages, 12/28/18, highly recommended
187. Freefall by Jessica Barry, 368 pages, 12/28/18, highly recommended
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