Monday, December 31, 2018

2018 Books

It is time for my list of best books read in 2018!

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

January – 13 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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