It's that time of the year - time to look back and see what was the best of 2018. This month, I planned to do a best of...everything, kind of like this post in the past, but I think I have left it too late. And now, instead of sitting leisurely blogging about all the great things that happened this year, I am punching out keys in a hurry, and doing only a best books of 2018. My other "best of" posts will have to go live in 2019 only, unfortunately.
After this post, I will then start packing up our bags for our year-end family weekend trip. We will be shortly leaving to Sri Lanka. It's been ages since we all went out as a family, and I am really looking forward to this super-short but action-packed break.
And now on to the best books of the year.
- The first book I read this year was The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. This simple story of a boy with Asperger's syndrome was really sweet. Not much in terms of plot, but I really loved the main character. My daughter (12 years old) and I buddy-read this book, and both of us enjoyed it equally.
- I think I read Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan in May, and since then it (and the next book in my list) has been giving me serious travel lust. Based in Myanmar about a group of tourists getting kidnapped, it really should not have me wanting to travel to Myanmar. But it does. I now have a Skyscanner alert for flights into Myanmar, but with the currency conversion rates right now, it just doesn't seem feasible 🙁 .
- The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh is also based in Myanmar. It is a historical fiction spanning from the fall of the monarchy in Burma (its old name) to World War 2. It's not a perfect book by any means. Towards the end, it drags quite a bit, but I loved it nevertheless.
- I absolutely adored The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy, and I was disappointed when it didn't make the Man Booker shortlist. I loved the big-hearted nature of the book, and how the author wasn't afraid to be political.
- This year was a bit of a bummer when it comes to crime fiction. Every summer, there is one hot crime read that sets the blogosphere on fire. That book this year was The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, and it was the best thriller I read this year. I would have loved it more if I hadn't read Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. These books set the bar way too high in summer thriller reads.
- The Fallen by David Baldacci is a bit of a dark horse for me. Baldacci is not my favorite writer. This book was a review copy, and review copies almost never make it to my year end favorite list. But this one did. I found the small town Americana of this book wonderfully atmospheric. I loved every twist in this book just as much.
- Talking about review copies, another book I accepted for review and loved was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book was a Goodreads choice 2017 winner, so it appears quite a lot of people share my opinion of the book. This is a must read!
- I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan was similar thematically to The Hate U Give. In this world where there is a lot of racism and divide between people, I think books like these are wonderful for young people to read and understand an outsider's point of view.
- The Glass Room by Simon Mawer was a Man Booker shortlisted book in 2009. It's very typical of most Booker nominated books. I enjoyed it very much.
- Considering the amount of Fantasy I read this year, it seems a shame that the only Fantasy book making it to my top ten list is the second book in The Dark Artifices series. Lord of Shadows was a fun read. It's a bit on the longish side, and not as good as the first book in the series - Lady Midnight. Still, it was the most enjoyable Fantasy book I read this year.
What were your favorite books this year? Do you have any recommendations for me? Do share in the comments.
Still coming up, best of movies and TV, and a general annual 2018 summing up post. Watch out for those around the New Year time frame.
Signing off on this post for now wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, happy holidays and a fabulous 2019!
