Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books Of 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is my favorite books of 2018. This was a hard list to make. I read over 100 books last year, and most of them were good! That’s why I had to pick 10 favorites and 10 honorable mentions. I tried to put them in order, but the order is pretty arbitrary. All 20 of these books are excellent.

The Best Books Of 2018

10. Refugee by Alan Gratz

Middlegrade historical / contemporary fiction

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . . .

Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in America . . .

Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .

All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections will tie their stories together in the end.

Why I love it: The story is realistic but not bleak. Anyone can become a refugee. It’s not just something that happens to people far away or in the past. I also love the way the three characters’ stories come together in the end.

9. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (A Song Of Ice And Fire #2)

Adult high fantasy

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk at night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel . . . and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Why I love it: I’m obsessed with the TV show and need the books to get me through the show’s (way too long) hiatus. I like the complex world and seeing all of my favorite characters from the show.

8. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (A Song Of Ice And Fire #3)

Adult high fantasy

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage, alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons left in the world. And as opposing forces maneuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mystical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords.

Why I love it: Craziness and death. And all the same reasons I love A Clash of Kings. Also, this is the longest book I’ve ever finished. *Pats self on back.*

7. Scythe by Neal Shusterman (Arc of A Scythe #1)

Young adult science fiction / dystopia

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Why I love it: Neal Shusterman is the master of the YA dystopia. The world in Scythe probably won’t ever happen in real life, but it’s still believable because the author has thought of everything. A world without death is complicated and fascinating.

6. The Butcher’s Hook by Janet Ellis

Adult literary / historical fiction

London, summer 1763. At nineteen, Anne Jaccob is awakened to the possibility of joy when she meets Fub, the butcher's apprentice, and begins to imagine a life of passion with him. 

The only daughter of well-to-do parents, Anne lives a sheltered life. Her home is a miserable place. Though her family want for nothing, her father is uncaring, her mother is ailing, and the baby brother who taught her to love is dead. Unfortunately her parents have already chosen a more suitable husband for her than Fub. But Anne is a determined young woman, with an idiosyncratic moral compass. In the matter of pursuing her own happiness, she shows no fear or hesitation. Even if it means getting a little blood on her hands.

Why I love it: It’s a combination of my three favorite genres: literary historical horror. The main character rebels against her prescribed role in society by brutally murdering a bunch of people. We need more books about female mass murderers. Girl power! I guess.

5. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

Young adult science fiction / alternate history

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone. 

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost. 

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead. 

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship. 

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay.

Why I love it: The story is a mixture of the real and the outlandish. Mary Shelley—a real person—is a character in this book’s strange steampunk world.

4. Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (Villains #2)

Adult science fiction / dystopia

Eli Ever and Victor Vale were only medical students when their mutual discovery that near-death experiences can, under the right conditions, manifest extraordinary abilities.

They were best friends, and rivals, and then enemies. They were dead, then alive, and then—Eli killed Victor, once and for all.

Or so he thought—but Sydney Clarke felt otherwise, and used her own superpower to tip the scales. Now, a trio hides in the shadows, while another takes advantages of post-death life to take over the city of Merit.

If there can be life after death—will there be calm after vengeance, or will chaos rule?

Why I Love It: Victor and Eli are two of my favorite fictional characters. They’re unapologetically evil. This series is clever, and violent, and nobody stays dead for very long.

3. The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Montague Siblings #1)

Young adult historical / science fiction

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Why I Love It: Mackenzi Lee became one of my favorite authors in 2018. Gentleman’s Guide is sweet and hilarious, but it’s not completely frivolous. This book really needs to become a movie. There’s action, mystery, drama, and characters with huge personalities.

2. The Smell Of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Young adult historical fiction

Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck suddenly comes her way. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home—until one of them ends up in terrible danger.

Why I love it: The setting. There’s a quote on the cover that says “This book is Alaska.” I agree with that. If you like books set in rural places, this is a must-read.

1. Salt To The Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Young adult historical fiction

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

Why I Love It: A quick way to get me interested in a book is to say that it’s “based on a true story.” I love when fiction can teach me about history. This is a fast-paced historical survival novel about a real-life event. It’s so harrowing that I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. It has stuck in my brain longer than any other book I read in 2018.

Honorable Mentions

• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (Middlegrade fantasy)
• Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey (Adult literary fiction / mystery)
• City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab (Middlegrade fantasy)
• How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon (Young adult contemporary fiction)
• Revival by Stephen King (Adult horror)
• The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Middlegrade historical fiction)
• Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History by Bill Schutt (Adult nonfiction)
• The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn (Adult nonfiction)
• Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman (Young adult science fiction / dystopia)
• The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (Middlegrade historical fiction)

What is the best book you read in 2018?