Best Books of 2018: my top 10 favorites

Narrowing down my books to my Top 10 of 2018… not too difficult.

But narrowing down my favorite memoir? Impossible. So I went with the 3-way tie that felt right to me.

And there’s a 2-way tie for literary fiction, too. Because I just can’t decide.

And I get to write the rules around here  : )  so here we go…  

Best Short Stories

Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks

Give this book a whirl if you like… celebrity authors, well-evoked characters, short stories from a variety of viewpoints, typewriters

Best Self-Improvement

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink

Give this book a whirl if you like… exploring everyday life through new eyes, thinking about timing, considering factors that surprisingly affect outcomes, Freakonomics

Best Memoirs (3-way tie)

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Give this book a whirl if you like… memoirs of an unusual childhood, reading about life during and after apartheid, outsider narratives

Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Give this book a whirl if you like… memoirs of city dwellers moving to the country, middle-aged love stories, a light touch of humor, compulsively readable writing

Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly

Give this book a whirl if you like… tiny snippets of story, memoir in bite-sized pieces, poetic and perfect writing, humor

Best Young Adult Fiction

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Give this book a whirl if you like… a realistic teen viewpoint, reading fiction inspired by current events, contemplating Black Lives Matter, exploring complex issues in a nuanced way, powerfully emotional novels

Best Biography

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Give this book a whirl if you like… discovering the real person behind the stories, learning about a literary legend, learning about the author of children’s classics, American history through the life of one pioneer, overcoming hard times

Best Women’s Fiction

I’ll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos

Give this book a whirl if you like… dual narratives, seaside settings, second chances, finding love, life after a breakup, heroic characters quietly saving lives

Best Literary Fiction (2-way tie)

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Give this book a whirl if you like… lovely writing, creative use of language, Black Lives Matter, Fates and Furies, he said/she said narrative style, considering social issues through fiction

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Give this book a whirl if you like… big stories, books about complex families, stories about people’s lives falling apart, stories about houses, dual connected timelines, the life of a scientist, individual evolution and evolution of species

So, my fellow readers… what’re your favorites of the year?