The 2018 Reading Wrap Up

Part Two!

This time I'm just going to dive straight into it. Simply put, these are more of my favourite reads of 2018. For the first set of favourite books, you can find in Part One.

Favourite Retelling/Reimaging – Circe by Madeline Miller This book has got a lot of hype around it. The editions are so beautiful, you can see it all over bookstagram. This wasn't what made me buy it. I had previously read The Song of Achilles and had been waiting ages for Miller's next book. She did not disappoint. Circe is an imagining of the life of Circe – a character who pops up in Greek Mythology as a background/cameo character. In this Miller gives Circe a voice. It feels very much like a book of it's time. It is about agency and identity for women and it struck a cord with me. Miller has wonderful, magical prose and that's what I fell in love with before. It doesn't feel like dense reading, but it is crafted and lyrical. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get into more classical fiction. Though this isn't classics as such, it is a good bridge for it.

Best Thriller – The Woman in the Window by A J Finn I normally am really disappointed with thrillers, especially when they are building up a hype. For example, I really didn't get all the buzz around The Girl on the Train. However, I really enjoyed reading The Woman in the Window. It took the unreliable narrator in a different direction and I felt genuine empathy/fear of the narrator. I didn't see the end coming exactly, and the pace was fantastic. Maybe it is a book that wont stand the test of time, but it was by far the best thriller I read in 2018.

Best Book Box Read – Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan I got myself a Fairyloot book box subscription in April 2018, so each month I receive a surprise new release. I'll be doing a post later with more about this, but basically I get a book sent each month that I may not have read otherwise. This was a hard category to pick for as I've received some amazing reads – but a real standout for me, because I wasn't expecting to be as effected by it as I was, was Girls. This story is a fantasy, set in world where humans and demons are interwoven in society and humans are the lowest 'caste'. The Demon Emperor of this world takes human 'paper' girls to be his concubines. The story follows one of these girls. This book does not shy away from the darkness of its subject matter – it is handled with a master hand, beautifully and devastatingly done. It was a story that went in directions I didn't expect and the follow up is one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

Best Audio Book – The Illuminae Files series by Jay Krisoff and Amy Kaufman Again, 2018 was a year of discoveries for me and one of the biggest was the world of audiobooks. I had always believed I didn't enjoy audiobooks. But, they have changed from my childhood and now I love them. The best of the best has got to be these books. The production value is incredible. It was like a full on movie but in audiobook form. The story itself was also great, a definite favourite sci-fi series – but I really loved the audio. If you aren't sure about the format- I would suggest giving these a try and seeing how you get on. It might change your life.

Bought because of Bookstagram – To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo There are some books on insta that are so hyped, it's quite interesting to see because every now and then a book will come along and you will just see it everywhere. Normally, because it is instagram it is unbelievably pretty books – which can mean hit or miss in terms of whether you actually enjoy it or not. This book was one I probably wouldn't have read without it. It is a retelling of The Little Mermaid with a very dark perspective. There has been a bit of a trend for mermaid books in 2018, but for me this was the first and best one I read (haven't read them all – been pacing myself). It follows a fresh take where the mermaid is a Siren trying to kill the Prince. This was a proper adventure story with a fantastic female lead.

Bought because of Booktube – Scythe by Neal Schusterman My other source for book recommendations, and where I used to get all my recs from – Booktube. I went a little bit off Booktube for a while, but in 2019 I want to get back into it a bit more, follow more variety, including more Brit-based booktubers. I saw Scythe on quite a few places, but I think it was Emmasbooks that really made me sit up and listen. Scythe is a fresh dystopian story, where the world has eliminated death by ageing, illness etc. To limit the population – Scythe's cull the human race, a certain amount each year. We follow two teenagers who are picked to become Scythes. Dystopian fiction had become a bit stagnant for me in the last few years, but this felt refreshing. The characters, the world building – all of it was carefully constructed and slow building. I've been putting off the second book, possibly until the third book comes out because, I don't think I want to wait in between.

Favourite Duology – Six of Crows/ Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo My previous experience with Leigh Bardugo hadn't gone to great, I didn't really get Shadow and Bone so abandoned The Grisha Trilogy at that point. I wasn't really going to try again, until I saw all the buzz around this duology. I listened to these on audiobook and now I'm certain I will give the Grisha trilogy another go. The story follows the dregs, a criminal group of thieves led by Kaz – serious bad boy smouldering is pretty much how I would describe him. Characters are what drive these books and I loved it. I think because I connected with them more than I did the Grisha characters, I got into the world building and now that I have that I could go back.

Favourite Series – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas Similarly to the above, I didn't get on very well with Sarah J. Maas other series – a Throne of Glass, but I will probably go back to it now after reading ACOTAR. This was probably the most swept away I got with a book in 2018. The story follows Feyre who is taken away to the land of the Fae when she kills a shape-shifted Fae from the Spring Court... and from there it just goes wild. It's starts off as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and just spirals in so many different directions from there. If I had to sum up why I loved this series so much, I just have to say – Rhys. That is all.

No Expectations (a book I went into with no hype) – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. So I managed to get in before the hype with this book, now it is everywhere. What this meant is that I didn't really think I was going to love this book anywhere near as much as I did. This book is fantastic. Evelyn Hugo is fantastic. The audiobook – was fantastic. I just rave about this book so much. Voice is so important in character driven stories, and the voice of Evelyn Hugo – even though someone else is narrating, was so strong and powerful. I felt like she was in the room with me. It's a wonderful romp through old Hollywood. It is an unexpected love story. It is just the perfect read to get swept away in. Highly recommend.

Great Expectations (a book that lived up to the hype) – Home Fires by Kamila Shamsie I have never picked up a book like this before. The story is different from anything I've read before. But, it was set up for awards. I'd gone in with big expectations. It did not disappoint. The story is a re-imagining of the Antigone story set in modern Britain. It tells the story of three British-Muslim siblings when the youngest brother goes to Syria to join Isis. This is one of my favourite literary fiction novels I have read in years. I felt like I learnt from it. I felt like I gained perspective from it. I feel like this is one of those novels that will appear on English Literature syllabuses in the future. I feel like it should. The points raised in this book are so relevant – even more so now, than when it was published.

Book of the Year – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas I mean, I don't think there is more that I could add than the praise that is already out there for this wonderful novel. The story follows Starr – who witnesses her childhood friend being shot by a policeman. Like the book above, this is a book so relevant to the times. Even as an outsider to America's social dynamics, it is clear to see there are some big problems. Angie Thomas is a voice, she puts on the page real and important feelings. I loved this book so much and will not stop recommending for years to come.