Best Books of 2018

Happy New Year! It's once again that time to list my favorite books I read this past year. I enjoy going back through my list and remembering all the worlds I had the privilege of entering, but it's always hard to choose the best. Surprisingly, since I thought I had less time this year than the previous one, I read a total of 44 novels. Woohoo! 

Best Classic
Of the four I read, the one that lingered the longest is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I'm inching my way through her books, and though this novel wasn't my favorite of hers, it reminded me why she's so renowned today and why I should continue traveling to 19th century England. Who knows? Perhaps another of her novels will pop up here next year. 

Best Adult Fiction 
Brandon Sanderson's Elantris barely beats Neal Gaiman's Stardust for this spot. They're both fascinating, fantastically-written fantasy series, but the mystery of the god-like Elantrians who are now destined to rot forever in a desolate city seized me and wouldn't let go. I've loved every Sanderson novel I've read, so if you enjoy fantasy, please check him out! You won't regret it. 
*This novel could also be considered young adult due to a lack of more mature concepts. 



Best Young Adult Fiction 
Though I'm no longer a young adult, I still adore these books and devour them like a two-year old with a stocking full of candy on Christmas. I read many delightful ones this year, too many to choose between them. So, forgive me, but I'm going to choose two. Like Sanderson, I've relished everything that Maggie Stiefavater has written and that I've had the opportunity to read. This year it was her magical-realistic novel, All the Crooked Saints. This tale explores the darkness found within every human and how we can conquer those shadows, together. 

The other book I was torn between is Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein. Although I also loved her award-winning, Code Name Verity , I empathized more with the characters in the former book, loved its exotic Ethiopian setting, and the happier notes written throughout. But I'm still very much looking forward to perusing Rose Under Fire, the partner to Code Name Verity, this year. 





Best Children's Fiction 
This was an easy choice, as I only read one book in this genre. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck is sassy, hilarious, and just plain fun. I shared this quick, easy book with several family members, and they all loved and laughed through it. 

Best Non-Fiction 

If you want to travel without the cost and annoyance of airports, then A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle is your ticket. This novel follows a year of Peter and his wife's new life in Provence, France, in a witty, charming way. What makes it even better is that it's all true! 





Best Re-Read 
I reread Marissa Meyer's Cinder and Scarlet to prepare for the next books in the series: Cress and Winter (more terrific young adult books that I had to choose between!). It was nerve-tingling and laugh-inducing to hang out with these unique, raw characters again. I definitely feel like I'm good friends with both the protagonists in Cinder and Scarlet, and it was a joy to observe the threads of their story twine together into a beautiful, unifying piece of art.