Favorite Books I Read in 2018
Favorite Novels
Here are my 8 favorite novels (or novellas) I read in 2018 (many of them were published before 2018).
All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Murderbot is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. (For the sake of variety I didn’t include all 4 books in the series, but I could have)
Jade City by Fonda Lee. A wuxia Godfather novel. Sooooo cool.
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. The mix of science and magic works so well. The kind of book I’d love to write, but getting the balance between the humor and tension and empathy and the systems of the world requires so much skill.
When I was visiting my Irish relatives I captured a leprechaun and he gave me 3 wishes. For the first wish I demanded a post apocalyptic novel about a giant flying bear written by Jeff VanderMeer. Borne was the result. I loved it so much.
The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo. A Finnish chili pepper dystopia. Brilliant.
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Narco vampires!
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. Quirky, sad and powerful. The story of a woman who works in a convenience store in Japan.
Armed in Her Fashion By Kate Heartfield. A woman journeys into hell to retrieve her lost inheritance. Brimming with Brueghel-inspired medieval goodness.
I also read and loved The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang, Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse, Hole in the Middle by Kendra Fortmeyer, Every River Runs to Salt by Rachael K. Jones, The Ebon Jackal by E. Catherine Tobler and An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King.
Non-Fiction
The Library Book by Susan Orlean was far and away my favorite of the year. Packed full of quirky facts about libraries and librarians.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou. Hijinx in a biotech startup.
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream by Patrick Radden Keefe. Gangsters and illegal immigration.
Bugged: The Insects Who Rule the World and the People Obsessed with Them by David MacNeal. Weird bug facts!
The Beekeeper’s Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America by Hannah Nordhaus. Weird beekeeper facts!
I also really enjoyed Ladies of the Field: Early Women Archaeologists and Their Search for Adventure by Amanda Adams. Profiles of Victoria era women archaeologists.
And The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game by Mary Pilon. The scandals and secrets behind Monopoly.
Graphic Novels
Uzumaki by Junji Ito. A Japanese town is haunted by spirals. Weird and creepy in the best possible way.
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol. A girl and her ghost. Dark and funny.
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks. The first in a middle grade fantasy trilogy with lots of interesting world building and great art.
My Boyfriend is a Bear by Pamela Ribon and Cat Farris. So much fun.
Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll. A graphic novel adaption of one of my favorite YA books.
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J.M Ken Nimura. A powerful story about a girl struggling with dark powers. Recently made into a movie.
The Stuff of Legend: Omnibus One by Mike Raicht & Brian Smith. Stuffed toys venture into the realm of nightmares to rescue their owner.
Animus by Antoine Revoy. Weird and creepy things happening in Japan.
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani. A charming story about a girl trying to find out more about her family.
Sleepless by Sarah Vaughn. A fantasy romance about a princess and a knight who never sleeps.
Plus I also enjoyed the latest volumes of the Saga series.