BEST BOOKS OF 2018

WINNER: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
This book is the most creatively plotted book I have read in my lifetime. The main character wakes up in an unknown body, gets a new identity each day, and has seven days to solve the mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. The consequences for failure are severe: reverting to the beginning of the week and reliving it all again, forever. Beautifully written with each subsequent character developed to complement the plot twists, this book will keep you turning pages and reveling in the unique story. It. Is. Brilliant.



General Fiction:  A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne
This is a completely different turn for the author of The Heart's Invisible Furies, this time exploring the age old siren's song of success and greed. The life of Maurice Swift, a man who relentless seeks stories, is a tal eof greed, obsession, desperation, and unmitigated ambition. The question is, what came first...the evil or the ambition? This is a provocative novel that will provide a book club with endless conversation and an individual with haunting thoughts.

Honorable Mention: There, There by Tommy Orange, A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, Virgil Wander by Leif Enger, The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland, Us Against You by Frederik Backman, The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Night Child by                                          Anna Quinn, American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Mystery: The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
A woman visits a funeral home to plan her own memorial, and is then found strangled just six hours later; a deliciously clever cast of suspects abound as we see the latest crime-solving duo created by Anthony Horowitz. writer Anthony Horowitz (yes, one and the same) who Hawthorne wants to write up his life story into true-crime fashion. These two are hilarious, brilliant, and ultimately completely ingenious as we watch the mystery unfold. As with any British caper, red herrings are rife in the scenery and Horowitz uses his own bungling to mirror the reader's confusion as to whodunnit.

Honorable Mention: The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn, The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware, The Plea by Steven Cavanaugh, The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey, The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor, Into the Black Nowhere (Unsub #2) by Meg Gardiner, Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Historical Fiction: The Silence of the Women by Pat Barker
The traditional version is of Achille's anger when his slave girl Briseis is taken from him by Agamemnon, thus leading to Achille's temper tantrum and his refusal to fight for the Greeks on the plains of Troy, all about taking back the beautiful Helen. However, author Pat Barker has her own opinion of how the story actually played out, and in this one, the truth of rape, war, deception, and loyalty is revealed in the most beautiful prose and from the woman's point of view. The consequences of war on the women and children of an occupied country are powerful and unforgettable.

Honorable Mention: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton, In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills by Jennifer Haupt, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, How to Stop Time by Matthew Haig

YA Fantasy: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Set in the world of Orisha, the magic has been vanquished years ago through murder and destruction, killing the maji off and leaving their children, the diviners behind. The diviners have no magic, but have stark white hair against their brown skin to set them off. Enslaved and abused, the diviner society is set for rebellion. This is an incredible gift of storytelling to the world. If you like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and every other magical tale of friendship, loyalty, family bonds, destruction, power, fear, you name it, pick up this book. You will not regret it.

Honorable Mention: Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl, Legendary (Caravel #2) by Stephanie Garber, Court of Thorn and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Science Fiction: Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
This dystopic novel takes place in a world of 'today' - no spaceships, no Big Brother computers, just normal Pacific Northwest setting. However, the federal government has recently outlawed all abortions, as well as invitro treatments, making them crimes for which young unwed teens and grown married women can be imprisoned. And just for an encore, the latest law is the "two parent family, only mom and dad" rule, stopping all single people, much less (gasp!) gay people, from adopting the unwanted babies. The premise is creative and oh so topical.

Honorable Mention: Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2) by Neal Shusterman, Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman

Memoir: Educated by Tara Westover
Raised in a strict Mormon family in the mountains of Idaho, Tara and most of her siblings were kept out of school, not to be educated at home, but to work in their father's scrap yard and their mother's homeopathic and unlicensed midwifery business. It is a profound look at what happens when one doesn't educate a child on things we think are basic. How does this skew their view of the world? How does the world look on this child, when as an adult their questions and comments show not only ignorance, but whiffs of racism and hatred? Whose fault is it? Parent, society, the  individual herself? Can a lack of education, or conversely a formal education, fundamentally change society?

Honorable Mention: Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel's Classroom by Ariel Burger, Rising Out of Hatred by Eli Saslow, Heartland by Sarah Smarsh, The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton, Southern Discomfort by Tena Clark

Non-Fiction, History: The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Revolving around the story of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Central library, this is a love letter to all things "library" - the history, the buildings, the administrators, and the frontline people who devote their lives to books, as well as some investigative journalism over 'whodunnit.'

Honorable Mention: The Soul of America by John Meachum, The World As it Is by Ben Rhodes, The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis, The Day the World Came to Town by Jim Defede, American Nations by Colin Woodard




Non-Fiction, Social Justice: One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson
This short book by Carol Anderson, recommended by both President Obama and former AG Eric Holder, is a fascinating look at what has happened to the voting rights of all Americans over the past decade. It also looks at the history of of the past one hundred years, including the poll taxes, the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This research will give one a deeper knowledge of the systematic manner in which voting rights have been stolen from millions of Americans, especially those who live in poverty and/or are people of color: the purging of voter rolls, voter suppression campaigns through social media, the removal of polling places and places to register, the myth of voter fraud, and the illegal use of voter ID laws.

Honorable Mention: Janesville by Amy Goldstein, What Truth Sounds Like by Michael Dyson

Non-Fiction, Science: Rocket Men by Robert Kurson

This new book on the historic first orbit of the moon is a wonderful walk down a lot of exciting memories, but it is also an outstanding reminder of what hope, determination, and plain ole hard work can accomplish. It is as an incredibly inspiring story of what three men did for our country on Christmas Eve in 1968.

Honorable Mention: The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, Cure: A Journey into the Science of the Mind by Jo Marchant