I cannot believe it is July already! Though I am slightly under halfway toward my reading target (22/50), I have read some wonderful books so far this year, and thought I would share some with you.
So here are my top ten books of 2018!
TEN
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas.
Despite not being quite as exhilarating as the previous three novels, this novella was a beautiful edition to the A Court of Thorns and Roses franchise. Though it wasn’t particularly plot driven, it was a joy to read, and simply being with Feyre, Rhysand, and the Inner Circle once again was more than enough to earn Maas’ novella a spot on this list.
NINE
I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman.
I adore passionate characters, and this book thrives on characters with passion for people, and passion for art. It warmed my heart to the very core, and called to the teenage fangirl that I once was. It is full of wonderful characters that you will root for endlessly, and is a witty, honest telling of losing yourself in the growing world of fandoms.
EIGHT
How Do You Like Me Now? by Holly Bourne.
Witty, entertaining, and brutally honest, How Do Like Me Now? is a spectacular debut (adult novel). I talk endlessly about the talent Holly Bourne possesses for character and plot, but I know that Tori Bailey (and her musings and lessons learned) will be a woman that I carry in my mind throughout my twenties and into my thirties. My full review of this wonderful novel can be found HERE.
SEVEN
Theatrical by Maggie Harcourt.
A recent read, Theatrical is another novel bursting with passionate people – it is heartwarming, joyous, and I completely and utterly adored every minute of it. Though I particularly enjoyed all moments with Luke – who I talked a little more about in my full review, that can be found here.
SIX
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (though I accidentally pictured The Knife of Never Letting Go (oops)).
The second in the Chaos Walking series, The Ask and the Answer is an utterly phenomenal novel. Ness is brilliant – complex characters, excellent dialogue, and a story thick with allegory, while remaining extremely entertaining. The Knife of Never Letting Go is wonderful, but you will fly through this – it is fast-paced, and dazzling, and (though I have yet to read it), I think Monsters of Men may be the same.
FIVE
Unconventional by Maggie Harcourt.
It appears Maggie Harcourt is my novelist of 2018. Unconventional is, too, a heart-warming celebration of passion that is unapologetically nerdy. It rates (ever so slightly) higher than Theatrical as it features Aidan Green, who is, quite possibly, the dreamiest character I have ever had the pleasure to read. If you would like to know more, read my full review, HERE.
FOUR
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.
I am terrified of classics, though I can never pinpoint why. Perhaps it is because I like reading to be less demanding (as classics can often be), but Sense and Sensibility was wonderful. I raced through its gripping, and entertaining tale, drifting in and out of love with (almost) every character. It is ridiculously witty, and charming, and it captured all of my heart. It also happens to have perhaps the greatest book to film adaptation that I have ever watched.
THREE
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo.
An instrumental novel in my desire to write fantasy, To Kill a Kingdom is utterly spectacular. Complex characters that you will adore, dripping with wit and poise; a plot that will reel you in from the opening chapter; a world that will mesmerise you. Christo can do it all. Every moment of this novel is brilliant, and if you want to know more, my full review is here.
TWO
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
I will likely go into greater depth in a later post, but Reasons to Stay Alive arrived as I needed it most – it was a source of light at a period of my life that seemed to consist entirely of darkness. If you are struggling, and need guidance, you must have this book – and follow Matt on twitter. He is a personal superhero of mine, and I am working my way through Notes on a Nervous Planet (a follow up to RTSA) knowing that this man is truly a gift to us all.
AND TAKING TOP SPOT IS…
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.
It is now one of my all-time favourite novels – I raced through it, captivated by complex characters, twisted loyalties, daring plot, and a world I desperately wanted to be a part of. It is a book I would choose to erase from my own memory, simply so that I could experience reading it for the first time once more. If you want to hear me gush about it more, you can find my full review HERE.
Feel free to write a post in response to this one, or list some of your favourites in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
I loved ‘Sense and Sensibility’ too! I also tend not to read classics for the same reason as you. Great post!
Author
They can be so difficult sometimes, but Jane Austen is clearly witty enough to keep us entertained! Thank you! 😊
I used to read so my hand read a book so fast if I loved it but I jus haven’t loved a book in so long but this post is making me want to pick up a book again! Reasons to stay alive sounds like such a great book! X
Author
I’m so glad – reading slumps are the worst, but Reasons to Stay Alive is definitely the kind of book that will pull you out of it. It’s a really quick, and lovely read. 🌸
Ah I seen nothing but good reviews about The Cruel Prince, I need to get my hands on it asap! I also don’t read many classics but I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time last month and actually really enjoyed it. My favourite read so far this year has to be Children of Blood and Bone – it was such an amazing story, I need the sequel now! Great post x
Evie x | https://eviejayne.co.uk
Author
It’s UNBELIEVABLE. Pride and Prejudice is definitely near the top of my list as far as classics go. And I also have Children of Blood and Bone on my TBR – after all that I’ve seen/read about it, I think I’m going to LOVE it. Thank you! ❤️
I still need to read A Court of Frost and Starlight! I read the first 3 books in this series already this year so I NEED to read this soon! great series. Reasons to Stay Alive is on my bookshelf but I haven’t picked it up yet. I haven’t heard of any of the other books but The Cruel Prince sounds prettttyyy interesting!! x
https://lifeofshar.co.uk/
Author
ACOFAS is really lovely – definitely not as action packed as the others, but still sweet. The Cruel Prince is BRILLIANT. If you like the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, I guarantee that you will LOVE it! 💜
I’ve never read any of these yet, but I’ll be reading into them a bit further and see if any of them would be a good read for me! I’d love to read Reasons to Stay Alive, though! I see a lot of Matt Haig on Twitter and he seems so lovely, too!
Beka | http://www.bekadaisies.com
Author
Matt Haig is so sweet – he’s as kind, empathetic and wonderful in his books as he is on Twitter. It’s definitely worth the read. 💜
I’ve been umming and aging about whether to pick up The Cruel Prince, I think I might have to now. Austen is one of my favourite authors, I also struggle with classics but I find hers are actually rather easy to read.xx
angelwingsandpetticoats.com
Author
It’s so good! I cannot recommend it enough. I’d yell about it from rooftops if people would let me. 😂 There’s something about Austen’s writing style that has such an effortless flow to it.
These books all look so amazing! You’ve really drawn me in and I’m definitely going to be reading half of these soon now they’re on my radar
Author
They really are wonderful! That’s such a lovely comment. Thank you. 💜
Adding Matthew to my list!
Author
Good choice! ☺️
I’m going to be honest, I haven’t heard of a lot of these books but I’m really interested in reading that Matt Haig book aswell as the new one he’s released! People really seem to be raving about it left, right and centre!
Alice Xx
Author
Ha, I live in a very Young Adult Fiction orientated bubble, so I can imagine a lot of people haven’t heard of these either! Matt Haig is such a wonderful author – I’ve just started the new release and I’m loving it. ☺️💜
‘Sense and Sensibility’ – I have read so many books and never this one but have always wanted to, maybe this is the kick in the butt I needed! 🙂
Author
I promise you, it’s wonderful! You won’t regret reading it. ☺️
I can’t believe how many books you have read this year so far, I wish I could read that many! I think so far I’ve only read about 6. I hadn’t heard of most of the books you mentioned but I’ll definitely be giving some of them a try!
Author
I dedicate a lot of time to reading (probably more than I should)! 😂 Yay, that’s good to hear! Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to read.
I love seeing what makes people’s “Top Ten” lists. Your picks are vastly different from what I’m reading atm, going through a very feminist, radical, rebellious female moment but there were one or two picks that totally caught my attention Might investigate further.
Author
I just finished (otherwise it would have been in here) a collection of poetry called ‘She Must Be Mad’ by Charly Cox, and it EXACTLY fits ‘feminist, radical, rebellious’ – it’s so good. Would definitely recommend if that’s what you’re into at the moment. ❤️
I’m excited to read I Was Born For This. I really enjoyed Radio Silence by her so I have high hopes ☺️
Author
I haven’t read Radio Silence, but it’s been on my TBR since finishing IWBFT! Hope you enjoy it when you get around to reading it. ☺️
Ooh, haven’t read any of these yet! Will definitely be going on my TBR list.
http://www.theordinaryblogger.com
Author
Yay! Hope you enjoy whatever you get around to reading! ☺️
That reminds me to go finish Sense and sensibility! I started it last summer and never finished. Since I was an English major in school, I always read like five books at a time and finish around three of them lol. I’ve never actually read the other nine books. Time to update my reading list!
Author
It’s so good – you’ll definitely thank yourself when you finish it! ☺️
Wow I’m surprised you managed to actually put them in an order as well! When I do “best of” book posts I struggle so hard putting them in any sort of order! I haven’t read any of these but I’ve also read some amazing books this year so far. It’s been SUCH a good year for books!
Author
I didn’t intend to, but I just realised as I was doing it that they had an oddly clear order in my head! 😂 I know, right? It’s been amazing. And 2019 looks great as well – I feel spoiled.
I love a book post! Especially because I haven’t read one of these, thankyou for the recommendations! I will be adding a few of these to my amazon basket!
abbiejadewanders.co.uk
Author
Thank you! I always hope some people come with no knowledge of what I’m talking about and take something away from it, so that makes me really happy! Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to read. ☺️
I’ve been in a little bit of a reading slump recently and this post has given me a lot of inspiration (and a spendy Amazon basket!). I’m currently reading This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay and it’s ignited a new-found love of non-fiction and memoirs in particular 🙂
Phoebe xx
Author
Yay, I’m so glad it helped you! My mum recently finished Kay’s memoir and LOVED IT – and she’s a nurse, so it must be pretty good. Think I’m going to borrow it from her now! 😊
I haven’t read any of these novels yet! Several are definitely in my TBR pile. I’m glad you enjoyed these so much!
Author
Hope you enjoy whatever you get around to! 😊
Great post and good book recommendations!
Author
Thank you! ☺️