This is the second and final of two blogs where I talk, briefly, about my favorite books of the year. This list were hard to put together. Especially because I had a decision to make. Should I include books from my favorite series in this list? If I was going to do that, then my whole top five would have four spots taken up by books from the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. So I decided to keep those books off this list and instead just mention them here. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is my all time favorite book series. The first book, Storm Front was an amazing book that the series has just gotten better with age. If I was doing a top ten, then maybe I’d allow myself to fill the other five slots with the Dresden books I read. The Land is another of my favorite series that I listened to a lot of them this year (audio books baby!) . It’s Lit-RPG and I admit, it’s not for everyone. But if you’re a fan of RPGs and Fantasy books, then check out this series.
So lets move on to my top five fiction books from 2018.
5. Meddling Kids
This is a book that came recommended by SomewhatNerdy’s very own Critter. He mentioned it on the podcasts he’s on (SomewhatNerdy Radio and Watch Your Mouth) and I thought, why the hell not? Our tastes align just as much as they differ so it was a good bet that I would like it. Meddling Kids is about the Blyton Summer Detectives Club (reminicent of the Scooby-Doo gang) and their final case, which still haunts them to this day. In 1977 five kids and a dog solved the case of the Sleepy Lake monster but twenty years later the case still haunts them and Kerri, now grown up, is positive they got it wrong, so she gets as many of them back together as she can and goes back to their old summer retreat to find out what went wrong.
I read a lot of reviews for the book before I picked it up and there were rampant comparisons between Meddling Kids and various pop culture icons like Scooby Doo, IT, Cthulhu, Buffy and Stranger Things. Do you like those things? Of course you do, you’re a nerd and if you’re a nerd then you should enjoy this book. Most of the negative reviews I read for this were either bullsh*t nitpicky nose-in-the-air crap, or was picked up by someone who should have never picked it up in the first place. I’m not saying that if you don’t like the book you’re one of those people, just that most of the people who were vocal about their dislike of the book had bigger problems.
So do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It’s better than bad, it’s good.
4. More Than This by Patrick Ness
I may have gone into this book with rose colored glasses on because A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is one of my all time favorite books. So I was excited to see where this one went. Also, my wife had read this book already and thought I may like it, so what more did I need?
Let’s talk about plot. More Than This is about a young man who dies and wakes up in a lonely and desolate world. He finds that he’s in his old neighborhood in the UK and there’s no one around. In fact, it looks like no one has been around for years. So what is this strange world? Where is everyone? Why does it look so much like his old home? Did he really die? And if so, how and why?
Patrick Ness has a way with words and a brilliant mind that can tackle a multitude of topics ranging from things like loss and mental health. He tells stories with messages but isn’t heavy handed about it. He lets the story tell itself and every lesson unfolds naturally. I liked A Monster Calls more than More Than This but in no way is More Than This a bad book. If you’re a fan of Sci-Fi and Dystopian stories then pick this up. You won’t regret it. If you want to read my full review, check it out here.
3. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
I’m going to be honest. I would never have picked this book up if Anne hadn’t recommended it AND it worked for the 2018 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. But after reading it I’m so glad I picked it up. It’s hard to really say what the book is about and make it sound as interesting as it really is, but let me try. Cadence is part of the super wealthy Sinclair family. A family that owns it’s own island. An island that they go to every summer. The money doesn’t mean much to Cadence. In fact, she comes to hate the gratuitous and lavish spending. The only thing she loves about the island are her cousins and friends that she only sees during their ritualistic summer trips. But one year something happens on the island and all Cadence knows is that she’s somehow in the middle of it all. Why can’t she remember? Why won’t anyone, not ever her best friends, tell her what’s going on? And what does it have to do with the Sinclair fortune and the eventual inheritance?
This book is technically a YA book but I’m actually starting to not like that genre as it seems to imply that it’s a kids book. We Were Lairs is anything but a kids book and I truly believe that it can be enjoyed by both young adults and adults alike. If you’re in the mood for a general fiction book with hints of mystery and romance, then this is for you.
2. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Do you love Sci-Fi and are a fan of Firefly? Then read this book. That’s all I should have to say. If you want my full thoughts, you can read my review here. But lets keep this short. This book is about the ragtag crew of the wormhole tunneling ship The Wayfarer, how they get along, and a new job that could potentially change their lives either bay making them rich, or killing them. This book is first and foremost about the characters, which is why I think so many people compare the book to Firefly. Even though we all love Captain Mal, that show was about the whole crew and how they got along and the challenges they face. Same goes for The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. This book takes turns focusing on different characters so everyone gets their chance to shine, all the while keeping the base plot of their dangerous new job going.
If you like action packed Sci-Fi with space battles and laser blasters, then this isn’t the book for you. But if you like character driven books and likes settings that includes spaceships and alien planets, then pick this book up now. This could have been my favorite book of the year, but one title stood out above all others. This wasn’t a bad book at all. The only reason it doesn’t get first place is because I enjoyed the next book just a little more.
1. Simon VS. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (aka Love, Simon)
I also wrote a review for this book which you can find here! Go me! But let me write a bit about this one just in case you don’t currently have the time to read my super awesome review. Just like with most of the non-fiction books I read last year, the only reason I picked this up was to fill a prompt for the 2018 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge. That and it sounded interesting and was also being turned into a movie. So I thought, why not?
What started out as a book I was reading just to fill a prompt requirement ended up being one of my favorite books of all time. The title of this book makes it sound a lot more standoffish and preachy than it really is. This book is about Simon, a young man who is in the closet and has an anonymous email relationship with another gay kid in his school. The two met via their school’s gossip page on Tumblr. One day, a fellow student finds out Simon’s secret and blackmails him and wants him to play cupid for him, trying to set him up with one of Simon’s best friends. Should Simon go along with this blackmail and betray the trust of one of his best friends? Or should he risk being outed and potentially loose Blue, the anonymous guy he’s been talking to, that he may be falling for?
I truly believe that Slice of Life should be an official genre and that this book should be the first one that comes to mind. Simon VS. is a truly enjoyable romantic family dramedy that tells a simultaneously cute and scary coming of age tale that shines a new light on the issues of coming out of the closet. Read this book. It’s great.
Well there you have it. You now know my favorite non-fiction AND fiction books from 2018? Did you read any of these? If so, what did you think? Let me know! Also, what was your favorite book from last year? I’d really love to know the answer to that questions. So reply to this very blog, or hit me up on twitter or instagram @billiamswn.