2018 Best in Books

**2018 READING STATS** 

Number Of Books You Read: 94
Number of Re-Reads: 23
Genre You Read The Most From: Paranormal Fantasy

Created by Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner

1. Best Book You Read In 2018?

For: Introspective beautiful writing, diversity in historical fiction

For: Creative world building, diversity in science fiction

For: The most harrowing  audiobook I have EVER sat through with convincing plot twists and great, fully fleshed characters

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I LOVED The Tao of Pooh...but this did not live up to its predecessor.  It had moments of brilliance that were reminiscent of ToP, but it went onto preachy tangents and rants that had no actual evidence to back up the arguments other than opinion, which is a shame.  I do still recommend The Tao of Pooh if you haven't read it though!

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

I was so surprised by this one!  I thought it would fall somewhere between smut and fluff and it had so much love and substance. I loved all three story lines in this, and recommend this if you are into contemporary romance!

5. Best series you started in 2018? 

     

1. I was not expecting to love Patricia Brigg's Alpha & Omega series more than her Mercy Thompson series.  I never expected paranormal romance to appeal to me as a genre, especially more than paranormal fantasy but I freaking ADORE Anna and Charles.  I LOVE that you have a main character who uses her submissiveness and meekness as a strength.

2. You don't really see many stories about WWI, let alone the traumas of how it affected entire nations, families, and communities. The Maisie Dobbs series is such a thoughtful look at the time period in Britain and has given me a much better understanding into cultural and social mores of the time.

Best Sequel of 2018? 

Best Series Ender of 2018?

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2018?

Natasha Pulley's atmospheric writing and beautiful storytelling has made her a new go-to author for me!

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

 I don't read much contemporary fiction, particularly if I know it is going to deal with some challenging emotional subjects.  This is definitely worth reading.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Hands down no question The Good Daughter.  The story unwinds in three major section, and each section starts with this gruesome scene that is the catalyst for the main story.  But each time the story is retold, it's done from a new point of view so you get more information.  I do not know how I survived this in audiobook form. It was SO INTENSE.

 9. Book You Read In 2018 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2018?

     

11. Most memorable character of 2018?

Maisie Dobbs - I'm at least 2/3 of the way in the series now and it's wonderful to see how much she has grown emotionally in the series since the start of it all.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2018?

At the risk of repeating myself...did I mention that everything about The Watchmaker of Filigree Street was beautiful? Because if I didn't...it very much is.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2018?

Modern Romance - for a variety of reasons.  One, it appears to be well researched and is very upfront about what it doesn't cover or isn't sure about.  Secondly...because of the author and the scandal that popped up after the book.  

  14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2018 to finally read? 

 I originally started this series at the height of my Cassandra Clare rage (read book 5 of The Mortal Instruments).  So it may have suffered a bit. I have since seen the light (although I stand by my feelings on books 4 and 5 of TMI) and gave the series another shot. So glad I did!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2018?

“Thaniel listened for a while longer, because the silence was so deep and clear that he could hear ghosts of the thirty-six of thirty-seven possible worlds in which Grace had not won at the roulette, and not stepped backward into him. He wished then that he could go back and that the ball had landed on another number. He would be none the wiser and he would be staying at Filigree Street, probably for years, still happy, and he wouldn't have stolen those years from a lonely man who was too decent to mention that they were missing.”  - The Watchmaker of Filigree Street 

“Cats never liked to admit to names. Being named might lead to being held responsible for something.” - Frogkisser!

“You forget what it was like. You'd swear on your life you never will, but year by year it falls away. How your temperature ran off the mercury, your heart galloped flat-out and never needed to rest, everything was pitched on the edge of shattering glass. How wanting something was like dying of thirst. How your skin was too fine to keep out any of the million things flooding by; every color boiled bright enough to scald you, any second of any day could send you soaring or rip you to bloody shreds.” - The Secret Place

16. Shortest &Longest Book You Read In 2018?

 
41 pages




699 pages                                      

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

The Good Daughter hands down.  Did NOT see a lot of that coming

18. OTP OF THE YEAR

Well, I can't say because I don't want to spoil the book. So otherwise, basically the entire cast of Lord of Shadows (particularly Kit + Ty!)

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Lady Helen and her teren-in-training Darby. Actually just all the relationships in this book.  Runner up would be Lord of Shadows!

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2018 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

I mean, obviously.

21. Best Book You Read In 2018 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc.:

The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal

This was recommended to me by my cousin and it was gorgeous both in art style and story telling.

23. Best 2018 debut you read?

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

In the interest of not putting the same book for ever category (*cough* Watchmaker of Filigree Street/Ship Who Sang)



Dread Nation.  I mean...hello post Civil War zombies.  That's about as good as it gets!

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

          

1. No one does fun quite like Gail Carriger, and Madame LeFoux is possibly my favourite character in the entire Supernatural Society series, so having her get her own spin off novella? Perfection.

2. If you only know Garth Nix for his Abhorsen, this has a very different vibe.  It's fun and silly while still having substance to the story.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Although Anne McCaffrey is a big name in books, it's usually about her (amazing) series the Dragonriders of Pern.  I don't have any friends who have read this one, so if you like science fiction at all, I highly, highly recommend this book!

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2018?

Honestly that would probably go to books I've already mentioned, so I'm going to throw in another title I LOVED this year, but didn't have a question here that merited it as an answer.



All of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's books are GORGEOUS.  This is the third book in the series that starts with The Shadow of the Wind, but honestly they can be read in any order.  Despite the fact there is an actual chronological order they happen in I think the fact that it doesn't matter when you read each - the reveals just happen in different places, is so unique and very cool.