I’m guessing sometime in the past several months you’ve read a book that has excited you, spoken to you, been impossible to put down. The kind of book you tell all of your friends about and perhaps even give as a gift.
I would really like to hear about that book. In return, I promise to make your holiday shopping a little easier.
Here’s the deal. Today I’m starting the Favorite Books Giveaway for 2018. Tell me your favorite book from 2018 and the reason you liked it. I’ll add your book to a list of recommendations and your name to a drawing of potential winners. In the end, we’ll have a collection of fabulous book titles to use as a shopping guide, and one lucky winner will have a Barnes and Noble gift card.
Favorite Books of 2018: Giveaway details
- You may enter the giveaway by commenting here on the blog, my Facebook profile, my Twitter feed, or my Instagram Favorite Book post by Friday, December 14, 2018.
- Your comment must include your favorite book from 2018 and a short explanation of why you recommend it. All genres welcome.
- The book doesn’t have to be published in 2018, just read in 2018.
- I will announce the winner on Monday, December 17 with the full list of favorites. That will give you plenty of shopping time. 😉
- The giveaway winner must provide a mailing address for the gift card.
The first suggestions
My favorite book this year was Tell Me More, by Kelly Corrigan. It’s a thoughtful memoir about the things Kelly is learning to say to the people she loves, including “tell me more”, “yes”, and “no”. (Click to read my full review of Tell Me More.)
My next favorite was Beartown, by Fredrik Backman, author of A Man Called Ove. Here’s the opening line of Beartown:
Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double barrel shot gun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else’s forehead, and pulled the trigger. This is the story of how we got there.
Wow! Talk about a hook! Beartown is the story of a small town and its obsession with hockey, but this isn’t a sports book. It’s full of multidimensional characters with secrets and hurts who are all just trying to do the best they can. It explores themes of loyalty, the role of sports in small communities, and how people gain power.
Two things I loved about Beartown. First, throughout, Backman uses an onomatopoeia, “bang, bang, bang” to punctuate the narrative. The “bang, bang” can be the sound of a stick hitting a hockey puck, the sound of a puck hitting the wall, or the sound of a gun going off. Especially since I listened to the audio production of the book, this literary device effectively grabbed my attention and accentuated the fast pace of the story.
Second, I loved how Backman captured the dynamics of small town life. I live in a small town, and Beartown felt real to me. One of Backman’s characters says, “We may not know right and wrong, but we do know the difference between good and evil.” Sometimes it’s hard to know the right thing to do. Sometimes it’s easy. And sometimes, it depends on the person who is choosing. Backman explores this idea in multiple story lines, from multiple perspectives. (Thank you, Dana, for recommending this book on Kiss My List!)
Now, it’s your turn. What was your favorite read in 2018 and why? Remember, you could win another book if you share!
Thanks for getting nerdy with me,
Hi Julia! I had to go back through my Good Reads list to see when I read certain books. I think I have to pick The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas as the best of the year. The story is told from the perspective of 16-year-old Starr Carter. Starr is getting a ride home from an old friend when they are stopped by a policeman who subsequently shoots and kills Starr’s friend. Starr, who attends a mostly white private school but lives in her parent’s old neighborhood examines her life in the aftermath. I found the story very moving. I understand that it is about to come out as a movie. I enjoyed the book so much that I have NO inclination to see the movie.
I want to read both of your picks! They sound terrific. My favorite? So hard to pick! But since I must…Educated by Tara Westover
Other notables: QB by Steve Young, The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalan, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast (graphic memoir), and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
My most un-put-downable book this year was Farthing by Jo Walton, but it is sadly out-of-print. It’s an alternate history of England, assuming a peace made with Hitler in 1941 and the rise of fascism in Britain. I think it fascinated me because it was so close to actually happening.
Since gift-givers would be unable to get a copy of any of Walton’s Small Change trilogy, I’ll put forth the idea of another 5 star read from this year: News of the World by Paulette Jiles. Amazon’s blurb says: “In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction . . . that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.” It was brilliant.
I might note that neither of these genres (alternate history, western) is my usual reading, but I was encouraged outside my comfort by glowing reviews from other bloggers. I’m so glad I was!
The Might Dead,Why Homer Matters. It’s a broad take on the importance of the Illiad and Odyssey, alternating between a very personal view of the poems by the author and a sweeping analysis of the book’s setting, language, historical accuracy and who Homer may or may not have been. It’s amazing how many echoes can be detected in these poems from an oral, tribal, oral world if you listen carefully enough.
Adam Nicolson comes up with some very surprising conclusions – and he uses some beautifully descriptive writing throughout.
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. Story of the creation and growth of Nike, including how they came up with the name and swoosh. Mr. knight is a runner that just wanted to make better running shoes. A good read, a history story including high risk business decisions that turned out well for Nike. The story moves along well, but I like history and stories of succes.
Sounds great, Scot! I love books about running. Thanks for sharing!
I’m thrilled you loved Beartown, Julia! Thank you so much for this post; it’s motivating me to get started on my year in review. It’s been a not-so-stellar year for reading for me – no five star books at all. But Beartown’s sequel (Us Against You) is one of my top ten. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but I’m going with The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. Here’s my review: Give yourself time to become immersed in the life of Cyril Avery, who is born to a teenage girl in rural Ireland, and adopted by a wealthy couple in Dublin. Each section of the book fast forwards seven years, so we meet Cyril’s mother, then Cyril at seven, fourteen, twenty-one, and so on. His story isn’t necessarily an extraordinary one, but it unfolds beautifully. The writing is fabulous, the characters are magnificent, and it’s just the kind of book that settles into your soul and stays there.
Can’t wait to read others’ picks!
My favorite was “Radium Girls”. Very different from anything I have ever read, and a piece of history I never knew existed. It was riveting, terrifying and fascinating all at the same time!
Lori Jo – 50 With Flair