Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I’ve Read in 2018 (So Far)

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader girl explores our favorite books we’ve read in 2018 so far!

Pete’s Five:

Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith – Short, powerful, and brilliantly written. This is my favorite Ali Smith book—and that’s saying a lot since everything she writes is incredible.

The Fox by Sherwood Smith – This was the sort of sequel that not only blows the first book out of the water but also improves it. I can’t wait to reread the Inda quartet knowing what’s to come.

News of the World by Paulette Jiles – This is one of the best books I’ve read in 2018, and also one of the best books I’ve ever read. A wonderful, wholesome adventure.

Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggers – As always, Eggers knows how to write realistically and humorously equally well. Heroes of the Frontier may not do anything remarkable, but it’s one of my favorite Dave Eggers books.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson – The last Sanderson book I’d read was Oathbringer, so the bar was set high. Despite this, and despite all of the negative things I’ve heard about this book, I found Elantris to be fresh, unusual, and filled with memorable characters.

Indiana’s Five:

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh – This sliver of a book has captivated the past few generations and I am in no way immune to Lindbergh’s clever writing and her extraordinarily down-to-earth wisdom.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics. I’ve read it almost a shameful number of times and I always love returning to it. However, Villette deserves almost as much time and attention. A wonderful story to sink your teeth (and mind) into.

An Ember in the Ashes (series) by Sabaa Tahir – These are some of the most fast-paced books I’ve read in a long time. I think Tahir does an excellent job of creating a plot that’s as exciting as it is believable and she can write characters really well.

Radio Free Vermont by  Bill McKibben – In this hyper polarized political climate, this book was able to bring together both sides in a way that was as comedic as it was clever. The book explores what would happen if Vermont just decided to secede from the United States (which they didn’t join until 1791, years after the U.S. was founded).

Less by Andrew Sean Greer – Part love story, part rom-com, part take on “American abroad,” this book delivered in every way. I loved Greer’s concise and cutting writing style and I felt like he never exceeded the plot line.