I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.
Last week I shared my favorite nonfiction reads of the year. I definitely had a longer list of top-notch nonfiction for this year, but I still managed to come up with ten fiction reads that I enjoyed the most in 2018!
1. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
In a rare move for me, I actually read this book twice after it was published in September. (I recommend the audio version.) It's fast-paced and engaging, but also grapples with questions of fame and power in a way I can't remember seeing in another book. Just be prepared that the ending is a setup for the sequel!
2. The Belgariad series by David Eddings
This series was a childhood favorite of mine and still the only high fantasy series I really like, and it was fun to revisit old friends through the audiobooks. I did not get to the Malloreon (the sequel series), but I plan to listen to those books in 2019.
3. The Clocks by Agatha Christie
I finished off the Hercule Poirot novels this year, and this was my favorite of the ones I read in 2018. It's creepy and unpredictable and different from many of the other Poirot books.
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The full-cast audiobook production of this book was delightful; I love the world-building and the action-packed plot. Unfortunately the rest of the series went downhill for me.
5. I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
Although this was in some ways a predictable YA romance, it was also something different, set in a rural town with a love interest who's come back mentally and physically wounded from Afghanistan at nineteen. Much of the plot, particularly involving side characters, did not go where I expected, and I appreciated the balance of realism with happy ever after.
6. Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
I adored this sequel to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I laughed, I cried, I related hard to Leah's perfectionism, and I liked getting the chance to see the characters from Simon from a different perspective.
7. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
This is the rare series that just gets better and better with each book. I liked the mystery itself, I liked the slow-burn romance, I liked the representation of PTSD, and I liked the exploration of different kinds of unhealthy relationships. I don't recommend reading this if you haven't read the first three books in the series yet, but if you have — definitely pick this up!
8. The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater
I've seen people losing their minds over this series for years, but YA fantasy has never been my thing so I put it off until this year. And then it was so flippin' good! Three out of the four books were 5-star reads (it's hard to have a perfect series ending), so unlike some series, I wholeheartedly recommend the entire thing.
9. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
This is like a tour of Australia filled with heartbreakingly real characters who face impossible decisions. It's unpredictable in the best way. It's slow to get into, but it's very much worth it.
10. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
This lived up to the hype as an adorable, feel-good romance that was predictable but not as much as I expected. I can be nit-picky about YA romances, but I genuinely enjoyed this read.
What were your favorite fiction reads this year?
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Sophie's Choice and Americanah
Five years ago I was reading: David and Goliath and War and Peace
Ten years ago I was reading: Traffic
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