I always rather look forward to pulling together a post about my books of the year – I just love looking back through the year’s posts, remembering the pleasure every single book has given me. My Goodreads challenge tells me I’ve read 141 books this year – far more than in previous years, though fairly tame compared with some of my blogger friends – but when I add in the early reads and the ones that I couldn’t review for other reasons, it’s actually over 150. I know it’s something I say every year, but 2018 really has been an exceptional year for books – I gave 107 of the books I’ve read a thoroughly deserved five stars on both Amazon and Goodreads, and I really did want to include every single one of them.
Last year I wrestled my top favourites into a final list of 20 – this year, I’ve found the task totally impossible. So, I’m going to produce a list in two parts. Romance makes up a large part of my reading, and it always rather upsets me that so many of the books I’ve enjoyed within that genre fail to make the “cut” when I pare down my list – and I was particularly incensed that the whole genre has also been excluded from the lists from the Guardian and the BBC this year. Today, I have my first list of 18 (in 2018, the figure seemed appropriate!) drawn from across all my reading range (including, I’ll admit, a few that probably could have been on the romance list instead – forgive me for that, I have no energy left for reshuffling!).
Here’s my first 18… they’re not in any real order, and all links are to my reviews.
Once Upon A River – Diane Setterfield
The Lion Tamer Who Lost – Louise Beech
The Book of Love – Fionnuala Kearney
The Slow Death of Maxwell Carrick – Jan Harvey
The Story Collector – Evie Gaughan
The Alone Alternative – Linda MacDonald
Bluethroat Morning – Jacqui Lofthouse
The Cliff House – Amanda Jennings
Meet Me At The Museum – Anne Youngson
Anatomy of a Scandal – Sarah Vaughan
Fallible Justice – Laura Laakso
Before We Say Goodbye – Madeleine Reiss
Miss Marley – Vanessa Lafaye and Rebecca Mascull
It’s Who We Are – Christine Webber
Do join me again tomorrow to discover the romance reads that delighted me this year…
Fab list Anne I just won a copy of The Lost Daughter and although it’s not my normal type of read it does sound really good. Happy Christmas & Best wishes for 2019 🎄🎁😘
I hope you enjoy The Lost Daughter as very much as I did, Lorraine. Thank you for commenting, and wishing you and yours a lovely Christmas xx
Excellent list there Anne, and of course we have a few in common. Will look forward to the romance list too!
I never doubted it, Joanne – I’ve enjoyed reading your choices this year too!
Looks like a great lineup! I haven’t read any, but several certainly captured my attention 🙂
Thanks Aislynn – choosing was SO difficult!
Wonderful selection. Happy Christmas and Happy 2019 to you Anne, your Mum and all your family and friends and thanks so much for all you do and for supporting Only One Woman and me this year. Really appreciated. xx
Thank you for all your support this year too, Jane – wishing you and yours a lovely Christmas, and a very Happy New Year xx
The very same to you Anne, and to your mother as well. I hope 2019 is your best year ever. Thanks for all you have done for me and for Only One Woman – really appreciated xxxx
Yes, yes, yes! So many here I agree with or have yet to read!
I’ve decided not to make a top this year, the choosing part is killing me! But I love lots of the books in this post!
Some of these I’ve read, some nestling on my kindle and a few I’ve added to my Amazon wishlist x
Thank you so much, Anne! I’m honoured to see my book in such great company. Happy Christmas!
Your recommendations are always so enticing and so diverse Anne, I must confess quite of few of these are rolling over into my TBR for 2019. Thank you. X
Thank you for including Yes in your list, Anne. Keep up the good work and happy reading next year. Anne P