Laura’s Top 10 Books of 2018

I’m always a little behind on my top ten books from the past year.  I’ve got links to reviews of my favorite books of 2018 below in my list.  I had a hard time narrowing down my list so I have quite a few books in my runner’s up list as well.  Let’s discuss what you think of my list in the comments below.  What were your favorite books of 2018?  Were any the same as mine?

These are the ten books I loved the most that I read in the year 2018.  It doesn’t mean they were necessarily published in 2018.  I also didn’t count books that I was reading again for the second time (The Long Winter for example by Laura Ingalls Wilder).  These were the books I read and then couldn’t stop thinking about long after I’d read the final page.  They are in no particular order, but are my top ten favorite books.  They are a mix of non-fiction, historical fiction, mystery, romance, literary fiction and classics.

1. And Then There were None by Agatha Christie - This was pretty much the perfect mystery novel.
2. My Grandmother Asked Meto Tell you She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman - An exceptional and interesting story with magical elements woven throughout about a gifted girl learning how to deal with grief and bullying.
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon  - A great coming of age story and a mystery seen through the eyes of the autistic narrator.  I just thought it was a mystery and was blindsided by the deep emotional turn the book took. 
4. Every Note Played and Still Alice by Lisa Genova - Both of these novels were 2018 Kewaunee Library Book Club picks, and both were excellent looks at how neurological diseases affect someone and their family.  They were both great books to discuss.
5. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller - Awesome in both print and audiobook, this classic novel is a wild ride into the hypocrisy and lunacy of war.  I can't wait for George Clooney's new series based on this book.
6. The Giver by Lois Lowry - I will admit, I'm still creeped out by the end of this book.  A good look into the horror we can create when we try to make the perfect world.
7. Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenadore - This historical fiction novel blew me away with a heart rending story involving the boarding schools that were used to assimulate Native American Children and tear them away from their culture.
8. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood - Another great book for book club, The Handmaid's Tale provided a lot of discussion.  Could you see this dystopian future happening?
9. The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin - There is a reason why we call off school when we know the weather will be cold, and it's The Children's Blizzard.  It's a horrifying true story of the blizzard of 1888.
10. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - A hilarious love story told by an autistic professor. It was a unique novel that made me laugh out loud a lot while reading it.

Runner’s Up:  The Endless Beach and Christmas on the Island by Jenny Colgan, Movie Nights withthe Reagans by Mark Weinberg, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield, and The GreatAlone by Kristin Hannah

The Giver by Lois Lowry

As a fan of dystopian fiction, I’ve been meaning to read The Giver for years.  When it was published in 1993, I was fifteen and had already moved on to adult fiction so I missed this book.  I purchased this book a couple of years ago and finally moved it to the top of my “to read” pile after I saw it on the PBS Great American Read list.

Set at some point in the future, Jonas lives in an ideal world where there is no hunger, no abuse, and no war.  Everyone has a set path in life that is decided at a ceremony when you turn twelve years old.  At the ceremony, Jonas is given the assignment of becoming “The Receiver” and learning from “The Giver” the memories that must be held to protect the entire community. As Jonas learns more, he begins to feel in a way he has never been allowed to feel before, but he learns that there are also bad feelings to go along with the good.  What will Jonas do with his new knowledge?

This book really disturbed me.  It was really well written.  The world seemed ideal and calming until you got to the end and saw what was underneath it all to allow this scenario.  To think that feelings are gone can lead to a very disturbing world.  I literally have not been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it.  I thought the ending was ambiguous, but perfect the way it was (for discussion the ending check out the spoiler section.)  Are the next three books in the series worth it or is it better to stop at this one perfect book?  What was the movie like?  Did it stay true to the book?

SPOILER ALERT

The ending is very ambiguous.  What do you think happened?  I really think that Jonas and Gabriel were having a suicide sled ride or were hallucinating from hypothermia.  When I saw this was a quartet of books though, it made me think that maybe Jonas lives on.  What will happen to his town now that Jonas the receiver is gone?  Will the Giver have to work on someone new?  

Jonas’s Dad was the most disturbing part of the book to me. To be so nurturing and caring to infants, but to have lost all sense of emotion that you can put a child to sleep / death for being the smaller of two twins or not sleeping through the night is horrifying.

SPOILER END.

Favorite Quote:

“His childhood, his friendships, his carefree sense of security – all of these things seemed to be slipping away.”

Overall, The Giver is a modern classic that is not to be missed.

Book Source:  I purchased this a few years ago while back to school shopping a few years ago.  My husband read it and loved it, but I didn’t pick it up until this month when I saw it on The Great American Read list.