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 Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Looking for a quirky, fun romance with unique likeable characters?  Your hunt is over.  The Rosie Project is the story of Don Tillman.  Don knows he is wired differently than everyone else, and lives a very organized life as a professor in Australia.  He decides to enter the dating scene and starts a “wife project” complete with an extensive questionnaire.  He cannot find the “perfect” woman, but hopes his friend Gene can help out.  Gene sends over Rosie for a candidate and Don’s life is changed forever.  Will Don be able to find love?  Will he be able to change his routine?  Is he capable of feeling love?

I really liked how unique Don was and that novel was told from his point of view.  I like that he knows that he is “wired differently” than most people, but doesn’t seem to realize that he probably has Asperger’s like the many children in a seminar that he teaches once for his friend Gene.  Don has a hard time emphasizing with people, but he can make connections.  I loved the sweet story of his dinners with his elderly neighbor Daphne and how his trips continued to see her when she moved on to a nursing home with Alzheimer’s.  He has a hard time seeing beyond his routine and I love how the adventures he has with Rosie break him out of the routine and make him realize there could be fun doing different things.  I also like that Rosie realizes she can have fun with Don doing items in his routine.

This was a fun, quick story that made me laugh a lot.  I loved Don’s “voice” and how he uses logic to try to solve all problems.  As an engineer, I felt like I’ve met a lot of Dons. I read that it has been optioned as a movie and I really hope it is made into a romantic comedy.  There has really been a dearth of good romantic comedies lately.  The story was told from Don’s point of few, I wish we could have gotten more of Rosie’s point of view in the story.  Don is not always the most perceptive when it comes to lady’s feelings so sometimes I was wondering how exactly she felt.

This book was a Kewaunee Library Book Club selection for the month of February and is a great read for the month of Valentine’s Day.  I sadly will miss the meeting next week to discuss this book due to work.

Favorite Quotes:

“Gene and Claudia tried for a while to assist me with the Wife Problem.  Unfortunately, their approach was based on the traditional dating paradigm, which I had previously abandoned on the basis that the probability of success did not justify the effort and negative experiences.  I am thirty-nine years old, tall, fit and intelligent, with a relatively high status and above-average income as an associate professor.  Logically, I should be attractive to a wide range of women.  In the animal kingdom, I would succeed in reproducing.  However, there is something about me that women find unappealing.”

“At 2:50 a.m. I was riding through the inner suburbs.  It was not a totally unpleasant experience.  In fact, I could see major advantages for myself in working at night.  Empty laboratories.  Not students.  Faster response times on the network.  No contact with the Dean.  If I could find a pure research position, with no teaching, it would be entirely feasible.”

“In the last eight weeks I had experienced two of the three best times of my adult life, assuming all visits to the Museum of natural History were treated as one event.  They had both been with Rosie.  Was there a correlation?  It was critical to find out.”

Overall, this was a fun, exceptional book with one of my favorite new literary characters – Don Tillman.  I will be recommending this book to others!

Book Source:  The Kewaunee Public Library