https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/a21qe4/the_best_books_of_2018_megalist/
created by leowr on 01/12/2018 at 09:32 UTC
246 upvotes, 34 top-level comments (showing 25)
It is that time of the year again, when every book-related website, blog, newspaper, bookseller, etc. releases their *Best Books of 2018* list.
Like last year, we have decided to put up a megathread to collect all these different lists, so feel free to share your favorite list here.
Are there any lists you are particularly looking forward to or lists that you pay close attention to?
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p.s. /r/books will host a variety of end-of-year threads in the upcoming weeks, including our yearly *Best Books of 2018* vote at the end of the year and a *Your Year in Reading* thread, so stay tuned for those!
Comment by leowr at 01/12/2018 at 13:54 UTC
74 upvotes, 4 direct replies
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Comment by spock_tart at 02/12/2018 at 01:53 UTC
31 upvotes, 4 direct replies
NPR always puts out a list of Great Reads that links to short, enticing reviews. It has lead me to a lot of unique literature I may not have considered otherwise.
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Comment by pearloz at 01/12/2018 at 16:11 UTC*
27 upvotes, 1 direct replies
The New York Times 10 Books of the Year
The NY Times released it's hundred notable books of the year. The Times article can be found here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2[1]...[2].
The Goodreads list can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1[3]...[4].
1: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2
2: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/19/books/review/100-notable-books.html
3: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1
4: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/129936.NYT_100_Notable_Books_of_2018
November 29th, the NYTimes announced the 10 Best Books of the Year.
Fiction:
Asymmetry[5] by Lisa Halliday
The Great Believers[6] by Rebecca Makkai
The Perfect Nanny[7] by Leila Slimani
There There[8] by Tommy Orange
Washington Black[9] by Esi Edugyan
5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297339.Asymmetry
6: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36739329.The_Great_Believers
7: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38330854.The_Perfect_Nanny
8: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36692478.There_There
9: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38140077.Washington_Black
Non-Fiction
American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment[10] by Shane Bauer
Educated[11] by Tara Westover
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom[12] by David W. Blight
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence[13] by Michael Pollan
Small Fry[14] by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
11: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35133922.Educated
12: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38530663.Frederick_Douglass_Prophet_of_Freedom
14: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218044.Small_Fry
Comment by [deleted] at 01/12/2018 at 16:47 UTC
49 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I really like the site Five Books, which is a site where experts make 5 book recommendations on a certain topic, and they're doing an ongoing series of lists for best Economics, Nature, Philosophy, etc. books of the year [(link)] (https://fivebooks.com/books/best-books-of-2018/[1]).
1: https://fivebooks.com/books/best-books-of-2018/
The Pulitzer prize winning critic, Michael Dirda, has a year end list which encourages you to "Forget trendy bestsellers" [(link)] (https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/forget-trendy-bestsellers-this-best-books-list-takes-you-off-the-beaten-track/2018/11/27/431707d4-f193-11e8-aeea-b85fd44449f5_story.html?utm_term=.392580dcea14[2]).
Comment by pearloz at 01/12/2018 at 16:16 UTC
17 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The Aspen Words Literary Prize is a $35,000 annual award for an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.
16 titles (including several short story collections and quite a few debut authors) that, in the Institute's words, address "a vital contemporary issue."
The topics these books cover may seem familiar if you follow the news, Aspen Words executive director Adrienne Brodeur said in a statement. "Gun violence, immigration, police brutality, Native American culture — but fiction allows us to examine these issues with more compassion." Brodeur says she hopes the list will get these books into readers' hands, "while also sparking meaningful dialogue around some of our greatest challenges today."
Last year's inaugural prize went to Mohsin Hamid, for Exit West[1], his powerful novel about migration, refugees, love and loss.
1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30688435.Exit_West
11 novels. 5 short story collections. 13 debut voices. The longlist can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1[2]...[3]
2: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1
3: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/130093.2019_Aspen_Words_Literary_Prize
Friday Black[4] by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Boat People[5] by Sharon Bala
A Lucky Man[6] by Jamel Brinkley
America Is Not the Heart[7] by Elaine Castillo
Brother[8] by David Chariandy
Gun Love[9] by Jennifer Clement
Freshwater[10] by Akwaeke Emezi
Small Country[11] by Gaël Faye
Where the Dead Sit Talking[12] by Brandon Hobson
An American Marriage[13] by Tayari Jones
The Incendiaries[14] by RO Kwon
Severance[15] by Ling Ma
Bring Out the Dog: Stories[16] by Will Mackin
There There[17] by Tommy Orange
If You See Me, Don't Say Hi[18] by Neel Patel
Heads of the Colored People[19] by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
4: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37570595.Friday_Black
5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34128675.The_Boat_People
6: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36480133.A_Lucky_Man
7: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34939312.America_Is_Not_the_Heart
8: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36672820.Brother
9: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35661769.Gun_Love
10: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35412372.Freshwater
11: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36750086.Small_Country
12: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35663633.Where_the_Dead_Sit_Talking
13: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33590210.An_American_Marriage
14: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36679056.The_Incendiaries
15: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36348525.Severance
16: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35458140.Bring_Out_the_Dog_Stories
17: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36692478.There_There
18: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35969834.If_You_See_Me__Don_t_Say_Hi
19: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297351.Heads_of_the_Colored_People
The winner will be announced at a celebration in New York City on April 11, 2019, and will receive an award of $35,000. Finalists will each receive $1,000.
Comment by pearloz at 01/12/2018 at 18:44 UTC
9 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The Costa Book Awards is one of the UK's most prestigious and popular literary prizes and recognizes some of the most enjoyable books of the year, written by authors based in the UK and Ireland.
Uniquely, the prize has five categories - First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year. It is the only prize which places children’s books alongside adult books in this way.
The Costa Book Awards Shortlists were announced today live on the Radio 4 show Front Row.
Fiction Shortlist:
The Silence of the Girls[1] by Pat Barker
Normal People[2] by Sally Rooney
The Italian Teacher[3] by Tom Rachman
From a Low and Quiet Sea[4] by Donal Ryan
1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37969723.The_Silence_of_the_Girls
2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37539457.Normal_People
3: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31937362.The_Italian_Teacher
4: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36339460.From_a_Low_and_Quiet_Sea
First Novel Award Shortlist:
Pieces of Me[5] by Natalie Hart
An Unremarkable Body[6] by Elisa Lodato
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle[7] by Stuart Turton
Meet Me at the Museum[8] by Anne Younson
5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40376145.Pieces_of_Me
6: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35510137.An_Unremarkable_Body
7: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36337550.The_7__Deaths_of_Evelyn_Hardcastle
8: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36237290.Meet_Me_at_the_Museum
Biography Shortlist:
To Throw Away Unopened[9] by Viv Albertine
The Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found[10] by Bart van Es
The Salt Path[11] by Raynor Winn
The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah: The Autobiography[12] by Benjamin Zephaniah
9: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35406499.To_Throw_Away_Unopened
11: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38085814.The_Salt_Path
Poetry Shortlist:
Us[13] by Zaffar Kunial
Assurances[14] by JO Morgan
Soho[15] by Richard Scott
Three Poems[16] by Hannah Sullivan
13: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36991810.Us
14: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36277537.Assurances
15: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35955748.Soho
16: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35237517.Three_Poems
Children's Book Shortlist:
The Colour of the Sun[17] by David Almond
Bone Talk[18] by Candy Gourly
Orphan Monster Spy[19] by Matt Killeen
The Skylarks' War[20] by Hilary McKay
17: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218358.The_Colour_of_the_Sun
18: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39723033.Bone_Talk
19: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35575184.Orphan_Monster_Spy
20: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39903894.The_Skylarks__War
Winners will be announced in January.
Comment by Be_Lynn_again at 02/12/2018 at 02:24 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The Guardian's Best Books of 2018 https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2018/dec/01/guardian-review-best-books-of-2018[1][2]
1: https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2018/dec/01/guardian-review-best-books-of-2018
2: https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2018/dec/01/guardian-review-best-books-of-2018
Comment by andrewroy39 at 04/12/2018 at 13:23 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Comment by withaneff at 04/12/2018 at 15:11 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I love the reviews on Lit Hub's book list!
Comment by koavf at 07/12/2018 at 21:25 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
https://lithub.com/who-wore-it-best-us-book-covers-vs-uk-book-covers-for-2018/
Comment by leowr at 05/12/2018 at 09:10 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The New Yorker's List of The Best Books of 2018
A few of these caught my eye, but I haven't gotten around to reading any of them (so I can certainly sympathize with Waldman's lament about being behind on reading books I want to read.)
Comment by leowr at 07/12/2018 at 08:06 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Science Friday released their list of The Best Science Books of 2018
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Comment by cmehigh at 10/12/2018 at 21:40 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Interesting thoughts here on some of Slate's best 10 books of 2018:
https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/best-books-2018-laura-miller.html[1][2]
1: https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/best-books-2018-laura-miller.html
2: https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/best-books-2018-laura-miller.html
Comment by [deleted] at 11/12/2018 at 09:57 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[removed]
Comment by SpaceRook at 02/12/2018 at 15:56 UTC
3 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Is Washington Black better than The Underground Railroad? Because everyone raved about TUR, but I didn't find it special at all.
Comment by TPL_on_Reddit at 13/12/2018 at 18:19 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
For those cookbook lovers out there ... you know who you are!
Toronto Public Library's "Best Cookbooks of 2018 Critics' Picks"
Comment by DavoinShower-handle at 28/12/2018 at 20:36 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
President Obama’s List!
"Becoming" by Michelle Obama
"An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones
"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die" by Keith Payne
"Educated" by Tara Westover
"Factfulness" by Hans Rosling
"Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging" by Alex Wagner
"A Grain of Wheat" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
"A House for Mr Biswas" by V.S. Naipaul
"How Democracies Die" by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
"In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History" by Mitch Landrieu
"Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"The New Geography" of Jobs by Enrico Moretti
"The Return" by Hisham Matar
"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe
"Warlight" by Michael Ondaatje
"Why Liberalism Failed" by Patrick Deneen
"The World As It Is" by Ben Rhode
"American Prison" by Shane Bauer
"Arthur Ashe: A Life" by Raymond Arsenault
"Asymmetry" by Lisa Halliday
"Feel Free" by Zadie Smith
"Florida" by Lauren Groff
"Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom" by David W. Blight
"Immigrant, Montana" by Amitava Kumar
"The Largesse of the Sea Maiden" by Denis Johnson
"Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" by Max Tegmark
"There There" by Tommy Orange
"Washington Black" by Esi Edugyan
Comment by vincoug at 05/12/2018 at 17:18 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Honestly, their lists from past years read like they were written by people who read a handful of bestsellers that year but his year's list looks really interesting. I'm definitely interested in reading a lot of these.
Comment by leowr at 08/12/2018 at 09:58 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The Smithsonian has a couple lists of best books of 2018[1], but I'm particularly interested to see what they had on their list of Best History Books of 2018[2]
1: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/best-books-2018-180970895/
2: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/best-history-books-2018-180970864/
p.s. If you can't see the lists on their website, it is probably because they have their website set to hide the lists if you have adblocker turned on.
Comment by [deleted] at 09/12/2018 at 18:12 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The Progressive has a nice list https://old.reddit.com/r/books/comments/a4ka74/our%5C_favorite%5C_books%5C_of%5C_2018%5C_the%5C_progressive/[1][2]
2: https://old.reddit.com/r/books/comments/a4ka74/our_favorite_books_of_2018_the_progressive/
Comment by nzawk at 12/12/2018 at 11:13 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
A selection of 2018 books from and about the Arab world
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https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2018/12/notable-books-of-2018-from-and-about-the-arab-world/[1][2]
1: https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2018/12/notable-books-of-2018-from-and-about-the-arab-world/
2: https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2018/12/notable-books-of-2018-from-and-about-the-arab-world/
Comment by NotADrawlMyMan at 28/12/2018 at 04:11 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Google Play's top 5 most popular
Comment by caz_d_lan at 03/01/2019 at 20:43 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Foreign Affairs "The Best of Books 2018"
Comment by oyendreela at 04/01/2019 at 09:18 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
u/bidyutchanda108 ❤️ Check this out.
Comment by CommandoBrando96 at 06/12/2018 at 01:12 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Out of the two books i've read that came out this year but Michael Pollan's "How To Change Your Mind" was fantastic.