It is that time of the year folks, where we all get excited to share our best books and not-so-best reads of the year. And without further ado let’s get down and dirty!
I managed to compile a mid year reading wrap-up, earlier this year, and thus the following list will be more precise and compact but feel free to browse through that one before you continue on. And also the books mentioned down below are not necessarily published in 2018 just the ones I read this year.
Best Books of 2018
Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag & Srinath Perur
My very first fantastic read of the year, no doubt was Ghachar Ghochar written by Vivek Shanbhag and translated by Srinath Perur. This is a little book packing a humongous punch, if you are looking for a short story and a powerful narrative about family ties, and the grand scheme of things then you can be certain this one will not disappoint you. I went with 5 stars.
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Available in Pakistan
Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1) by Kevin Kwan
Up next we have a book, almost everyone on Earth knows by now, that’s right we are talking about Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. If you are looking for a beach read with glamour, drama and gossip, pick this one up and thank me later! I gave it 5 stars.
Publisher: Corvus
(Easily) Available in Pakistan
Holding by Graham Norton
A small-town setting and an Irish village guard who has to plough through heaps, and heaps of gossip to uncover answers that just might save his career and his life. This one was definitely a surprise for me, first book by Graham Norton and the attention to detail was just absolutely perfect, I went with 4 stars.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Available in Pakistan
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
You. need. this. book. in. your. life. Enough said!
Small town setting, domestic thriller, suburban drama, call it whatever, Ng outshines in this one and you will literally not know what hit you whilst knowing every single thing! And if you don’t know what the firetruck I am taking about then pick up the book today and let’s make a spoiler chat group! I went with 5, big, shiny stars.
Publisher: Abacus
Available in Pakistan
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
An author who pays homage to Christie like no other! If you are into sharp but easy mysteries/thrillers that can be devoured in one sitting then you’ve got to pick up this book! Lapena creates the ideal atmosphere for a cold, cold night, it is the perfect combination of clever and witty and if you are looking for a character-driven-thriller then what are you waiting for? I went with 4.5 stars.
Publisher: Bantam Press
Available in Pakistan
Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie
Remember all the dystopians that hit the market right after The Hunger Games and the Divergent series? I had read them all and was tired of the chosen-one theme but then Matched came along! And I think the reason why I enjoyed this one so much is because it is JUST a love story, people fighting in the name of love and not to create a rebellion against the newly-formed government against the backdrop of a futuristic society. Pick this one up if you are looking for a YA series with love, trauma and lot of pining! I went with 4 stars.
Publisher: Penguin
(Easily) Available in Pakistan
Blood on Snow (Blood on Snow #1) by Jo Nesbø
‘Crime by the Book’ talks about Jo Nesbo all the time! And this year when I finally saw one in my local bookstore, I picked it up and realised that years and years of wax lyrical for Nesbo weren’t nearly enough! This one is particularly a slim novel and is a stand-alone from Jo Nesbo, not a Scandinavian murder mystery, but most definitely still Nordic Noir. Its takes you on a dark and gritty journey into underworld of Oslo and I promise, you won’t be able to put this one down! I went with 4.5 stars.
How to Live Plastic Free: A Day in the Life of a Plastic Detox by Marine Conservation Society, Luca Bonaccorsi, Richard Harrington & Clare Fscher
I could write a whole, different blog post about this book and I think I’ll do just that! For the record, I went with 5 stars.
And that’s about it! Unfortunately it was a year of disappointments for me in terms of reading but I did stumble upon a few stories that were good but didn’t live up to name in the very end. Here are some honourable mentions, many of which didn’t make the cut by just a mere point:
Autumn (Seasonal #1) by Ali Smith (Literary Fiction)
Sidney Sheldon’s Reckless (Tracy Whitney #3) by Tilly Bagshawe (Thriller, Suspense)
A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind by Shoukei Matsumoto (Nonfiction, Philosophy, Self Help)
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus (Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery)
The Right Time by Danielle Steel (Adult Fiction, Romance)
The Exact Opposite of Okay (Untitled #1) by Laura Steven (Young Adult, Contemporary, Feminism)
The Good Doctor of Warsaw by Elisabeth Gifford (Historical Fiction)
Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav (Poetry, Contemporary)
Pyjamas are Forgiving by Twinkle Khanna (Contemporary, Indian Literature)
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (Women’s Fiction, Contemporary)
The Girl in Room 105 by Chetan Bhagat (Mystery, Indian Literature)
Love Her Wild by Atticus Poetry (Poetry, Romance, Contemporary)
Worst Books of 2018
As I mentioned earlier, this year, I came face-to-face with many disappointments, story-lines that were unable to draw me in and/or authors that just didn’t do anything for me. Here’s a quick look at the worst reads of my year:
Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie (Detective Fiction)
Artemis by Andy Weir (Science Fiction)
This Man (This Man #1) Jodi Ellen Malpas (Erotica, Contemporary, Romance)
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe #1) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Young Adult, LGBTQ Literature, Contemporary)
The Perils of Being Moderately Famous by Soha Ali Khan (Autobiography)
How Do You Like Me Now? by Holly Bourne (Women’s Fiction, Contemporary)
One Perfect Christmas and Other Stories by Paige Toon (Holiday Fiction, Christmas)
And yes folks! We are done with yet another year of reading, I read a total of 64 books which up front might look like a decent number but with the number of blah books I read, I am hoping 2019 brings better. Here’s to a new year of health, joy, prosperity, intentional choices and good reads! See you next year.