Best Books of 2018 - AdultsLike this list

29 items

• Educated

  a Memoir

  Westover, Tara,

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  Recommended by two staff members! - I was completely engrossed in Westover's family life, her innate drive to learn, and especially her use of her journals to re-create and make sense of who she was and who she has become. Her training as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Wedding Date

  Guillory, Jasmine,

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  Recommended by two staff members! - This perfectly straddles the line between chick lit and romance, and is a smart, fun, thoroughly enjoyable read. Despite its fluffy subject matter, Guillory interweaves themes of racism and the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Circe

  Miller, Madeline

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  This was hands-down my favorite read of 2018, and I can’t praise it highly enough – Miller manages to take a character from mythology who readers are already very familiar with and make her story feel fresh. It’s both beautifully written…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• From a Low and Quiet Sea

  Ryan, Donal, 1977-

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  Donal Ryan beautifully weaves together the disparate lives of a Syrian refugee and the inhabitants of his new home in Ireland. Lyrically examining its characters' heartbreaking personal struggles, this short, oblique novel gives us a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Queens of Innis Lear

  Gratton, Tessa,

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  This fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear is beautifully written and gives new life to familiar characters. Even the villains are fully human and surprisingly sympathetic. A great read for fans of the original play. - Anna

• Vox

  Dalcher, Christina,

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  Imagine a near future in which women are only allowed to speak 100 words per day. Is it possible for a book to be scary as all get-out and yet fantastically amazing at the same time? - Tracy

• The Mars Room

  Kushner, Rachel,

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  This powerful and realistic novel by the author of The Flamethrowers is one of my favorite books of the year. Set mostly in a women’s correctional facility in California, fans of “Orange is the New Black” might see some similarities…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Once Upon a River

  Setterfield, Diane

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  This novel blends the real and the mystical in an exploration of family, relationships, belonging and perception. From a striking and mysterious opening that introduces a dark man and a young girl who appears to come back from the dead,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Body Positive Power

  Because Life Is Already Happening and You Don't Need Flat Abs to Live It

  Crabbe, Megan Jayne,

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  Megan Crabbe struggled with eating disorders and extreme dieting her whole life until she discovered the thought framework of body positivity. I follow her on instagram (@bodyposipanda) and she is an incredible person who has taught me so…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Matty Matheson

  a Cookbook

  Matheson, Matty,

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  This heartfelt, irreverent, and at times profane cookbook by the inimitable young Canadian chef is a love letter to the people and places who bred in him his deep appreciation of food and cooking. The organization of the book is based…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• There There

  Orange, Tommy, 1982-

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  With its title presaging an examination of Gertrude Stein's reflections on Oakland, Tommy Orange's debut novel opens with a ten page blast from the Native American past that contextualizes its revelatory portraits of twelve urban Native…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Duke by Default

  Cole, Alyssa,

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  I love how Alyssa Cole takes some common tropes and turns them into something completely new and even better. In general, I dislike grumpy men characters, but Tav actually made me like him so much because he grows and changes and becomes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The English Wife

  Willig, Lauren,

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  Perfect holiday season reading, this is a mystery set in Gilded Age New York that culminates in a murder on the night of a Twelfth Night ball. Willig makes good use of the dual-timeframe technique, and she had me guessing at the outcome…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Spinning Silver

  Novik, Naomi,

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  This is such a smart and imaginative (and very loose) retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. This Eastern European-inspired world feels fully realized, its main characters are fascinating – and its focus on women is such a refreshing take on this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Fifth Risk

  Lewis, Michael (Michael M.),

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  During the transition from the Obama administration to the Trump administration, Lewis delves into the risks and challenges faced by the employees tasked with operating the largest, most complicated departments of the federal government.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I'll Be There for You

  the One About Friends

  Miller, Kelsey,

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  Anyone who loves Friends, or 90s TV in general, will adore this history of the show. I tore through it in a couple of days and while it doesn’t contain any truly groundbreaking new revelations about the show, it’s just a fun, nostalgic…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Like a Mother

  A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy

  Garbes, Angela

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  You don’t have to be pregnant or a mother to enjoy this refreshingly unsentimental look at pregnancy and early motherhood. I found this absolutely fascinating (and hard to put down!) and finished the book with a newfound appreciation for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Favorite Sister

  Knoll, Jessica,

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  Knoll is a master of telling the reader the dark truth in her opening pages and then peeling, layer by dark and squirmy layer, down to the horrible truth. This book is set in the world of reality TV, with a group of women striving to keep…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Dinner List

  Serle, Rebecca,

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  Who’s on your ideal dinner list, living or dead? Sabrina never thought her list could happen, but her best friend, her ex-fiance, her long lost father, her college mentor, and Audrey Hepburn all have something to say to her before she can…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Could Hurt

  Medoff, Jillian

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  Medoff puts the “human” in Human Resources. The characters embody all the good and bad in a corporate HR setting. - Tracy