Gerard's Best Books of 2018

Out of 101 books I read during 2018, I have narrowed it down to the 12 favorites below:

1--Life in a Jar by Jack Mayer (non-fiction)

2--On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides

3--The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (Wife also gave this 5 stars)

4--The Last Namasara by Kristen Cicarelli (One of wife's favorites too)

5--Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage (Wife also liked)

6--Bright We Burn by Kiersten White (book 3 of I Darken series)

7--Night Blood by Elly Blake (Frost Blood Series)

8--The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

9--The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

10--Children of Blood and Bone by Tom Adeyemi

11-Educated by Tara Westover (non-fiction)

12-Fury Born by Claire Legrand

See previous post for my wife's best books of 2018.  Whose list do you like better?

 Happy Reading!

Karen's Best Books of 2018

I narrowed down my favorite reads of 2018 to 12 but that includes counting four great series each as one item. My mix included some YA sports stories, historical fiction/romance, science fiction, fantasy and mystery.

1. Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain (contemporary science fiction, time travel)

Best single book of the year—Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain was fantastic. I hated to put it down because I was always eager to see what would happen next. This emotional read had so many ups and downs, twists and turns that I just kept thinking about it even after I finished. Time travel is something fun to think about and this book made it very believable. I found myself saying “Oh no!” out loud several times throughout this book! It’s about a mother’s love for her unborn child and the lengths she goes to in order for it to be healthy and have a good life. If I could recommend just one book to a woman, this would be it!

2. Nyxia by Scot Reintgen (2-book YA science fiction series)
Nyxia contained a lot of relational stuff among competitors from around the world. It was about leadership, competition, and finally survival and courage. This one is reminiscent of Ender’s Game, which I loved!

3. Everlost by Neal Shusterman (3-book YA fantasy series)
The Everlost series was just a fun read for me about how dead people can enter the body of living humans or in some cases, animals even which is called “skin jacking.” This one had lots of funny parts that made me actually laugh out loud.



4. Clover Springs Mail Order Bride Box Set by Rachel Wesson (5-book historical romance series)

5. Trails of the Heart by Rachel Wesson (5-book historical fiction series)
The Rachel Wesson historical romance series were very entertaining, with adventure, wit, and clean romance. Although each book was about the Old West romances, they each had a unique angle which kept me reading more and more of her stories. These too were quick reads.




6. A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena (murder mystery)

7. Her Last Breath by Linda Costello (hit-n-run Amish mystery)
A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena and Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo were both well written murder mysteries with surprise endings for me.










8. The Last Namsara by Kristen Cicarelli (fantasy with dragons)
This one was such a different type of read for me that kept my interest. I loved the dragons in it and the main character was very cool. This is the first dragon book I ever read.

9. QB1 by Mike Lupica (children’s football story)

10. Fast Break by Mike Lupica (children’s basketball story)

11. Team Players by Mike Lupica (children’s baseball story)

 

The Mike Lupica books are great reads for kids who like sports, but I enjoyed them very much too. He wrote many others as well, but the three I listed above were the ones I liked best. They are short and go fast, but all are more than just about sports.

12. DRY by Neal Shusterman (YA contemporary fiction)
This one is actually pretty scary because it is about something that could actually happen—serious drought! A group of teens who do not have much in common, join together to work to survive.

I highly recommend all these, loved them all!  I'd love to hear what you thought of them if you read any.  I read over 90 books so it wasn't easy to narrow it down to this.  Subscribe to this blog so you don't miss any of our book reviews.  Happy Reading!

"Beyond Their Years--Stories of Sixteen Civil War Children" by Scotti Cohn

Beyond Their Years by Scotti Cohn is historical non-fiction. This is a collection of stories from 16 people who, during their childhood, the civil war was ongoing. They look back and tell how they dealt with it. This is a wide range of stories from men and women. Some from the north and some from the south. For the most part, they were interesting with some better than others. If you enjoy reading about history, this is the book for you!
(Gerard’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 55:  Before the end of February, the blue-eyed, sandy-haired "little snotty boy" wore a dark blue uniform and carried a gun.  One of the other soldiers, a big husky fellow called "Curly," was not impressed with the newly created "Private Stockwell."

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Ashes in the Snow" by Ruta Sepetys

Ashes in the Snow by Ruta Sepetys is a work of historical fiction about when the Russians under orders from Stalin took people from Lithuania to Siberia and put them in a work-concentration camp.  The main characters are Lina--16-yr.-old girl, her brother Jonas and their mother.  Their father was taken separately!  The writing in this book is really good.  I got a real sense of what these people went through by reading this.  It was a good book to finish the year.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 43:  Siberia?  That couldn't be right.  Siberia was half a world away.  There was nothing in Siberia.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Stolen Marriage" by Diane Chamberlain

In Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain, during 1943-1955, Tess is engaged to her childhood friend, Vincent.  Tess and Vincent are both devout Catholics in Maryland, and look forward to working together, he as doctor and she as nurse.  However, when a polio epidemic breaks out in Chicago, Vincent, a fine doctor goes to help.  A couple weeks turns into many and although they write, Tess gets impatient for his return.  Her girlfriend, Gina, whose husband is off at war talks Tess into taking a short fun trip to Washington, D.C. and staying at her aunt's little tourist hotel.  Then something happens that changes everything and throws a monkey wrench into her life!  She gets drunk and a total stranger takes her virginity!  She feels so ashamed and then a couple months later discovers she is pregnant!  Will she and Vincent still get married?  What will she do about the baby?  Will she even get her nursing license?  You'll have to read the book to find out, I'm not telling.

I liked this book and felt bad for Tess.  There are a lot of well-developed characters that become a part of Tess' life and there are a lot issues happening in this book including inter-racial marriage, family secrets, grief, relationships, acceptance, love and the amazing story of how Hickory, North Carolina volunteers got a Polio hospital built and functioning in just 54 hours that is based on true events. This is a good story that I think would be a good read for a book club.  I am giving it 4 stars just because I enjoyed other books by Diane Chamberlain more.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 33:  The night before came back to me in a rush and I kept my eyes squeezed tightly closed in regret.  What had I done?  I'd made love--no, I'd had sex--with a stranger.  Oh, to be able to take it all back!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!