17 Favourite Books of 2018 that you should read ASAP

Phew! What a year has it been? I had so many perfect reads this year that it is so hard to pick favourites. My reading was mostly concentrated among the new releases, but I did manage to read a few books published in the earlier years. I noticed I read zero classics this year; definitely distracted by new and shiny books. Not sorry about that, but I wish I had tackled some more of the titles on the bookshelf along with newer acquisitions.If you are interested in the new releases only, I listed 15 Best Books of 2018 in a piece for Huffington Post India last month. This is more of a favourites list with perhaps exclamation marks and capital letters at all wrong places. These are the books that I personally loved over the second half of the year. Some are books that spoke to me because of the beautiful writing while others are ones that gave me sleepless nights. The first half of the year was simply incredible and my favourites list had a majority of debut novels.

On to my cherished reads in the latter half of 2018.

1.Normal People by Sally Rooney

(2018)

Normal People steals the show in 2018. It has been a long time since I’ve seen readers unanimously go gaga over a book. Marianne and Connell go through a series of ‘in-love-now-we-part-ways’ routines in this story of star crossed lovers. The book is a testament to young love, the anxiety and confusion accompanying it and the string of miscommunication, unavoidable in every relationship. I poured out my love for the book in a piece for Frolic justifying why Normal People is the best love story of 2018.

2.The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang (2018)

The Poppy War is rightly the BEST fantasy of 2018 (I summed up WHY here). It is bloody and gory, so skip this if you are faint hearted. The novel follows Rin, a war orphan who tries to get into a military academy. There are shamans, opium, violence, war and magic in this debut set in Imperial China. More bonus points for being based on real historical events. Be ready for a long Google search session once you finish the read.

3.The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017)

This is the perfect guilty pleasure binge. The book is like a memoir of the famous fictional actress Evelyn Hugo (there are said to be a few similarities with Elizabeth Taylor’s life). There is love, desire, betrayal, manipulation, affairs, regrets, stardom and family life. Basically it is like a tabloid pie that you just don’t want to stop eating.

PS: Listen to it on audio; even better.

4. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata; translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori (2016; transl. 2018)

This was such a joy to read. Keiko, a socially awkward girl (who might be on the spectrum, she is undiagnosed) is content with her life of routine and her job as a shop girl. She tries very hard to fit in the society by imitating the actions (and even emotions) of her friends. She meets a manipulative man and decides to live with him (which she likens to keeping a pet!) and this leads her on a journey of self discovery and happiness. Keiko reminded me so much of Eleanor of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but she is a more realistic version of Eleanor.

5.Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami; translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell(2001)

I am officially a fan of Hiromi Kawakami after this book. Strange Weather in Tokyo is my favourite work of hers so far. With a surreal, dream-like quality of narration, the book explores the love story between a middle aged woman and her school teacher whom she happens to cross paths with.

Read : Review of Convenience Store Woman and Strange Weather in Tokyo here.

6.Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras (2018)

This is one of those debuts that you cannot put down once you start reading. Inspired by some real life events in the author’s life, the book explores the unlikely friendship between Chula, who stays in the gated community of Bogota, and the house maid, Petrona, who lives outside the walls. The drug lord, Pablo Escobar, is on the run and the region is in chaos. Unpredictable assassinations and kidnappings offer an addictive backdrop to the novel.

7.Flames by Robbie Arnott (2018)

I devoured Flames in a single night. This is my first by Robbie Arnott and wow! what a spectacular writer! I have annotated nearly the whole of the book. There are so many Easter eggs to find in this one. It is a novel about humans and nature, threaded with beautiful words in a realm of magical realism. Definitely an under rated gem and I hope more readers stumble upon it.

8.Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup (2018)

How often does one read a debut that takes your breath away? The book has met with spectacular success in the Indian publishing scene and is soon reaching International waters. It is a duet between man and nature and is set around Andamans and Nicobar, Karakoram ranges, Kashmir and Bhutan.

9.The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (2018)

I scratched this book from my favourites list quite a lot of times but in the end decided to put it in. A golden star for amazing story telling style that sucked me in like vacuum. I finished it in one stretch and ended up being a sleep deprived owl the next day. This is about a reality show family (somewhat like the Kardarshians but starring a reverend’s family), a teen pregnancy and church. The book is a fascinating read but the ending was rushed and disappointed me. Probably this is only because the book was just so good that my hopes were sky high.

10.The Queen of Jasmine Country by Sharanya Manivannan (2018)

I enjoyed Manivannan’s The High Priestess Never Marries, a collection of her short stories. But it is her first novel set in rural Tamil Nadu that won my heart. The story follows Kodhai, the girl becomes the revered saint poet, Andal (the only female among the 12 saint poets of Lord Vishnu called ‘Alvars’). The short novel whisks you to colourful streets of Madurai, dark groves and chats of cowherd girls. The prose is sensual and poetic, laced with traditions and customs.

Read my review of The Queen of Jasmine Country on Huffington Post India.

11.Art Matters by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Chris Riddell (2018)

If you have a loved one who is an artist, gift this book to them. Please? Art Matters is a short book of some excerpts from Gaiman’s works and lovely illustrations by Riddell. It is inspirational, uplifting and pushes you to get up if you are at a low point. My favourite pieces in the collection are ‘Make good art’ and ‘Making a chair’. Brilliant!

12.Melmoth by Sarah Perry (2018)

To be honest, this book is not as wonderful as Perry’s previous novel, but it is still such a striking novel. This is a hint for you to pick up the lyrical masterpiece, The Essex Serpent, one of my favourite books last year. Talking about Melmoth, I thoroughly enjoyed the dark, gothic tones and nested stories. I listened to it on audio and that definitely made the atmospheric prose more enjoyable. I loved how Perry added a Biblical twist to Melmoth and made her a fully fleshed legend. I was surprised to find out that she is a work of Perry’s imagination and not an age old folk lore. More about how deliciously lush the novel is on my piece in Huffington post.

13.An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (2018)

How do writers pen down emotions so well that they tighten their grip on our throats and make us wail for the characters? This book was splendid and probably the best to binge on after Normal People; both mess with your heart in more ways than you can imagine. The novel follows a young black couple and their marriage when the husband is put behind bars for a crime he did not commit. It beautifully illustrates how circumstances change people and trust me, you won’t be able to pick a side in this one.

14.Lullaby by Leila Slimani; translated from the French by Sam Taylor (2016; transl. 2018)

I sped through this nail biting story of a nanny who murders the children she is supposed to babysit. Another one of those books I ate up in a single night with a lump in my throat. Lullaby (also titled The Perfect Nanny) is a candle burner. It will keep you glued to the pages with the character sketches and unlikely turn of events. The ending was a let down but the book is still worth a read.

Read : Leila Slimani’s sex crazed heroine and killing nanny..

15.Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer (2018)

Female Persuasion was a pacy read about a woman finding her place in the world. It was to me what The Idiot by Elif Batuman (which I left unfinished) couldn’t be. The book talks about mentors, power dynamics, ambitions, personal and professional compromises and feminism. I am convinced I have to try more of Wolitzer’s works.

16.House of Spirits by Isabel Allende (1982)

I love magical realism and I love Allende; so no surprise that the book is on my favourites list for the year. Set in an unnamed Latin American country (which might be Chile), the novel follows three generations of the Trueba family with the backdrop of the political tensions in the country. Note to self : read more Allende.

17.The St. Clare series by Enid Blyton (1941- )

I am cheating a bit here because I am not done with re-reading all the books in the series yet. Dipping into the St. Clare life was the best part of December. The re-read of my beloved Blyton series ended up with me feeling nostalgic about my own dormitory days, midnight feasts and boarding school friends; not to forget the library from where I first picked up the first book in the series, as a girl of twelve. As an adult, I like the original books written by Blyton the best and the spin offs by Pamela Cox did not appeal to me.

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