My Favorite Fiction Books From 2018

I have some fun reading suggestions for you! I’ve been going through my reading journal from 2018 and picking out which fiction books I most enjoyed.

Not surprisingly, there are quite a few fairy tale retellings on here, and some YA titles I adored. I also stretched myself to read a genre I normally don’t. (Mystery!)

When I tallied my 2018 books, I felt a little bummed out that I read fewer books than last year, until I reminded myself that quality is better than quantity. I’ve gotten better at putting books aside if I’m not enjoying them, something that has been hard for me in the past. (Can anyone relate?)

I also realized that brain fog has frequently made me indecisive when I’m trying to decide what to read. Recognizing this has helped me—I thought for awhile that maybe I was losing my love of reading (gasp!) but now I know it’s just a side effect of chronic illness. I’m hoping my reading goals for this year will help me spend less time deciding what to read, and more time enjoying reading. I hope my suggestions help you too as you decide what books to dive into!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a portion of sales, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog through your purchase!  

Sunlight and Shadow
Cameron Dokey

This story was new-to-me, a retelling of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” and it follows Mina, daughter of the Queen of the Night and the Mage of the Day. If you’re looking for inventive fairy tale retellings, Cameron Dokey is your author. This is one of my favorites from her—in my reading journal I wrote: “Love love love”—w hich is high praise for my reading journal! I love the mood of the book as it explores the beauty of light and dark.

I also really enjoyed two of her other books this year: Wild Orchid and Winter’s Child. (PS Don’t be put off by the cover and title of the book collections!)

 

Entwined
Heather Dixon

I kind of devoured this book. This enchanting retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses sets the story in the Victorian era and brings an atmosphere of ghost-story eeriness to the tale. The story feature memorable characters, charming romance, and the touching growth of the characters which added some great depth to this YA pick.

If you love the Twelve Dancing Princesses as much as I do, I also recommend one of my other favorite fairy tale retellings.

 

Starbound trilogy 
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

This young adult series is part sci-fi, part survival story, part romance, with eerie elements because of…something I won’t give away. I love how different these are from other scifi books I’ve read, and they kept me on the edge of my seat and intrigued by the unique world and blend of genres. I read the first book, These Broken Stars a few years ago, and couldn’t wait to pick up this year with This Shattered World and Their Fractured Light. (How cool are those titles!)

 

Emily of New Moon trilogy
L. M. Montgomery

I was always hesitant to read this series because I thought it couldn’t be as good as Anne of Green Gables, one of my all time favorites. But I love Emily as much as Anne! She’s her own character, a more pensive soul, with a vivid poetic imagination. Although the books include some moments that stretched my sense of disbelief and at times a sadder tone, I really enjoyed the series. I found myself relating to Emily a great deal because of her desire and struggle to be a writer. L. M. Montgomery is such a poetic writer, I kept copying sections from each book into my reading journal. Emily’s story continues in Emily Climbs and Emily’s Quest. (PS the whole series is only $0.99 on Kindle.)

 

The Penderwicks
Jeanne Birdsall

These are exactly the kind of children’s books I would have loved growing up, and exactly the kind of books I unabashedly love as an adult. The Penderwicks’ adventures (and misadventures) are laugh out loud funny, the writing is witty, and the characters are memorable and wonderfully unique. I’ve been holding off reading the last book because this is one series I don’t want to end.

 

The Lost Heiress 
Roseanna M. White

This book captured my attention because it reads like a period piece, with a touch of Jane Austen in the love story, and just a bit of the gothic in the elements of mystery surrounding the main character. The Christian themes were well developed and poignant. The characters were all very well fleshed out and unique. I’m adding White’s name to my list—I want to read more of her books.

 

Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Cristie

I’d never read an Agatha Cristie book (I know, shame on me!) because I’m not much for mystery books. (Which is odd considering I’m kind of bonkers about some mystery TV shows and movies.) The story was a little slow to take off, but I’m glad I stuck with it because I became consumed with finding out what happened. A masterful and suspenseful tale that kept me guessing. Maybe she’s made a mystery book fan of me after all!

 

The Help
Kathryn Stockett

What an amazing novel! People have been recommending it to me forever, so I couldn’t wait any longer to read it. The Help is by turns hilarious, touching, and thought-provoking. I love the theme of the power of female friendships, and their ability to overcome prejudice in a time of terrible racial divide. The characters and their unique voices come alive on the page.

The movie is rare in that I thought it was as good as the book!

 

The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart

This book is just so much fun. The plot is rather wild, but it boils down to child prodigies being secretly recruited to save the world. This book is geared toward kids so it’s an easy read, and I loved reading about the puzzles and mysteries the main characters worked to solve (while trying to figure out what I would do), and it constantly cracked me up.

Need more books? Check out my favorite fiction picks from 2017.

What fiction books did you love to read last year? I’d love suggestions as I work on my 2019 reading list!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin